After three hours of early morning hiking I reached the edge of Lewis Campground, one of the smaller facilities in the park. However, it is very close to the trail and has coin shower and laundry available, plus a small camp store. When I arrived, three other hikers were already doing the same thing. I met fellow SOBOs Toots, Fire Sale, and a third guy whose name escapes me right now. We hung out doing laundry and taking turns in the shower. The three of them finished first and I followed a little while later.
The three hikers and I passed each other a few times during the day as we went. The three of them decided to camp near the peak of Hightop Mountain. There was a nice spring up there plus a great view. It promised to be a clear night so they would probably get a good view of the sunrise tomorrow.
I decided to continue another mile or so to the shelter down the other side of the mountain. I got there around 5:00 and enjoyed at least a couple hours in camp before it got dark.