Date: 2018-12-04
From: Wayah Shelter, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 11.0

Overnight I got really cold. Though the winds died down I had to put on my heavy socks and my jacket. I felt a lot warmer but did not look forward to morning. I kept trying to sleep as I did not want to leave before 5 a.m. Finally, after 4 a.m., I got my stove going to warm up the tent. I packed up and was on the trail at 5:03 a.m. The wind wasn't bad. It started flurrying with some heavy bursts. Before I reached Wayah Bald everything was coated white. The trees and bushes once again sparkled like a thousand miniature Christmas lights. At the top of Wayah Bald at 5,342' feet is a stone observation tower. It was too dark so I did not go up. Back at the shelter I could see plenty of lights in the valleys below but none on top of the mountain. The flurries had stopped. Later as I was heading down the south side of Wayah Bald the eastern sky was orange. The day had begun though I would not see the actual sunrise. The trail was great right to Winding Stair Gap, US 64. I arrived at 10:50 a.m. after doing 11 miles. The trail went a short distance west along the highway then crossed over to a parking area. There I started hitching east towards Franklin. After 20 vehicles a silver Toyota Tundra pulled over. Ron and Judy live nearby and frequently give rides to hikers. They retired here from Florida and love these mountains. Just after I put my pack in the bed of the truck Toot came up the road and joined us. At 11:30 we were at Ingles near town. We thanked Rod and Judy for their generosity. I dislike hitching but I always meet wonderful people like them. Toots went to Ingles for resupply and was heading back to the trail today. I headed downtown. I wanted to do laundry and get my mop cut. I don't think I had it cut since March or April and I'm starting to look a bit mangy. Losing so much weight and having raggedy hair, I look a bit ragged. I guess I should after 2,081 miles. I went downtown but the two places for haircuts were closed plus I did not find the laundry. Heartrock told me there was a laundry at Westgate Plaza which was all the way back near Ingles. I went there and got my laundry done. I stopped at Subway and purchased a foot long meatball sub and a foot long cold cut sub. While at the laundromat I booked a room at Microtel nearby and since it was after 3 p.m. I got right into my room. After eating the meatball sub I got cleaned up. I also called Jim's Shuttles and arranged a shuttle for the morning back to the trail. Then I headed to Ingles but first I met Jim the shuttle guy at the front desk. He is a friend of Annette who was working the front desk. He said he'd pick me up at 7 a.m. At first I thought that's early but is actually late for me which is totally fine. After getting eight days worth of food I walked back up the busy highway to the motel. I ate the other sub and a half gallon of vanilla fudge swirl ice cream. Calorie shock! Then several hot baths. The weather will turn for the worse the next few days. First colder weather then several days of rain and snow. I think I'll just push on, though, like I did in the Smoky's. Only eight days to go. Only 109.2 miles to go.