We decided to stay the night Tuesday in Helen, Georgia, 8 miles from Unicoi Gap, to allow Pooh Bear’s knees to heal.  In fact, we stayed two nights here, at the Hofbrau Riverfront Hotel.  They have really great Continental Breakfast here and they also accommodate small dogs, which Hiker Long Legs appreciated.  We appreciated the nice, long hot shower and soft bed.  We ate at Wendy’s and stopped by Betty’s Country Store and got some Bengay and Alleve.

Mountain Dew, Tin Man, Mtn Pooh Bear and Hiker Longlegs at Walasi-Yi Center.

We went to Ace Hardware to buy me some duct tape for my blisters, washed clothes at the Laundromat, and took a long nap.  Thursday morning we bought Pooh Bear a raincoat and hitched a ride back to the Trail.  We almost got to the top of Tray Mountain when Pooh Bear could not go any further.  Her knees were giving her too much pain so we turned around and went back to town (Helen) and stayed until we could get her a flight back to Dallas on Saturday.  While we were at Wildwood Outfitters making a purchase, they told us about a place in Cleveland (eight miles down the road) where we could get a pet carrier for Hiker Long Legs for the plane.  The people at Wildwood Outfitters are just great.  They gave us a ride to Cleveland to get the pet carrier, and Sunday morning gave me a ride back to the trail.  If you need anything on the trail when you get to Helen, Georgia, please go by and see these folks.

Sunday morning, I headed out alone.  The rest of the group had gone on ahead four days ago so I’m my own company for now.