I lingered in Silverton until afternoon. Mostly it was to wait for the Post Office to open (Sat 11-1) but also I wanted to get a couple bottles of rum from Montanya distillery. Wow it's good stuff and they have an excellent thing going there. I recommend the Red Lady. While there I met two nice ladies at the bar who knew of the CT and were very interested in my loop hike. Also there was the owner of the hostel. He has some property here and there and was visiting this one I guess.

It took a little while to get a lift back to the trail and I wasn't hiking until 2:00. I put in 4.5 hours and stopped after 8 miles. The trail had been traversing steep slopes with no flat spots for many miles so i took the 1st good spot I could find.

This is a little different land. There is sandstone and shale and conglomerate buttes above me. There are a lot of tilted rock layers partially exposed that make long sinuous rock outcrops and terrace-like features. It's a bit of the desert Southwest. I like it.

I still feel clean and I'm in a clean sleeping bag! I love that.