Another hot, humid, beautiful hiking day. After breakfast, packing and saying goodbye to Jerrie, Jerry, Opal and Cic, D dropped me back at Rockfish Gap at 8:30 in the morning. I fortuitously met Condor immediately and we headed into the woods.

Shenandoah is a pretty park with easy footing on a rolling trail, lots of flowers and a variety of vegetation. There’s been a scarcity of water though—we encountered two stretches of 7+ miles without water today. Today’s hike included the chunk of trail that D and I hiked last April. It’s always a pleasure to recognize part of the trail!

I’m camping tonight with Condor, Skyline & Sundance, and Lucky Dog—a thru-hiker I have been following closely behind for weeks. Team Champ had dinner with us before walking on. Right now Condor is struggling massively with the bear pole. It’s not an easy system to use with a heavy food bag, and most of the hikers loaded up on food in Waynesboro. Two whip-poor-wills are calling incessantly and it’s a wonderful 9pm bedtime!