Date: 2015-09-16
To: Easy Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

There was a pretty sunrise this morning and I was surprised to be able to see it as we were camped in a gap. Nonetheless, the sky lightened and pretty soon rays of sun were peeking through the trees. I was the first one up so I headed down the trail a bit, past our hanging food bags, looking for ¢the perfect spot¢ to take care of business. Even that early, you never know who might come hiking up the trail and I didn¢t care to be caught with my pants down! On the way back I intended to get our food bags down and surprise the others, but Wild Thang had beaten me to it. I join her at the campfire ring across the trail from our sleeping site and we began breakfast preparations. Today was to be a light mileage day (4.1) because it included a climb up to Wayah Bald stone tower and vistas. Our intent was to enjoy the hike at a relaxed pace. We obviously are not mileage hounds! I always love being able to enjoy my breakfast and cup of tea watching the woods come alive. It is my favorite time of day regardless where I am. We did set a time to depart and we stuck to it. Off we went with Shutterbug leading the way. Although she is the shortest, Wild Thang and I nominated her best ¢spider web clearer¢ ever! Understand that it is not her height that wins her that title, but her antics as she encounters webs in her face time after time. It becomes challenging to stay on the trail, we are laughing so hard. After a good hour or so of her being a good sport, and a great morning pace setter, I usually offer to take the lead. Being the tallest, I wipe out great quantities of webs so they are able to pass thru untouched. While I don¢t actually enjoy spider webs in my face every few feet, they don¢t cause me to dance and flail about. In fact, my performance out front is so mundane; both ladies hook up their music. Not much to see today as we hike on the side of the mountains. The leaf canopy is still very full and there are some tinges of color here and there. I am so busy looking at the trail for roots that jump up and grab my foot, determined to trip me that I wouldn¢t see much anyway. Frequently I remind myself to stop, look up from the trail and take in whatever there is to see. It¢s important not to look around as you hike, as that is when you find yourself planted face down in the dirt wondering what the heck just happened! Thankfully, I managed to remain upright all day. As we approached Wesser Bald tower you could tell you were getting close to civilization. The trail widens a bit, it is certainly more obvious and cars can be heard driving up the roadway to the tower. The view was pretty, looking across the valley to another mountain ridge. It made a good place to stop for lunch. There were a few people taking in the views, but not overly crowded, a nice benefit to hiking mid-week. Lunch and mandatory stretching session completed, we shouldered our packs and headed downhill a mile or so to our campsite for the night. This was a nice big area, with a stream nearby, so water was easily accessible. We set up our tents and hammock in one area and did our cooking in another, well away from the sleeping site. Shutterbug tried valiantly to get a camp fire going, but the wood was damp and it didn¢t burn long. It was a nice to gather around it and cook our dinners anyway. Shortly after, we all headed off to bed as tomorrow was going to be a longer day.