We will miss you, Hot Springs, NC!

I just have to write another quick post because we just spent the most relaxing night in a beautiful Victorian house located in a town directly on the Trail and we have to tell you about it! I'm talking about Hot Springs, and you absolutely can't miss it as you walk to Maine.

The town in its entirety can't be more than 5 blocks or so and consists mainly of an outfitter, a pub, a diner, a hiker-friendly salon, a laundromat, a dollar store, and the Sunnybank Inn. The last stop on the list is where we spent our aforementioned relaxing evening. It is a huge, beautiful Victorian house with an absurd amount of rooms that ALWAYS seem to be full of Thru-Hikers on their way to Maine, and an atmosphere unlike anything I've experienced in a long time.

Because they were full our first night in town, we put ourselves on the waiting list for the next night and couldn't have been happier about our decision to stay! We were put up in room number 3, with a view of main street and a door to one of the many balconies. (you know how old houses are, balconies and chairs everywhere...this one was no exception! And with the 80 degree weather, they were definitely the place to be!) It's an EXTREMELY reasonable 15 dollars a person a night, with the option to sign up for breakfast and dinner during your stay for an additional 6 and 10 dollars, respectively.

Now, let me just take a minute or five to talk about food, since that was one of our highlights here. When you're on the Trail, food is one of your main sources of entertainment. You daydream about it, you talk about it, you think about it, and the worst part is, you never get to eat the foods that those conversations are about. It ends up being ramen...again, or a scoop of peanut butter on a candy bar.

Now cut back to the Sunnybank Inn. The food here is everything you've been daydreaming about...and more...especially if your visions often contain organic vegetarian food like mine do! That's what you get when you put your name under "dinner" on the chalkboard outside the kitchen. An amazing, full-blown 5 course organic vegetarian meal that you would have punched your best friend over not even 3 days ago in the woods. All the food is homemade, much of it grown in their own garden, and for all you meat-lovers out there, you would never even know that it's missing.

So my point is, anyone coming through this way, or thinking about coming through this way, or anyone looking for an unfortunately long-gone friends are family attitude MUST MUST MUST spend a night...or two...or three...here in Hot Springs at Sean and Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. I promise you won't regret it. Oh, and just a word to the wise, no matter how hungry you are before dinner DO NOT eat a fistful of Twizzlers and a Little Debbie Boston Creme Cake as your hiking partner threatens to tell your mom that you spoiled your dinner. Trust me. You will be way too full for dessert.