It feels so good to be hiking with my friends again. The emptiness of being stuck in a trail bubble after the comfort of having spent time at home was as much as I could handle. I’m glad the long miles I pulled worked out—one more day of that mileage without catching up with my friends would have put me in a town in absolutely the most negative & dangerous frame of mind. The lesson I heard even before I started this hike was “never leave the trail on a rainy day.” The weather’s good today, but that making my way through that negativity without support might have been too much.

We formed a line 7 thru-hikers long and walked just over 10 miles into this ritzy little town. I had a great burger and beer—and soda, always craving the fluid, sugar and calories of soda—for lunch, then cruised the town looking for Hoplite’s parents. I inhaled the large ice cream shake that crossed my path at Friendly’s. Stupid shake! You would think that they would learn by now! Cross my path and I will eat you!

Wings, Feather, Packrat & Mad German got picked up by Steve, Feather’s husband and Wings’s Dad, and they are off for 3 days.

Hoplite’s parents are wonderful! They drove me to the post office 30 seconds before it closed, then treated me and Rockhound like sons, ferrying us to the hotel, laundromat, and buying us dinner, then pints of Ben & Jerry’s. Thank you, guys! You made the day wonderful!

Rockhounds’s dad and grandfather showed up around 1am, crashed, then took us out to breakfast in the morning.

It was just one day between my 28 mile march of desperation and being in town hanging out with my friends, but what a world of difference! My spirit is renewed and the hike goes on!