There is always a huge feeling of comfort in seeing my Mom & Dad . Today’s pick up by them was no different. I’d hiked through the beautiful, final ten miles of Shenandoah and was feeling great. I was loving the hike and looking forward to getting clean and eating well. Then I hit the wall, rather I got nailed by 3.4 miles of mud & rocks, poison ivy, and hungry bugs. By the time I got to the road, I was slightly shy of serene. As I said, it was great to see Mom & Dad!

We had some time to hang out and went out to a restaurant for Mexican food & beer. I did laundry and made a few calls—essentially giving them a taste of my normal town visit. One of the great things was finding my first Dunkin’ Donuts on the trail! Coffee and doughnuts and a bunch of time on the phone with family, friends, and Heather!

The high point of the hike today—literally and figuratively—was hanging out on the rocks about 4 miles into the hike. I looked down on the peaks of the mountains below me emerging from a sea of clouds and felt all alone.