Slow going

4/25
I left Hot Springs around 10:30am, crossed the French Broad river, and began the long/steep ascent out of town. The air was warm and muggy and I had a tough time finding my stride. I took a lot of breaks and drank a lot of water. My foot and leg began to bother me towards the end of the day and I decided I'd only hike around 10mi. I found a nice campsite near a fire tower and setup camp along with my friend Chucktown. Before nightfall 5 more friends had joined us. I started a campfire and we sat around well past dark. I ate a huge dinner, complete with a bowl of instant chocolate pudding, and went to bed. 5 more days to Erwin, TN.

280.1mi hiked ... 1900.9 to go!