Roaring Fork to Hot Springs - A change

18 miles today...you know this is only possible when the promise of a hot shower and warm bed is at the end of the day. Nothai doesn't know, but he pushed me the last 7 miles, in a good way. It was tough for me to keep up with him - he is a machine, but I just kept truckin' along...and made it to HOT SPRINGS by 5:30!
Walking on cement after walking on trail is so weird...it looks like there is something wrong with you. Nothai and I got acquainted with the entire town trying to find a place to stay. We settled for two cots on the porch at Elmers. It was GREAT! SETTLED - HA, we are opting to stay another night in the same place instead of taking an inside bed. We watched a lightning storm that woke us in the middle of the night. It was amazing.
Elmer's is a fantastic place. I ran back into Seaweed and Fisherman, Maui (sp?) Bob, Transition and many others. Nothai is heading to Michigan from here. I'm so glad to have met him and have really enjoyed our time, talks and laughs together. He is really an unforgettable person and I feel sad that he is going, but happy for him too. Hopefully he will still be in Michigan when I get back. It has been great being included and getting to know all the Clusterfunkers, but I need to change things up for me and hike my own hike. I have been letting the group set my pace. There is a pressure I'm feeling, not just from hiking with others, but a pressure even in my own mind about how fast I need to go to get to Maine before the park closes. And to do this at some point you need to put in higher mileage days and I'm just not happy doing it that way. I like to take my time during the day and stop whenever I want; because I see something neat, because I want to listen to the water awhile, etc. I also have packages ahead of me that I need to get to that I'm stressing about. So, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to do this my way. I might not pass every blaze and be a true "2175 mile hiker", but I came to the conclusion that I'd be very unhappy on a daily basis if I do it that way. I've spent a month pushing myself and I know that physically and mentally I am capable of that, but I'm really not enjoying what it and doing it my way. Unfortunately, my way will never get me there in time because I like to screw around and lollygag. It is better than cursing my way up a mountain though and hating the day. So, I'm jumping ahead 70 some miles of trail to Erwin to get my packages and walk into Damascus for Trail Days, which I'm trying to convince Nothai to go to. YES - I'M CHEATING AGAIN - THIS TIME IN A BIG WAY...I'm okay with it. When I decided this today after thinking for the last two days about things I really felt relief. This is my adventure, and I want to hike the AT in my way. I have hiked straight through 270 something miles.