Last journals and pics. ENJOY!

7.30
Rather than pretend that I actually wrote entries for the past few days. I will attempt to succinctly summarize ALL that has taken place. Right... So on Thursday evening - mum, dad and Loz picked us up on the BRP. We then got to enjoy an hour and a half "tank" (durango) ride in search of gasoline... by 8 pm they finally dumped Pinkfire and I off at the showers (before we even saw the campsite). Mum gave us huge towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner and clean cotton clothes. Clealiness feels SO good! While we showered, food preparations began. We had a feast! Fried potatoes, bar-b-que chicken and spare ribs, cold milk to drink, and between the 5 of us, we finished everything but 1 spare rib. We all slept in the next morning and awoke to blueberry and banana pancakes and BACON! By noon, Dad, Pinkfire and I were ready to get our exercise for the day. We did 5 miles, actually all downhill. Pinkfire and I did what they call, "slack-packing" which means we just carried the essentials, food and water and left our packs at camp. Pinkfire, not wanting to take the day too easy, decided to do those 5 miles barefoot. A fun idea at first, but he now appriciates his boots 100% more. While we were hiking, Mum and Loz headed into Glasgow for laundry and more food. They got done very quickly and mum hiked up 1/2 mile or so to meet us in the woods. We all went back to the campground - where Loz, Pinkfire and I went for a dip in the lake, we saw lots of wildlife - a huge turtle, a snake and weird, scary bugs and spiders. Then we ALL enjoyed the wonder that is running water and took long, hot showers. Dinner took place next - hamburgers with onions, delicious! Oh, I forgot to mention the 1/2 gallon of cookie dough ice cream we ate with brownies before swimming! So back to dinner - we had carrots and potatoes with the hamburgers, and then Pinkfire really impressed my dad by digging out the last spare rib from the cooler and heating up and finishing it off too. We had a lovely campfire and another good night's sleep. The next morning, July 30th I think we began the day with french toast. By 10 we had to say goodbye to Mum and Loz and dad drove us back to the trail. Loz said if she's feeling ok to hike in a week she'll come back, otherwise it's just not worth it.
Once on the trail, we lamented how heavy our packs were and quickly set about to eat that weight. Made it to the James River - decided to hang out and go swimming (bridge jumping) and watch the sunset from there. We hung around long enough to run into some generous night fishermen who gave us each a cold beer. Then - right about dark, we decided to hike 2 miles up to the shelter - only to make it fun, we didn't use headlamps. It was a nice hike, got to the shelter around 9:40 and saw multitudes of headlamps! 8 people in total, 3 sons, 2 dads and an uncle, then long distance hikers Hanna and Eagle. Eagle is supposedly the first disabled vet to hike a triple crown.

7.31
What a wake up! We tented out last night by Little Irish Creek. At 7 am, some guy drives up and honks his horn and says, "You in the tent! You are trespassing! The sherriff is on his way." We looked around and there were posted signs on either side of us, but we were basically on the AT... but we decided not to test our arguement and quickly tore down the tent, grabbed our stuff and retreated across the creek up the trail and around the corner before we sat down to eat and change and such. So, we had a nice early morning start at any rate. Got to the next shelter and met up with the Virginia Creepers again, and then Bob (J. Peterman) slackpacked in - its fun to meet the same people over and over. Then we continued on - saw my 4th poisonous snake of the trip. We made it to "Hog Camp Gap" and had major water decisions to make - so Pinkfire walked .4 miles down and brought back the water bag with 3+ gallons of water for the night to enjoy with the lovely SWINGS! Yes - someone had set up 2 swings by the campsite, we played on them for a while, cooked our dinners and started a fire... then I was swinging away and Pinkfire asked if I could hear that noise... oh NO!! We could hear the rain coming - pounding on the trees - so we ran to set up the tent and rain cover, toss our bags inside and within those 3 minutes, the mini-monsoon was upon us, 5 minutes later, it had passed but our food bags, bodies and fire were completely drenched. A new lake had formed near the fire pit. Unsure of what to do, and soaked to the bone, I grabbed a milky way bar and sat down on a wet log. Pinkfire grabbed a snickers and we both were smiling and laughing at what a sight we were. Rekindled the fire, made a SWEET drying rack to hang clothes over and watched the stars come out.

8.1
Woke up in the tent, sweating because of the heat of the sun. Further dried things out and got a 10:30 am start. Beautiful hiking terrain, so smooth and pretty. I saw a really dark, almost black rattlesnake (5th). Made it to the Priest shelter and we decided to stop there for the day. Had dinner and a little campfire and about 4:15 am, we woke up to the most hideous animal noises you can imagine! For at least 15 minutes, there was an epic battle in the dark of the woods that sounded like a monkey being eaten by a pig. Between the high pitched shrieks and the low grunting, I just didn't know what to make of it. An interesting night soundtrack anyways.

8.2,3,4
Left the Priest intentionally early (9:30 am) because 1) we knew we had over a mile in elevation change to tackle and 2) because we were headed a beastly 16 miles to get to Rusty's Hard Time Hollow - more on that tome come. So down 3000' we went from the Priest, crossed Cripple Creek and the Tye River, through the aweful temptation of the Mau-Har trail which is a side trail, full of waterfalls and cuts off 3 miles of the day, plus eliminates the 3000' climb uphill. Alas, both Pinkfire and I chose to make the ascent. I got to the Maupin Field shelter around 4 pm - sat down, took my boots off, talked to RadioActive (another hiker) and read A LOT of the 3 Muskateers. 3 hours later, Pinkfire walked in and we were off the 2.5 miles away from the trail and to Rusty's. Oh - I saw a bear about a mile before the shelter, just a little one. Anyways, on to describe the absolute sweetest place on earth. We walked 1.2 miles on an old fire road, then 1.3 miles on the BRP - we found his driveway and thus began our adventure. The driveway is prolly .2 or .3 miles long, and both sides are lined with trees sporting witty, funny signs that also serve to introduce the rules of the hollow to newcomers. About 1/3 of the way down, we met a van on the way out and it it was this older guy with a big long white beard and a baseball cap. He asked us where we were coming from and told us to head on down, find some pop and make ourselves at home. WOW. I don't know what I expected, but wow. I've been sitting here for 1/2 hour trying to decide how and what to describe about this place. Tigger - who hiked in '91 reminded me that really, its the people that make the place, not the stuff... and believe me, stuff there abounds here: pop cans batted off the wooden post with a whiffle bat in attempts to win free ice cream line the driveway. The privy with its TV screen window and the rain water shower and the springhouse which holds hot dogs, butter and tons of cold pops. There's a wood powered sauna and hot tub out back next to the AT sign mowed into the grass and the hiker graveyard out by the woods. The inside of the main building is literally plastered in pictures. Every person who comes through the hollow signs the book and gets a polariod mug shot of them up on the ceiling. There's at least 12 roosters8 pigeons, 3 goats, a dog named Frostee and a pig named Arnold that keep the place alive and keep Rusty busy, not to mention the massive stockpile of wood he hauls in during the summer to heat and cook with all winter. But enough about the stuff. Onto the people.
Rusty is the man. He opened the place to hikers in 1982 and has followed Hebrews 13:2 (don't forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some have entertained angels without knowing it) the entire time. The whole place is supported by donations from poor hungry hikers. Rusty is the most generous, personable host that we've met and he's also in my opinion, one of the most sincere Christian guys we've met too. in 2004, he finally broke down and decided to get electricity and a phone line (in case of emergency) but he barely uses these commodities himself and rather offers a microwave and electric lights to his guests. he really seems to trust everyone, but Pinkfire and I were granted access to the refridgerator and washing machine and DVD-surround sound movie room after a day's stay. Rusty also took us to Sherando lake to swim and take a free, hot shower. Everything about Rusty amazes me and I, as well as most other visitors to the Hollow am envisioning a lifestyle similar to this as ideal. Everyone envy's the simple life, but yet no one has actually had the guts to break from the world and what's expected of them so completely. It's a romantic idea - to live, self-sustained in the mountains, no worldly worries, no stress... but to actually do it, takes an honest, humble man like Rusty. So glad to have met him.
The next guy we met was a short term section hiker named "Fishhog" - he had a HEAVY camo pack and was craving cigarettes the entire time he was here. Though he didn't quite fit in, he had lots to talk about.... ha.
Then, when we got back from the lake, a truck was there and we soon met the aforementioned "Tigger". He's from Reading, PA and is an English prof, working on his doctorate from Lehigh. There came with him a beautiful guitar which Pinkfire admired, and a cold case of beer which was later consumed. He's in a band - you can check them out at cloudparty.com ...But back to the person. He hiked part of the trail in '91 and said that it changed his life. how can it not? The important things in life reveal themselves when all the pointless distractions are gone. We watched a movie last night - "Lord of War" with Nicholas Cage - and it was so weird to go to another world for 2 hours. Another beauty of this lifestyle is not knowing or caring about the time. As I sit here on Friday afternoon, I'm completely torn. I could easily spend the next 2 1/2 days helping out and hanging out and soaking in the personalities of the people who come and go - but I also feel the pull of the trail. last night I was trying to think of how I could convince Pinkfire that we should leave today. I would have told him that as amazing as this is, the unknown ahead awaits us, and there's so much more to discover, but now i'm torn. Rusty invited us to go to the Black Baptist church with him on Sunday. I would like nothing more than to go, but its engrained into my system by now to continue walking and wake up every morning and leave the good things we've found in search of more, new good things. I just don't know. But whatever happens, I will also be completely content with the outcome. I realize I have just been quite verbose, but I don't apologize. Reflections and observations are priceless.

8.7
We're still at Rusty's and lovin' every minte. Went to church yesterday, so much energy, what amazing people! I have also become a professional woodslinger - since we got here, we have 'slung' at least 8 truckfulls of firewood. I got to use this mini-saw attached to a long pole - perhaps called a limb cutter? I knew I had used one before, at home, but I couldn't remember why - then it occured to me - when I go out with my dad to hang tree stands, I use that tool to clear shooting lanes for him. I've cooked squash and zucchini fried in flour, cheese-onion omlettes, boiled potatoes and yes, even frito bombs!!!We've watched a couple or 6 movies and had pineapple juice and rum with rainier cherries in the bottom. I've played frisbee golf, chess, pig, darts, chinese checkers, and spent hours drawing a quilt with chalk on the basketball court. I've hit over 100 pop cans off the post and I've helped to eat at least a gallon of ice cream. We've shot a .357 mag and a 38 special.I also slackpacked SOUTH 23 miles in about 9 hours and spent 108$ at Krogers. I've done dishes, trimmed bushes and stayed up till 3:30 in the morning. I've played the guitar and sang along as others played. I have gathered potatoes fresh from the dirt and hard boilded almost 6 dozen eggs. But more than all that, I have learned to slow down, to appriciate hard work and to enjoy feeling time pass. I am so content. I eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry. I sing off-key and I shower when I have to. My level of comfort and self-consciousness are altered. It's going to be hard to leave Rusty. Pinkfire and I both just want to spend months here and help out with chores and learn from him. every part of his life has a system - that works really well. I can't wait to come back, but in order to return, we have to leave. Tomorrow morning - we plan to hit the Shenandoahs and continue our journey - but I will never forget or regret our short hiatus here.

An update on Loz's situation - I talked to her on the phone and her mom has been in the hospital for the past week or so. She got a blood clot in her leg and then a chunk broke off and travelled up her bloodstream where it got caught in her lungs. She was moved recently to the Pitt hospital and they did surgery to place some mesh netting in her neck to prevent any pieces from getting to her brain. The last I heard, Mrs. Hartmann was not in pain, but very mentally stressed and tired. Loz will not be back on the trail this summer, but she does hope to complete it sometime. I'll write more as I hear. (8-23 I talked to Loz and her mom is home from the hospital, starting to be able to move around on her own, but they found something on her kidney while she was in the hospital and are awaiting test results later this week (thursday or friday) - please keep her and their family in your prayers as not knowing what is wrong is sometimes a greater stress than being sure something is wrong. I'll let ya'll know what we find out as I hear)
Pinkfire is planning on making it to Harper's Ferry and I am hoping to get as far as I can by August 20th. Oh yeah, saw another rattlesnake on our slackpack - 6 now I think. Also, if you're looking for a beautiful short hiking destination, the Humpback mountain Boulders are phenomenal - great view, fun climbing, just an all around beautiful place and not too far from there are the "cedar cliffs", another great view.

8.9
Exactly 1 week later, to the trail we have returned. Although as Pinkfire said, it's not like we really left the trail; because the hollow is so much a part of it. It's steeped in trail traditions from the past 26 years and I am so glad we were able to spend a simple week in that place, with that man. Rusty is one of a kind.
So back to normal(ish) entries. We were awoken this morning by a homemade horn, and then Pinkfire actually began to pack. WOW. but he didn't pack fast enough, so Rusty left to pick up a load of wood. While he was gone, Pinkfire mowed grass and did yard work - I picked a tub of blackberries and did dishes and we both swept and cleaned up some buildings. Around 3, Rusty got home with the wood which we promptly unloaded. Then - Rusty suggested we go to a chinese buffet for dinner mmm... that was good. From there, he drove us to Rockfish gap, where we were to pick up the trail and begin the Shenandoahs. The shelter was 7 miles away and we didnt' say goodbye to Rusty until at least 7 pm. Night hiking is turning out to be not so bad - even with my ridiculous excuse for a headlamp ( a maglight duct taped to a head lamp strap) it was a full moon tonight, but real overcast. We were on top of Bear Den Mtn and we actually got to see the moon rise. It was very red and very cool. A good night for hiking. We also learned that night hiking, in particular headlamps allow for ample deer spotting opportunites. We saw at least a dozen deer tonight - in just 7 miles. Pinkfire saw his first buck (my 6th). We're at the Calf Mtn. Hut now - all alone (just the 2 of us) and we're both journaling. I am beginning to have thoughts about the cold oatmeal that I get to eat in the mroning.. there's no better way to start a day than that... and still i say, LIFE IS GOOD.

8.14
Again - I missed a few days. Well, on the 10th - we stayed on top of Blackrock - the mountain about which Tigger wrote his song, "Sitting up here on Blackrock Mountain, as the sun goes down - I almost wish that I could lie here forever, and never be found..." We did actually catch the sunset and tented out right at the top. The next day, stoped for lunch at Loft mtn. campground - pringles, doritos, bread, cheese, 2 ice cream sandwiches, 3 pops, and 2 pints of ice cream, and yeah and 5 minutes showers for 1$ and we were off. The next day, we made it to Lewis Mtn campground just before they closed. HA> 8 hot dogs, bread, cheese, milk, pepsi, 2 pints of ice cream, 2 rt. beers and oreos's, honey buns, froot loops and sugar cookies for the following morning and we made it out of that store. I saw a 150-175 lb bear early that day. he was up a tree and when I walked by, he did a perfect fireman pole slide down the tree and crashed off into the woods. Then, as Pinkfire and I approached the campground, we looked up and saw a momma bear and her 2 adorable cubs. We stopped for a while, I finally got bear pictures, then as they meandered off the trail and we attempted to pass, the mother bear actually turned back around and started to charge at us. We back peddled a little bit, and she stopped - we thought perhaps there was a third cub we couldn't see that was lagging behind. Then we saw that there were 2 curious people from the campground walking directly at the mother bear. She was actually charging at them. Pinkfire warned them, "hey yo - there's a pretty irrate mother bear heading towards you - you should turn around!" or something like that, so we all avoided being attacked by bears that day. That night we stayed at Bearfence Mtn Hut - to our chagrin there was no bear fence in front of the shelter, just the stupid bear poles that they provide here in the SNP. Funny story - so the next morning we wake up and I look out and see my food bag hanging, but no sign of Pinkfire's. So I woke him up to ask him, "hey, did you hang your food last night?" He sat up and anxiously looked at the bear pole - seeing no bag, he jumped out of his sleeping bag and bolted to the pole - nothing! It vanished! He looked on the ground and all around, then he looked back behind the shelter to the OTHER bear pole - there was his food, safe and sound. poor kid - that's a rough way to wake up - thinking some animal stole ALL your food. Alas - he ended up chosing the better bear pole anyways - a stupid schmouse chewed through my bag and gorged on gorp. oh well.
Well - it doesn't seem like we should have been hungry here in the Shenni's, but what can I say. We saw a sealed pringles can in the garbage can - and so after much effort, it was retrieved... and found to be filled with garbage. No one in their right minds would throw away a full can of pringles. A good laugh though as Pinkfire went garbage bin diving. :) So the next day - the 13th, we booked it 8 miles to have lunch at Big Meadows Lodge/campstore. LUNCH we had. :) cheese, doritoes, cheetoh's, banana's, chocolate milk, 7 up, rt beer, 2 pints of ben and jerry's ice cream (cherry garcia!) wow... forget hiking, we're becoming professional eaters here in the shenni's. So the thing about big meadows was 1) they had internet access for free BUT 2) the power was out. So we walked to the campstore (an extra 2 miles) and ate the foods listed above and people watched for a while, then the power came back on so we walked back to the lodge and used the dial-up internet for quite a while. By that time, our stomach's had cleared out a bit - so we decided to try the restaurant. Little did we know it would be so darn expensive! He made me decided whether to stay or find food elsewhere - after much internal debate, i decided we would eat there. Warm rolls, turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy, asperagus and cold milk - oh boy. He had fried chicken and we feasted. A total of 30$ for dinner - but as a one time experience this summer, well worth it. By then it was about 7:30 and we wanted to watch the sunset from there, so we stuck around and saw an orange glow sink below the clouds, and after more internet use and long phone calls, we headed back to the trail (9:45 pm?) .1 miles later, found the most awesome view of the surrounding cities. We found city light constellations - a ferris wheel, pirate ship, whale and a face. Spent almost an hour out on the rocks after dark, caught some shooting stars even. So spectacular. Night hiked a little further, .4 maybe? found a flat spot near "monkeyhead" to pitch the tent - really windy up there!
This AM - finally, i know - we got up at 8:45, made it to the shelter 3+ miles away and Pinkfire realized he had left his journal behind. NOT GOOD. Currently, I am babysitting his pack at Rock Spring Hut as he backtracks those 3+ miles, praying he'd find that little black book. I sure hope he does - he's put a LOT of time, thought and effort into that.

8.15
well - Pinkfire did not find his journal, but he has high hopes of it being mailed to his parent's house. We tented out last night at a picnic area after watching the sun go down and eating mac and cheese on "Stony Man Cliffs". There was a real friendly deer there who watched us as we cooked our dinners. Then 2+ miles of night hiking led us to running H2O and flush toilets - too bad we didn't see the "comfort station" until we were about to leave in the AM. Talked to mum today for the first time in a while - apparently the tribune finally ran our story - front page even, but of course - they didn't include the blog site. oh well. Did 21(ish) miles today - twas a good challenge. We even stopped for a 2 hour dinner at "Elkwallow Wayside" and di a very short term resupply of bread, candy bars and oatmeal. Harper's Ferry by the 19th!
I saw bear #10 today - 8 pm, nearing dusk and I was on top of a mountain, and he was too. He didn't wait around long though, I heard him crashing off before I caught sight of him. Not gonna lie - it was pretty scary walking 7ish miles at dusk, alone in the shenni's. I've seen half the bears of my trip here in the park. The stupid deers and squarls make enough noise to make me stop in my tracks and occasionally send shivers up my back. As do rattlesnakes when I heard them before I see them... or sit down 5' from them before realizing it. Yeah, that happens.
I really have enjoyed Pinkfire's company this summer. not only because it has appeased my parents, but because having someone to eat dinner with and to read through the shelter registers with and to go to towns with has been much appriciated. There are few if any other people I have met out here whose companionship I believe I would have enjoyed for a week, let alone 75+ days. As Loz said, it was mean tto be - we all began the same day, going the same way at nearly the same pace. Someone's looking out for me in some VERY big ways.

8.18
Well... we've put in some big miles the past couple of days in order to make it to H.F. by Saturday to meet Pinkfire's parents. My favorite parts of the past 3 days: when we had 19+ miles planned, got up at 6:30 and hiked 5 miles to Manassas Gap shelter - where we promptly fell asleep for 4 hours in the warm sunshine. So fun. I liked also how we had a 21 mile day planned today and didn't wake up until 10, then we stopped for 4 hours at the Bear's Den Hostel for pop and internet - then we walked 3+ hours in the dark to finish with 18 miles on the day. No matter - those unexpected stops are usually the most memorable parts anyways. We're at the "Blackburn AT Center" tonight - but we didn't get here until 11:30 pm so we haven't really met anyone yet. We did eat some mighty fine mac & cheese with tuna in it. I don't even like the smell of tuna - but man that stuff was GOOD! H.F. tomorrow. very excited, but I continue 43 miles... ON MY OWN! (yes folks, its true) to the MD/PA border, also known as the Mason-Dixon Line where my parents will pick me up on tuesday. Now - I have to explain: EVERY SINGLE PERSON I meet on the trail asks me, "Are you all alone?" they all seem super worried about me being alone - I must look weak or something... oh and the other quote worthy of mention - Pinkfire was walking behind me one day and he said, "hey blonde girl, your legs are getting littler!" I used to have man-calves, but apparently I have walked them off. Who knows. Ah - this picture. HA. Nurse Pinkfire attempted to bandage my gunshot wound. Ok, not really. I complained one day (big mistake!) that my pack was rubbing on my back - so Pinkfire decided to cure it. He put on a moleskin bandage, then wrapped an ace bandage around my stomach and for good measure, added a little duct tape to hold it all in place. I must say, the rubbing stopped, which was great - but I still have little shreds of duct tape on my back - to this day! :)

8.19
Up at 8, out at 9, and IN HARPER'S FERRY by 2:30!!!! 9.4 miles in 3 hours - not too shabby. We walked into town right in the smack dab middle of a black right's festival. It was crazy! People, food, music and police EVERYWHERE! We set our stuff down for a minute, and i got the biggest twirl around, sweaty hiker hug ever - from Pinkfire. Then we set off to find the ATC Head Quarters. On our way we saw tons of police, I mean more than they have in NYC when the president comes to town. Apparently the KKK showed up (all 12 of them) and they were constantly escourted around by 25+ police. The NAACP was formed in H.F. - its also the town where John Brown led some abolitionists to capture the firearms storage shed during the civil war. John Brown lived 10 miles from my house. Small world. A very historical town. So back to our experience. We were wandering the streets, packs on, looking for the HQ and this policeman on the corner of a street called us over to his patrol car. "Look guys. I have this subway sandwich that I can't eat - do ya'll want it?"How could we refuse? Along with the free sandwich came 3 cookies and some cold bottled water. How beautiful. Then we made it to the HQ, looked around, used the internet, got our picture taken to be in the book - its a GOOD picture so if you're ever near H.F, you should stop in and see it. Then we walked to the outfitter down town. Then Pinkfire's parents picked us up. They are wonderful and so much fun. Not 5 minutes after we had gotten in the van, Pinkfire pulled his boots off his feet - VERY STINKY. His parents went crazy! They rolled down the windows and stuck their heads out. I couldn't blame them. I waited to take mine off, but I accidentally chose the hotel room ooppps! Pinkfire jumped up and grabbed a plastic bag and tied up my boots inside of it. On the way to the hotel in Fredrick, MD - we stopped at Mcdonalds - mmmm chocolate shake. Then we got to shower!
Well... to be honest, I took a long, luxurious bubble bath first, then i took a shower and washed my hair... twice. I felt like a princess - so pampered and pretty. Then we all went out to Longhorn for dinner. I got the chocolate stampede - best dessert ever - and couldn't even finish it! Sad, I know. Pinkfire and I watched this box shaped thing called TV - "The WHole Nine Yards" was on, then we went to sleep around 1.

8.20
Woke up, did some laundry- watched a few hours of the discovery channel, then we went to the Olive Garden for lunch - YAY lasagna. Pinkfire's mum decided to park way out in the boonies and HIKE to the restaurant. :) Then to a used book store, then back to H.F. to send me off! I hate to cry. More than that, I hate to cry in front of people. My apologies to Pinkfire and his parents - you are the only people all summer who saw me cry. sweat - check, blood - check, tears - check. I wasn't scared to go by myself, I was sad to leave such a good friend, not knowing if I'd ever see him again. And I was sad that my summer was over. It's the people and the relationships that make the experience and that marked the end of this portion of my life. Never again will it be like the past 78 days. Sad.
so the only 2 times this summer I did shed tears where when I had to force myself to walk away from people I cared deeply about. Loz didn't see the tears, but she knows the moment I turned away, they were there. I tried really hard, but unsuccessfully to wait till i hit the trail to break down when saying goodbye to Pinkfire and his parents. Sorry guys! Then to my horror, the next 2 miles - though the flattest of the past 1,000, also the most peopled. I saw over 100 people on that stupid trail as I walked in tears. dumb dumb dumb. Now - i made it 9 miles to a shelter, ate some breadsticks - met the father and son (FROM VERNON, NJ!!!!) i'll share the shelter with tonight. Nice to have company. Real nice. I'd love to finish next summer - but would not enjoy things near as much by myself - I didn't even laugh at the register at the Ed Garvey Shelter because no one was there to laugh with me. Now you all think i'm a loser - but you try being alone for awhile in the woods - you'll understand. Well its finally dark. a day and a half left for me. I'm ready. take me home. take me home!

8.22
Well - I walked a 25 mile day yesterday, without anybody to slow me down, I flew. Ok so it was really hard and I was quite happy to be done. But I didn't like staying in the shelter all by my lonesome. Anyways, woke up at 3 am, decided i was hungry, so i ate a lot, and finished my book (the 3 muskateers) and then went back to sleep at 4:30. Got up for good at 7, walked to Pen-Mar park and talked to a father and son from Philly for over an hour, then walked the final 3 miles of my summer in 45 minutes to meet my parents at rt. 16 in PENNSYLVANIA!!!! Grandma came too. It was a joyous occasion. really. we went to KFC for lunch, then ate at Eddy's when we got home to Meadville. Since then I have showered, and am about to eat more. But I just spent the last 6 hours typing and downloading pictures. So no more deep thoughts from me tonight. ENJOY! Oh yeah - when I got home, there was a package in the mail with this book in it. THANKS ANDREA! hahaha... she's always the thoughtful one. I'm really glad she's volunteered to help out so much with Bible Study this semester. LOL. And the bear is named "Chunk" - Pinkfire's mum gave it to me when I left H.F. so that I wouldn't have to spend a night alone on the trail. :) My last view of the trail - I was sitting on the bridge waiting for my parents and I looked straight up, and there was the sun, smiling down through the trees. Spectacular. This is me - safe and sound and clean in my house - uploading pictures and typing journals with my not so happy cat dosie. It's good to be home.