March 8 Cosby Knob Shelter to Green Corner Road (Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel) 10.9 Miles
About two miles after leaving the shelter this morning I realized that I had forgotten my rain cover for my pack in the shelter. I told a Southbound section hiker and he promised that if he found it he would mail it to me in Hot Springs! He wouldn't even accept any money for the mail.
For the last two miles before Standing Bear I hiked with one of the men from the bachelor party. He was a kindred spirit who worked to end child sex trafficking in India for a year, and whose passion is protecting children and raising public awareness about child abuse. It was uplifting to meet him and walk with him. His car was at Standing Bear, so he left right away. I lost his phone number. Standing Bear is a hostel run by a husband and wife couple. It is a group of buildings that hikers can use. The owner, Curtis, is a notorious drunk and consistently hires similar people for his staff. To be kind I will say only this-it was a disappointing end to the Smokies. The hostel was not kept up, it was over priced, and I was stolen from while staying there. If you have the option, I would recommend that you stay elsewhere.
Trail view. Snow up to our knees.
At lower elevations the snow was gone.
Standing Bear Farm cabin. This building is build over a creek-cool!
The wall of the shower is made of glass bottles in the symbol of the trail.
The wall IS cool!
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