Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 104 – Sunset on Max Patch
7th November 2023
Hot Springs (1923.5) - Max Patch Road (1944.1)
Daily miles: 20.6
Total miles: 1930
The hostel needs some renovation. The beds are super uncomfortable, you can feel all the springs in the mattresses. I slept alright, but it was another earplug night as the heating was clicking – repetitive noises stress me out!
The bunk room a Laughing Heart hostel
My messy corner
A group of us went to the diner for breakfast. I decided to go because I need to eat real food where I can get it. The breakfast skillet defeated me. It was nice but it was just so much.
Smoky Mountain Diner, Hot Springs
Breakfast skillet
Defeated by the breakfast skillet
I had already packed up so when we got back to the hostel I left pretty much straight away and was back on trail at 8:30am
Robin Hood was saying goodbye to everyone because he might never see us again as he is having problems with his feet.
The last time I will see Robin Hood?
Appalachian Trail art
Laughing Heart Hostel
There was a lot of climbing today and we were aiming for sunset on Max Patch. The first climb wasn’t actually too bad, in that it didn’t last for as long as I thought it would, but it was still steep up and not a lovely grade.
I spent the whole day pretty much leapfrogging with people as I climbed. People would overtake me and then I would see them collecting water or taking a break to eat and I would pass them again.
I don’t hike well on a full stomach and I was really full from breakfast so it was a bit of a struggle. 2mph stuff.
We have picked up Crunchy (a hiker we met a while ago). He might stay with us and finish on the 18th. His bag is crazy, lots of stuff hanging off.
Heading south
Crunchy and his crazy backpack
Not a green tunnel anymore
Love a piped spring
We did see some abandoned kit, and Fireflo who we saw coming towards us had told us about it. She said the hiker had probably been either… eaten by a bear or the body was somewhere in the forest. Interesting theory. Hopefully she is wrong!
Strange abandoned kit - including a tin full of eggs
I hiked by myself for most of the day until Jet and Toe caught up to me and I managed to keep up with them for the last 5 miles to Max Patch. We chatted which made the time go quicker and Jet was leading so we were going a bit faster than I would have by myself.
The light though
Following Late Start and Thigh High
A beautiful day
Hiker train
On the way up to Max Patch
There isn’t much else to say about the hike today because I just hiked uphill all day and only stopped once for a handful of crisps.
We made it up to Max Patch right on time and it was so beautiful. There were 9 of us sat in a circle watching the sunset. We made dinner. I didn’t make anything, I just had a hot chocolate.
On the way up to Max Patch
Top of Max Patch
Dinner and sunset
Living the dream
Sunset crew
Sunset layers
Sunset
360 views
Sunset selfie
Sunset girls
It was pretty cold up here
Golden
Sunset crew
A lovely evening
It got real cold up there and just as it got dark we hiked down the 0.8 miles to the campsite we had picked out in a big hiker train. Camping isn’t allowed on Max Patch. It was in 2018, but people are dicks and leave it in a mess and ruin it for everyone else.
Thankfully it warmed up a bit as we got off the exposed bald and back into the trees. After collecting some water we found the spot next to a dirt road and Thigh High, Crunchy and I set up tents and the rest of them are cowboy camping and playing Monopoly Deal.
I am lying in my tent feeling really hungry and hoping my mat doesn’t deflated too quickly tonight.
