Day 30 - Deer Park Shelter to Hot Springs - 3 miles

We phone a B&B in Hot Springs from the campsite before we start hiking, but they have no vacancy. There is a music festival in town for the weekend and all the accommodation is full. Trust us to arrive at such a time. We start hiking and 30 minutes later, our phone rings. It is Duckett House to say they have had a cancellation so we book a room for 2 mights. We are amazed at our good luck - that we left the phone switched on, that we were on a ridge, so we had reception to receive the call.Our anticipation and excitement builds and we walk faster into town.

We arrive in Hot Springs and find Duckett House on the outskirts - an old large white country mansion. We look forward to the luxury of a hot shower and a soft bed. Hot Springs is our first 'trail' town - where the trail actually goes down the main street of town - we dont have to hitch a ride to get there. The town has recognised the hikers by using trail markers  in concrete along the footpath.

AT symbol in the pavement

The trail crosses the road and heads into Hot Springs

Duckett House - our B&B

After having a huge lunch at the local cafe - an ice cream soda and a grilled turkey sandwich - we spend a couple of hours at the Outfitters, and spend up on new boots for Alison, new parker, new merino longjohns and some interesting lightweight hiking meals. We are getting sick of Continental rice packets.

Time for new boots - no tread left

We spend two hours in the local library sorting out issues with our mobile phone via the internet. The library is full of hikers. The librarians issue laptops, and in every nook and cranny there is a hiker checking email or posting to facebook. At the post office, hikers are receiving food packages and the lawn outside is full of hikers spreading opem parcels out to sort out all the food they have been sent.

We head to the Railway Cafe for dinner and have a huge steak and a bottle of champagne - the first restaurant which we have found which is actually a licensed restaurant.