Woke up to a cool wet morning on top of Tray Mtn…kind of stuck in the clouds.

Not exactly sure what this sign referred to:

The skies started to clear and the sun came out and I was finally hiking in a t-shirt and shorts!

I hitched a ride into the town of Hiawassee about 12 miles away and was doing laundry and getting a shower by 2pm. This is 6 days worth of filth in the sink… wash, rinse, repeat! I hate to see what this looks like when it really starts to get sweaty and muddy on the trail.

Drying out clothes and the tent on the motel lawn.

The gear explosion wasn’t too bad considering three of us are sharing a room: Miles, now known as Makin’ Miles and Zach now known as Go Lucky.

I will take credit for giving them their trail names. I’ve named one other hiker so far; Dave from NH was given the choice of Care Bear or Spirit Bear (his hiking buddy is named Polar Bear and they are both big guys). Dave went with Spirit Bear, especially fitting since he is 1/8 Penobscot Indian.

It’s supposed to be kind a wet day tomorrow so it could be a slow departure from town. It will be a good day to be doing mostly uphill…it keeps you warm 🙂