The Routine in Town

When we get to town, the first thing we usually do is check in at the hotel, shower (heavenly), and then head for the nearest fast food.  After that, we empty our food bags, and make a list of what we need to buy at the grocery store or pharmacy for the following days until we hit the next trail town.  Sometimes we go together, but while we were in Franklin, Keith went to the grocery store while I stayed and did laundry.  Most of the hikers all stay at the same hotel, and so it's sort of like being with family.  Everyone is carrying the minimum of clothing, of course, so what most hikers do, is put on their rain suits while they do laundry.  That way, everything they carry is getting washed.  Not the most fashionable thing to walk around in, but it makes it more socially acceptable that everyone else is doing it, if you know what I mean.
When we were gathering our laundry, Amtrak stopped by, and asked if he could throw 3 items in, and we said, 'Of course.'  I started our laundry, but then Keith discovered he had left a pair of socks in his boots.  Ours was already on the spin cycle, but Einstein was just starting his laundry, and so he offered to throw Keith's sock in with his.  When our laundry was done drying, our socks and long underwear were still damp (all merino wool - the only fabric that does NOT absorb body odor), and so Einstein offered to throw our socks and stuff in with his.  At the same time, Steamer was heading into town, but he had one sock that had not gotten dry, and he had asked me to get his sock out of his dryer, so I threw his into Einstein's also.  About an hour later, I got a knock at my door, and Einstein's roommate, Spools, appeared at my door with a big smile on his face, and had all of our socks, including Steamer's extra one, all mated and rolled up perfectly.  Overall, a successful laundry day!  :)
(We left the trail at mile 109.8, Winding Stair Gap, to head into Franklin, NC)