July 12 - 19.9 / 1,711.1

I headed down to the lobby for coffee when I woke up. Ponytail Dave was already down there with his friend when I arrived. I spoke to them for a few minutes. PD was telling me about the charity he is raising money for while hiking. It is a camp which takes special needs kids and allows them to perform outdoor activities. The Inn's restaurant opened, and we headed in. Samurai was down there by this time. Eric, the LT hiker, also joined us. I had french toast that was very good. Moose, Tetherball, and Tetherball's parents were at a table near us too.

After breakfast, Samurai and I packed up and headed to the front of the Inn. We waited for a few minutes waiting on a hitch. Eventually, a bus that runs between the towns picked us up. It normally cost $2 a ride, but I was able to talk the driver into driving us for free since the trailhead was only a mile away.

Samurai and I made it only 3 miles into the day when we came to a campground. We decided that we would walk to the office and grab some ice cream and sodas. We also signed a hiker log. We were the third and fourth hikers to sign since 2008. We got going again when we came across a Croc on the trail. Figuring it was someone who was probably hiking northbound, Samurai picked it up to carry it to the next shelter. It wasn't five minutes later when we saw Moose hiking southbound without her pack. I asked if she was missing a shoe. She got very ecstatic when she realized we had it.

Thundering Falls was right along the trail. I got a few pictures and headed on. Moose, Tetherball, Samurai, and I all hiked together to the next shelter. I checked out the log and noticed that Ponytail Dave mentioned seeing Sticks, Absent, and Inferno at the Inn. I wish we would have been able to run into them the night before.

The rest of the day was long. The climbs haven't been too long, but they are getting to where I can feel the effects of going straight up and straight down. I got to the shelter after Samurai. Also there were three SOBO's. We swapped stories about the trail that each of us had already hiked. I'll be surprised if all three of them make it.

My tent smelled really bad for the first time this whole trip. It had not fully dried out from the rain a few days ago. So it had a strong mold and mildew smell.