Hot Springs: Rebuilding After Hurricane Hellene
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
- Though the Appalachian Trail town of Hot Springs was devastated by Hurricane Hellene, its people are determined to come back better than ever. Thanks to LMNT for sponsoring this video! Head to DrinkLMNT.com/R... to get your free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase. Rebuilding to businesses in Hot Springs is well under way and many are vowing to be ready for Appalachian Trail thru hikers and all hikers when they come to town.
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00:01 Intro
01:10 Entry into Hot Springs
02:10 Hot Springs downtown damage walk though
05:15 Interview with local business damaged by Helene Vinyl Pie Pizza
10:20 Interview with Mayor of Hot Springs Mayor about damage and returning
10:45 LMNT drink mix free offer from me personally
12:07 Interview with Mayor of Hot Springs Mayor about damage and returning con.
17:19 2025 Appalachian trail thru hikers lodging in Hot Springs
19:43 Appalachian trail conditions at Hot Springs.
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I am amazed at how much work has been done already and that some of the businesses will be back by Christmas! That's brilliant ❤
Hard working people
We drove through Hot Springs today (11/1) and saw significant improvement even from your video. We definitely will visit as soon as they are open for business. - Jimmy Dean
That is great to hear. Glad to see things are already progressing.
The women in Vinyl Pies Pizza just radiated such an awesome energy and they both looked so physically beautiful as well even in their mucking out clothes and after all they have been through. Just such resilience!
Awesome to see.
Their pizza is delicious.
I am so happy to see a video of this amazing trail town. I hope that the effort these towns put into recovery will help inspire the AT Conservancy and US Forest Service to get going on trail recovery.
Me too
Ramdino, brotherman, you have just made my day. Thank you a million times for taking the time to do this. I'm so happy I could cry 😂😂😂
Dino is the man!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for the update, Ramdino! I hung my hammock between the two trees on the right side of the walkway at Laughing Heart (17:30) in 2023 on my thruhike attempt. Took a zero there. I had been through Hot Springs in '21 and '22, too, when I began and ended back- to- back section hikes on my way to a 40-year trail completion started back in 1982. I have some very fond memories of dining with fellow hikers in the deck of Spring Creek Tavern, watching boys and men catching trout in the creek. The power of a river, flooding its banks is horrifying.
The people of the trail towns are resilient and strong. Long live the towns and people who make the Appalachian Trail thruhike the "Adventure of a Lifetime!" 💪🙏✌️👊
And more memories are to be made in Hot Springs
@@RamdinohikesWhat they have been able to do in a few short weeks is nothing short of amazing. A 2015 thruhiker friend of mine wants to get involved in the rebuilding effort. He is part owner of a family custom window manufacturing business in Rhode Island and would like some direction as to which organizations need help. We are also both pretty good with chainsaw work. I am a volunteer trail maintainer up here. We will definitely bring some equipment as well as our own provisions. We can't make it to NC until mid-December, unfortunately.
That’s awesome, man! Love that you and your buddy want to jump in and help out. Any trail club can use your help need a hand. Mid-December will be here before you know it! You can give directly to the CMC or the TEHCC
It's great to hear they're rebuilding. They don't need to worry about finding a place for hikers to stay. I didn't stay in Hot Springs on my hike. Just support the businesses that are open and hike on.
Absolutely! Supporting local businesses is a great way to contribute to the community while enjoying the beautiful hikes.
So thankful to see Hot Springs is back up and moving and are getting help!!!! Thanks!
Coming back better
I will bring my family over to Hot Springs for a visit over the Christmas holiday season! LOTS of hard work getting back up & running. We love Hot Springs & look forward to supporting their businesses soon!
Thank you Ramdino. (Mr Gentry was such a nice man, taking his time to help hikers).
Thank you for recognizing these businesses! I have shared some onto my fb page to help them out. Way to go Ramdino!
Thanks for supporting them!
So great to see the rebuilding in Hot Springs! We were there exactly a year ago from the hurricane hitting and ate in a table right where the ladies were standing. Loved the pizza and music decor. May God bless their recovery efforts.
That is a great memory! I hope you can visit again soon.
Don't underestimate the people in this area. They will build back and be stronger then ever. I can't wait to visit Hot Springs and Marshall again.
Amen to that
Thanks Ramdino for doing this. I love Hot Springs and it’s just broke my heart to see the devastation.
Thank you for taking the time to travel to Hot Springs and share this video. It's heartbreaking to see the damage, but heartwarming to see the hard work and dedication these residents are putting into recovering.
It’s inspiring to see that spirit.
Thank you Ramdino for the update! My prayers are with all these people in NC . I hope the
money from the big concert the other night goes directly to help people make a home again. 🙏
Hope it helps the rebuilding efforts.
i have footage from 2023 of that exact spot at 22:33 and im amazed how well the trail held up. i thought that section would have been completely washed away. thanks for showing this.
Thank you sir for the update . It’s great to see real evidence of one of greatest comebacks in the history of comebacks! I’ll see them all soon!
It’s inspiring to see them bounce back so quickly!
Thanks for this report, Ramdino. Not familiar with Hot Springs as a hiker, but from trips to the mountains with my husband. I remember telling him that I had read it had the distinction of having the Appalachian Trail go through the middle of town. That was way before I ever followed a thru hiker. Thanks for the detailed tour. I appreciated being able to see the damage through your eyes.
I'm glad you found the report helpful! Hot Springs is definitely a unique spot with a lot of history. It's great to hear about your experiences in the mountains!
I went through a week ago on my way back to Tennessee from Asheville. I agree, they have done great work recovering in just 2-3 weeks. Thanks for the update.
It really shows the resilience of the community.
Great reporting, Ramindo. Preciate it!
Thanks for watching.
Soglad things are getting better. Thank you so much for the update, Ramdino!!!
Of course
Good to see that they will be back.
Nicely done!
Appreciate your taking the time to show us he damage in the Appalachian areas.
I remember hiking the AT through town, along the river, then up to "Lovers Leap" as we headed northwest to the TN/NC line.
God Bless those people in Hot Springs to recover and be better than ever.
And God Bless to you for providing such good information on the AT corridor.
Yes, they will bounce back, stronger than ever.
We loved our hike through Hot Springs and loved Vinyl Pizza. Love, thoughts and prayers for all!!!!
Thanks Ramdino! Roan Mountain bouncing back thru being strong, and all the great help too.
That is awesome to hear, glad to hear Roan Mountain is bouncing back.
This was a really interesting, fascinating video, and I thank you for doing this. These folks have so much ahead of them, but they've already come farther than I would have guessed.
Yes, the resilience of the community is truly inspiring.
Heartbreaking. Thank you for the updates!
Thanks for the update! I visited and stayed at Laughing Heart in September of '23. Had dinner at the brewery. I am happy to hear it is coming back. Very sad to see that area of the trail gone at the foot of the bridge. There were lots of little structures on that road under the bridge that are not there anymore. Very sad. I will return as things open up.
I hope to see you out there when things get back to normal!
Great job, Ramdino.
Thank you!
Thanks for the update.🙏🏻
Wow, thank you so much for making this video!!!
You're very welcome!
Thank you much Ramdino, that was so nice to see you out there in Hot Springs. Keep it up and look forward to your next trip with a trial inspection.
Thanks for watching!
Wow! Just wow! Heartbreaking!
There was a large deck eating area at the bar-it's gone. 04:31 Behind the tavern, there were cabins where I took a zero this past May. The climb out of Hot Springs was memorable due to the town and river views as you climbed out.
Thank you, Ramdino. This was an interesting video. So happy to see this town coming back and to see the confidence the ladies at Vinyl Pies Pizza had as well as the mayor. Appreciate the way your are getting the word out about the impact the storm had on the trail as well as the towns.
Thanks for watching and for the kind words.
Great to see Hot Springs - the town looks exactly like Ellicott City MD, after our floods (2 “100 year floods”, in 2 years!). EC is back up and thriving. Hot Springs will be too!
I’m sure they will too!
Thank you buddy,will survive!
We're all in this together.
Just like the AT Covid Dark Age (starting April 1, 2020), the trail can never be closed down. Just like in 2020 when a few hundred hikers knew this and hiked on to fulfill their dream, I'm glad that several dozen southbounders willl continue to hike on to Springer Mt.
For the AT Class of 2025 (northbounders), I would suggest they camp a few miles south of town and resupply in town (baby pipes and/or the river can keep you clean) and then hike out of town to camp a few miles north of Hot Springs.
For decades, AT thru-hikers did not have hostels, shuttles, or governmental control as part of their trail experience and they succeeded.
Kudos to those hikers that don't stay in any paid lodging or use any paid shuttles.
You are indeed an asset to the trail god bless be well
Thank you
Thanks for providing this update! Please do the Damascus area next if you can 🙏
Thanks for watching.I've actually already done one on damascus and it is in the playlist
Thanks for this video and all you do to help look after the hikers!
You're very welcome.
We had a flood like that and the 2025 AT hike is going to be very hard in those areas. It took 10 years for us to get our last FEMA check from that flood. The towns looked as good as they could in 2 to 3 years. God I feel so sorry for those people. I love watching videos of the hikers going through those town and to see your it brough back lots of old bad memories from our flood.
Spent 2 weeks in Hot Springs a few years ago. Highly recommend you visit, camp etc.
It is truly a special place.
Thank you for the update❤❤❤❤❤
Excellent job. May complete restoration come quickly for those folks!
I hope so too!
Wow. I had drinks in that pub! Sorry Hot Springs! Prayers to y'all!
They'll be back
Thanks for the update Ramdino!
You're welcome!
This is the American spirit at work!!
Thanks for the update Ramdino..... mo
Had dinner at vinyl pies in April 2024 while there for the Southeast Gravel Race
Has anyone heard about Sadie and Brighteyes? It's amazing how much work has been completed. Thanks for showing us what's going on in this area.
Yes, she has a Facebook page with updates. The search is on-going although set back due to the storms. The link is in the bottem of the description.
Don't need hostel @ Hot Springs, there is a shelter 3 miles before Hot Springs and we could just stop for resupply and a meal in town.
The trailer? Thanks for the update!🙏🙂
thanks for the update. Was bluff mtn outfitters totally gone..? Was such a cool place. Stay safe
Yes it was, but they have moved right up the street.
@@Ramdinohikes okay thanks
North bound from Wesser Shelter to the NOC is hike-able and cleared. Only 2-3 minor blow downs still to remove that area easy to get under or over.
That's great to hear about the progress being made. Thank you for sharing that!
Years ago my family had a fire and the insurance offered something about a third of the final settlement. Never would have gotten to that point without a Public Adjuster who fought the insurer for us. They get a cut of the settlement but without them it's like Christians fighting the lions. The lions (insurance companies) don't lose too many. You need professionals (the adjusters) fighting professionals (the insurance companies). Good luck to these wonderful merchants.
Swannanoa River Road in Asheville was destroyed. The Lowes was condemed. They're lookingto relocate temporarily to the Asheville Mall. Ole's Guacamole Mexican Restaurant in Asheville & in Black Mountain were both destroyed. Swannanoa was decimated. Our Ingle's won't be reopen until January.
So sorry to hear.
The area along the French Broad River from the bridge to where you turned around is the Nantahala Outdoor Center's French Broad River outpost.
Not much left
I'm wondering if Wingfoot is still in the Hot Springs area???
There used to be a motel there that hated hikers and would not rent rooms to hikers and he was not shy about letting you know it and Elmers had some issues not all that friendly of a town back then but looks like that is changing
Def hiker friendly
We used to have towns on the CDT that were anti hiker but that changed over the years.fifty hikers a day spending a couple of hundred changed that
Thanks for update. I am curious as to your take on when Pisgah will "officially" re-open. It is the largest section of closed trails but since it overlaps so much with Cherokee which is open it seems like an unnecessary act to keep it closed.
I'm not sure when it will re-open, but they are working hard to get it open soon!
@@Ramdinohikes Thanks. Seems like a critical opening to get traffic moving along the trail and into some of the trail towns that need the boost to the local economies
Did you go to the area of the Diner? You gave good footage of Laughing Heart and the downtown area, as well the the river walk just north of town. I did not notice any of the walk between Laughing Heart and the downtown bridge. Did you walk that section past the diner?
Yes I did No water at the diner and it was open. No flooding at trailer or Laughing Heart
Looks like an opportunity for someone to set up a new hostel in hot springs. Let us know if there is some kind of crowd funding to help clean out the hostel already there
The trailer was not damaged nor was Laughing Heart
EVEN if it doesn't , ANOTHER hot springs will pop up in the same place!!......there is a reason its there!....
Seems like that hostel wasn't going to be ready before March 2025, and now the flood. Your plan seemed reasonable.
What about Iron Horse Station?
Lots of damage I beleive
Did the little hiker cabins get wiped away? Along river on the opposite side from Lover's Leap Trail???
I believe so
Any news about Elmer's hostel? I know that's the other hostel in town.
The mayor said it was not affected
Thank you for the updates, I was always a small business person, I cannot image loosing everything. What is the status of the resort at hot springs they have a lot of land.
The Hot Springs resort had major damage
How’s Elmer’s doing?
Do you know the status of the Hot Springs Spa and its campground?
Damaged buy under repair. Campground wiped out.
Is Elmer's done?
Dk
Thanks for your video. Would apps be able to help keep you on the trail if there are no blazes. Like far out app?
Yes, many times I have missed a blaze and far put got me back on track
You can rebuild the town but if the trail is down towns like hot springs are doomed they need the hiker business. This is kinda a death and hopefully a rebirth of the trail I would assume it’s going to be very different place in the coming years
Actually inthinkmitll come back quikly
I think they rebuild quickly
Insurance companies are so corrupt.
Dude! I just had a great idea for raising funds for all these places. Tell me how to best contact you to discuss it. ( I hate talking on the phone, its a TBI thing)
RamdinoRoamingtheTrails@gmail.com
It would just be terrible if hikers actually had to stay in the woods and hike.😅
Like Gatewood
Thank you for showing the trail ! That one lady Abbey didn’t seem to want the hikers ? 😢.. she was not unfortunately, as upbeat as the pizza ladies 😍
Abbey is the mayor and she def wants hikers
Thanks for the update. Blessings
Thanks for watching!
Had dinner at vinyl pies in April 2024 while there for the Southeast Gravel Race