We broke camp just as it was starting to rain this morning. For the first 5 miles it showered on and off but overall this part of the hike was pretty enjoyable. The afternoon was a different story. What I thought was going to be an easier day than yesterday actually turned out to be more difficult due to many steep ascent sections that were quite long and grueling. By the time we reached our shelter all four of us were pretty tired. Our hike today was just a bit over 12 miles. Tomorrow will be another day of substantial elevation gain so I’m hoping to get a good night of rest. Weather for tomorrow doesn’t look great but we are pretty used to that by now. Spring is really starting to come alive in the GSMNP and we enjoyed a lot of beautiful sights throughout the day. Looking forward to more flowers and tree blooms over the next few weeks. Once again I barely have a cell signal and cannot download any pics. Will catch up on these as soon as I have an opportunity.