4/12

Considering how early I continue to wake up on this trip, sleeping until 9 may as well have been winning the lottery. I got up and moving to met dad and Leslie for breakfast at a local diner. The place packed. hikers and locals all trying to get a place to sit and some food as well. It took a little longer than we would have liked to get our food, but it was a great breakfast. We headed back to our 2 cottages after that so I could sort through all the food and decide what I was gonna take. The drive me into town with my now heavily laden pack and dropped me off. Leaving them this time was just as hard as he last time merely because I know the time in between our meetings will me months hand not days. 

Keeping my brain distracted proved easier than I thought it would be though. the hot springs trail fest was is full swing and made for there feet opportunity. 

Food, games, and outdoor brand vendors. A long list of activities had been planned by the town to entertain locals and hikers alike. Hot springs, because of such a high hiker population both thru and otherwise, has a hiker ministry building which allows a place for hikers to relax, use the restroom, wifi use, and many other really useful tools. Because of the festival the hiker ministry was doing pack babysitting. It is traditional for thru hikers that pass hot springs and stop at the hiker ministry, to get a picture taken there with their name on a dry erase board and it will then be posted to a thru hiker picture log. I am not saying it was a great picture, but it's one of the few I have of myself where I have recently taken a shower. 

The festival had many different activities , one in particular catching my eye. After a short time tracking down the woman in charge. I signed up for the talent show... Yes I did. I signed up and waited. Now here is where I am gonna say that. I coughs up on all of my blogging and it should have sent out..

There were so many hikers attached to the very few limited wifi connections about town that I couldn't get any amount of service working for my IPad at all. I managed to read and kill some more time just by walking rap round and saying hey to many other hikers that I had met along the way. 

2:00

Talent show. 

I managed to borrow a guitar from a local who was playing at the hiker ministry and also watching the packs. I played in theme talent show and had a great time doing it. Out of the 20 ish acts, only 3 hikers performed, and the other 2 performers worked together... None of the hikers won. We essentially competed against little kids. I know we had a good time, maybe next time I need to look at who else is competing before I get smoked by a bunch of little girls though... 

The festival ended and it was time to figure out where I was going to stay. Just for participating in the talent show, I managed to score a free stay at the hiker hostel in town. This hiker was also where a free chili night was being held for thru hikers.. It was like Christmas.. Chili was eaten in a quantity that would possibly be deemed unsafe by human standards. After the chili many a dessert was brought on. I managed to muscle past my comfort zone and ingest just enough food to feel like a food filled balloon, but not get sick. There was a campfire following where 2 hikers (one carrying a fiddle and one a banjo) played tunes for a couple hours and then with too much food and a warm place to crash. I was out...