Chance of thunderstorms...Zero in Waynesboro!
Breakfast at b&b at 9am...
Lunch at Heritage with team fortis..(spinach salads with chicken and fruit.
M80 did not get a haircut, but trooper and I bought wine In a bag for hiking through Shenandoah.
We walked down to Klines for ice cream and met "heart rock" a lady doing trail magic while her man hikes.
Same dinner as last night.
Pics: funny sign outside a local business; hiker wine; willow being good; heart rock
Happy memorial day!
Slept in till 730! It was great. Made coffee. Packed slowly. Left at 830
Walked 5 miles in 1.5 hours...called tree streets inn for my pick up...stopped by outfitters on the watt in for electrolyte tablet refill, socks and a new shirt sleeved Merino wool shirt.
Dragonfly tested as I was waiting for my ride into town (retired air force. we met her and her husband onyx in the smokies..last seen at mountain harbor b&b)
She has been slack packing her husband since she is recovering from a painful issue with her leg. She met me at the b&b, drive me to Kroger and dropped me off for lunch at the Heritage. Great place for burgers and beer on main street in Waynesboro.
During lunch, I met a nice guy and we talked each others' ears off. He is an 18th century living historian, a flint lock enthusiast, and a farmer. Later his delightful wife joined us. Nice folks everywhere.
Pillows and a mattress, here I come!
Pics: Wayne and his wife; Waynesboro marker; dinner (red wine wine not shown)
Harpers creek shelter (830.3) to Paul c. Wolfe shelter (852.3)...holy crap I walked 22 miles!
Of course I woke up at 530..this madness must stop (I'll be really excited to be able to sleep late...) I have to admit that the forest world is beautiful at 630am.
I was walking at 7...I checked on team fortis to make sure they were up and moving and on I went.
Up, up, up three ridges mountain. Then on,on,on forward.
I tried my hand at "yogi-ing" several times yesterday and today. (that is to say, "passive aggressive begging") and found I'm not very good at it. I've been craving fresh fruit...I could've drank a half gallon of cranberry juice if I'd had it. About noon today I finally succeeded. As I hiked through reeds gap (the AT Crosses over the blue ridge parkway repeatedly..this is one of those spots), a group of day hikers stopped to ask the usual questions:
Are you a thru hiker?
Where did you start?
When did you start?
How far have you hiked?
I mentioned something about how fresh fruit is such a treat...a very nice lady named Barbara offered to bring me some fruit. She said she'd met me 5 miles ahead at dripping rock crossing in 2 hours.
Now, the only problem is that I hadn't had my morning break yet. I had hiked 8.3 miles without stopping..I was tired..but I couldn't Dilly dally if I only had 2 hours to go 5 miles...so on I went, cursing myself for not planning better.
This Barbara lady was incredible. Not only did she arrive with fruit, but she met me on the trail about a mile before I reached the destination..she walked with me and kept me company which helps a lot. She brought me a nice crisp apple and a baggie of cherries! She left me sitting in the shade at cedar cliffs (842.5...nice view) to eat and relax a bit.
This is memorial day weekend, by the way, and there are a LOT of day hikers and over nighters on the trails.
I kicked my shoes off, peeled of my socks and settled down on the rocks to relax and admire the view...eating my fresh fruit..I happened to look down and noticed all the chiggers crawling around.....DANG IT..so I jumped up and wiped off my legs and ankles...
2 men and 3 little girls were having a picnic in the shade..complete with blankets...they kindly invited me over for hummus and veggies..of course I accepted. I enjoyed the girls (ages 5-10?) asking various questions about my hike and they learned what chiggers look like. Hummus and carrots: so good...oh, and a ham sandwich and corn tortilla chips.... after my augmented lunch, I laid back in the shade to relax for a minute. That's when I got busted by team fortis. I wondered why they hadn't caught up yet. Turns out m80 themed his ankle this morning right out of camp so they were a little slower than usual. I was so glad to finally see them. We walked together the rest of the way. They decided they couldn't stop 5 miles out of town and were going all the way TODAY. (27 miles..and he had a hurt ankle) he did have a good point in saying that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to walk on in the morning..had rather rest in town. They left me at the shelter (and made fun of me for stopping) and went on....I knew is get to sleep in and only had 5 miles to go in the morning..I was happy with that.
I was also so happy to get to lie down and be off my feet..that was a long day. But I did it and survived.
No ibuprofen today, either!
Pics: me after finishing 3 ridges, view from 3 ridges
Good breakfast, then on with this hiking business!
Alan dropped me off at the base of Crabtree falls. 1.7 miles up to the top, another mile to VA 826(gravel), 0.5 miles to the AT: 3.3 approach to mile marker 821.8 then hiked to Harpers creek shelter (830.3): 11.7 miles today. Not bad since I started at 11:30 and the first 4 miles were uphill...
Nova passed by me today like I was standing still..that girl was moving! She told me later that the need for a privy was the motivation..I understood! Maybe she had too many fig Newtons...
The plan tomorrow is 22 miles to Paul c Wolfe shelter which will leave only 5 miles into town on Monday.
We'll see how it goes. That'll be my new personal record..and there's a heck of a climb up 3 ridges mountain first thing.(2300 ft climb up to 4000 ft)
Here tonight: Newton in the shelter with me (shared laundry in Daleville); rainbow braids, nova, team fortis tenting...I love sleeping by a creek..the steady noise is comforting.
No pics. I am a loser for not taking any photos of Alan and Phyllis. I realized the error of my ways soon after he dropped me off.. It's a wonder I have sense enough to keep my gear in order. Embrace the dementia.
Punch bowl shelter (790.8) to US route 60 (802.1)
3Rd day walking with team fortis (m80, trooper, willow) ..these are fast walking, entertaining folks. M80 is rear end Charlie, I'm on point, trooper is behind me, willow is between mom & dad.
All the stories and pictures of timber rattlesnakes have me a bit edgy up front. I'm already focusing as hard as possible on the trail ahead..looking for any movement or variation in the usual patterns.
One day this week (yesterday?) someone left a handwritten note ON the trail, secured by a rock, that a huge rattlesnake had been spotted at 330 pm..we came across the note at 430 pm...this did not help my snake paranoia. I can't look any harder..I just can't.
We've seen a few black snakes..they are longer than I thought they'd be (why did I even HAVE an idea of the length of this snake?) I also had the uninformed opinion that I would somehow be able to hear a snake as it slithered through the dry leaves. That black snake was absolutely silent as all 5 feet of it wiggled away....ugh.
Its much cooler today after the thunderstorms last night. A refreshing change as the past few days have been hot and humid. You know how the sweat drips of your nose, eyebrows, elbows, chin, etc..? Yeah, like that. It's been hard to drink enough. I can't carry enough water. I start the day with 3 liters in my hydration bladder and 12oz in my little nalgene. I put either a "nuun" electrolyte tablet or gatorade powder in the nalgene. When we cross a stream we "camel up": drink as much as you can hold at the source...thereby saving your hydration bladder for the long stretches without a water source. I usually fill up my 2L platypus and drink through my Sawyer filter..1-1.5L if I can hold it.
We arrived at my destination at 2 pm..about an hour earlier than anticipated. Luckily, my host could come and fetch me. It was cold and windy sitting out in the exposed parking area. My "hosts" are parents of a friend, Christine. Her parents are Alan & Phyllis. Alan gave me the nickel tour of Lexington, VA. I saw stonewall Jackson's grave & family plot at the cemetery & Robert E Lee's final resting place on the campus of VMI. Alan took me by the outfitters; while unable to provide what I needed, they were as helpful as possible, even calling other local businesses to see of they could locate what I needed.
Phyllis knows how to spoil a tired & ragged hiker: she brought a glass of red wine to me and said "soak as long you want in the jetted tub...there's bubble bath, too". I hated to disappoint...so I showered and soaked and drank the wine. Then I drank another glass before dinner. Then one more with dinner.
Dinner was equally decadent: grilled steaks, fresh corn on the cob, fresh asparagus, salad with greens from the garden, baked potato....mmmmm.
I also had to sleep in a king sized bed. I wasn't sure if I could sleep with all that space..somehow I managed. After a wonderful breakfast including homemade grape jelly, Alan took me to the post office then dropped me off to continue my hike. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with them, so I think I may visit Lexington, VA again soon. Thank you so much, Christine! Your parents are great. I owe you.
Pics: sign in the forest; stonewall Jackson
Happy birthday Sawyer!
Awakened by a very persistent whip-poor-will at 5am...I don't know what he was trying to tell me, but I'm sure I didn't need to know about it that early.
Left camp at 730....18 miles to punch bowl shelter today.(772.6 -790.8)
Morning break at Matts creek. On the way down to Matts creek, I stopped to listen. There was this strange high pitched, constant steady tone. Was that some sort of alarm going off down near the James river? Something with a hydro electric plant? We kept walking. Lunch at johns hollow(782)..dried our our tents in the sunshine...poor Shutterbug has been eaten alive by the bugs. Apparently there were biting bugs at Bryant shelter...someone had put a note about that on the shelter journal.
That noise is the drone of cicadas! Their molts are everywhere. There are cicadas everywhere once you start looking for them.
Crossed the James river. A few guys jumped into the river off the bridge...no way..too murky to see what's under the surface..and too far down..
we arrived at our destination with daylight to spare! Cave man is here work his German shepherd, Jessie. Tallulah, easy e, gravy...many more tenting. A big thunderstorm rolled through..those are so nice when you're in the shelter.
Pics: easy e on the foot bridge over the James river; a sad memorial to a lost little boy; view from big bluff mtn
Up at 5am..Jennings creek (751.7)
Morning break at Bryant ridge shelter (755.5)
Tenting tonight at marble springs (772.6)
Bryant ridge shelter is my new favorite design: picnic table in a recessed, but accessible area. 3 levels: the covered deck, a step up to the bottom sleeping area, up a ladder to the upper sleeping area which is oriented 90° to the lower sleeping area. Whole thing is very open feeling and there are many plexiglas panels that let in tons of light.
Those fig Newtons caught up to me today! I had the sudden lower abdominal gassy bloat and cramping...I had to relieve the pressure and didn't trust anything except squatting in the woods or in the privy...(may be more than just air in there)..made for a day of very fast walking. I breezed right on though the guillotine without a photo shoot...we had to practically run the last mile ahead of a thunderstorm..made it to camp just as the bottom fell out. Many thanks to Larry and Eric, 2 trail angels that helped me set up my tent in the windy rain. They also gathered gallons of water and had a filter handy, gathered and took our trash, handed out some food treats....thanks a million guys!
Long day, I'm too tired to socialize and it's raining...I got in my tent and didn't come out.
Pics: Bryant shelter; pink trillium
734.7 Wilson creek shelter to
751.4 Jennings creek (tenting)
Left at 7:15 am. Knee pain is slowing zag down a lot today. we had easy terrain today and she hobbled along...I looked forward to taking a dip in this creek all day long and it was everything I needed it to be. Beautiful, cold, refreshing. I squealed when I dunked all the way in.....I'm sure shutter bug got some pictures and maybe video of my antics...
Zag has arranged to be picked up and taken to roanoke tomorrow. She Wii fly home and have her knee checked out. She's giving away food and fuel tonight.
Big Yank, tallulah, fig, gravy, team fortis, me and zag sat and had a beer together. Big Yank swears he has a golden thumb as he ALWAYS gets a ride when he tries. So he came back with a lot of beer. We only had 1, but the young crowd went back to their tenting area and finished it off....
I'm sad that zag is having to leave the trail, but that knee is a real bother....
Pics: sunlight filtering through the canopy; American chestnut (already showing signs of blight); a little friend sunning on my pack at lunch; tallulah; team Fortis (trooper, willow, m80) resting after dinner.
I hate to leave a perfectly good bed, air conditioner and shower...just seems wrong...especially when it's raining.
Daleville (723.5) to Wilson creek shelter (734.7)
Short of our goal of bobletts gap, but a strong thunderstorm is good motivation to hide out in the shelter with other smart people. We arrived there at 3pm. The shelter filled up as did the tent sites. We passed a group of college kids that were carrying 6 gallon jugs of water, 2 huge tents, lots of fresh veggies..one guy even had his trumpet. Young and energetic...and slow moving. But having a great time and also very entertaining for us thru hikers to watch!
"Trail days" is a huge annual gathering of thru hikers, supporters, and gear reps in Damascus, VA . The trail has been very quiet this week a many folks went down to trail days. Apparently all of them are starting out again in Daleville. There is a big bubble of hikers leaving town today.
It is very much a family reunion tonight. M80 & trooper & willow, Phoenix, Shutterbug&smiles,tallulah,...
Sugar bombs and finder hiked on after the rain as did rainbow braids (she made it out of woods hole hostel alive).
The first day out of town is always rough...legs are lazy, reloaded pack is heavy. I ate a truckload of food today to reduce my pack weight. The problem is that I go to the grocery store. I got a package of fig Newtons, some new peanut butter that has cinnamon, raisins, and granola IN the peanut butter. It's a great way to pack in some calories, protein and yummy taste...but it's heavy.
My joke today has been to ask everyone several times if they'd like a fig Newton as I have 2 pounds of them..I've had a few takers...
I love fig Newtons but probably shouldn't consume the entire package in 2 days....
Wildlife spotting today:a big black snake slithering across the trail. I always thought I'd be able to hear their scales rustling the leaves...no way...not a sound as that big snake went off the trail into the leaves.....ugh.
Another first: had to take of my shoes today to ford rain swollen Curry creek....I hiked on in my Crocs for a bit (up hill do I didn't jam my toenails)
It rained on and off today with the big thunderstorm this afternoon...so no pictures...I did take a video of us in the shelter watching it rain...come over and we'll have video night.
Plan is to reach our original planned destination for tomorrow: Jennings creek.(751.4)
Zero in Daleville, VA
I ate 2 bowls of cereal & a bagel for breakfast, 4 glasses of oj.
Caught up on my blog, played with my backpack to see if I could turn it into a carry on luggage piece later (I think I can), washed those hiker box rain pants and caught up on some phone calls.
Silver streak is off the trail because his knees are being very uncooperative.
Shutter bug, rainbow braids, smiley, big Yank are here, too. Jeremiah (at meadow shelter with us) is here. Rained on and off all day. I walked down to Kroger & bought a few new foods to try. Got some shorts at the goodwill for camp & sleeping.... We plan to head out in the morning after breakfast. ...I love zero days...
9 miles into Daleville, VA. Left at 655am and got there at 10:30
Easy walk along ridge with a few rocks to negotiate...I love it when my food bag is empty....I feel like running! Staying at the Hojo....
Did laundry, pillaged the hiker box and came away with some marmot rain pants which will make me feel better about sending my favorite pants and jacket home....it's hot enough they have only been used as pillow stuffing this wk....I'm also sending my hat, gloves and mitten covers home....this is scary to med, but I do want my pack to be lighter and less full...pizza hut salad bar for dinner...pizza too.
Will likely zero tomorrow. Hot shower...my toes are great...Vaseline is fantastic stuff.
Pics: big rock to walk under;
Ahhhhhh fresh raw stuff to eat; toes
Up at 6am..rooster crowing is a great alarm clock. It was weird to sleep so high off the ground on something so narrow..an outdoor lounge chair...of course I put down my footprint and air pad to establish my space! There was a shower but I chose a sink bath "drag a rag"as granny used to say...if that tells you anything about the condition of the shower...we hiked 14 ish miles to lamberts meadow shelter. Highlights were macafee knob &tinkers cliffs. Lots of people out hiking today. I met Bethany who was out with her weimaraner Nora.. we walked together on the way up to macafee knob, then took pictures and sat as a rain shower passed by. She's lived near here her whole life and had never been up to macafee knob until today! Such gorgeous views up there. She was very kind to keep me company for a bit.
Made it to the shelter before any storms rolled in. A few light showers today, but ok overall.
Pics: rooster at 4 pines hostel; approaching rain; Bethany and Nora; me & zag at macafee knob
VA 620 Trout creek (689.8] to Va624 Newport Rd (697.8)
Nice views, rock scrambles & ridge walks today...didn't leave camp until 950am..slow easy day..we needed it. A leap fogged with grey hound all day today...the high light of the day was exploring"dragons tooth"..makes me want to go rock climbing. Saw lots of lady slippers today. Greyhound saw a big fat rattlesnake laid out across the trail...I'm happy to have missed that! I really have been trying to watch carefully..all theses rocks we're scrambling over and around...ugh.
Made it to the 4 pines hostel, run and owned by Joe. A big 3 bay garage with random furniture mixed in with a farm shop. There's a bathroom...indoors.
Ate dinner at The Home Place..family style eating..1.5 hour wait as Virginia tech graduation is this weekend and this is apparently the place to go eat...
Pics: me with the first rhododendron blossom I've seen... dragons tooth, dinner
Today was hellish. Physically. My body is SO tired. I guess from 2 big-ish mileage days and some long climbs mixed in. It wasn't bad first thing this morning, but when I got to the lunch shelter, I couldn't laid down and slept for a few hours. I rested 1.5 hours...I never do that (that could be a contributing factor). The tough climb wasn't until after lunch...hadn't even done that yet and was already whooped. I've been trying to drink plenty at each stop...I fill up my 2L platypus, attach my Sawyer squeeze filter and drink all I can hold. I have a gatorade at lunch and an electrolyte tablet in the evening....so I shouldn't be dehydrated...I'm urinating enough. Zag and I are both just tired and miserable today...not enjoyable.
I passed a guy hobbling along with a sprained ankle..his name is Greyhound. Nice guy with a kind demeanor. Since he was moving along so"carefully", I asked how far he intended to go..he planned to stop at the next water source (which just happened to be a creek one mile short of our shelter destination (which was 0.3 off the trail & the water source was another 0.2 miles down a steep incline)...sounded like a good idea to me to stop at that creek, too...so I did. And I soaked my feet, rinsed my hair (I do that every chance I get when it's hot), did my bath and laundry routine...then I spread out my tent footprint (I also put this down under my air mattress in the shelter..establishes a "clean field"in my mind...)...I laid down in the shade and rested..waiting until zag arrived. (I didn't want to assume and set up my tent...)
When she showed up, she was so happy to see me she cried (again). Happy that I had stopped early because she was exhausted, too..and hot and thirsty..and there was a creek RIGHT THERE...so we tented along with greyhound. some others camped on the bank of the creek...it was great. We decided we needed to slow down a bit as our bodies were revolting. ....tomorrow we will walk to the road that takes us to 4 pines hostel and spend the night there. We will get to Daleville on Saturday instead of Friday taking this slower pace..but we'll feel better!
Pics: morning view from ridge; greyhound; pink lady slippers; zag & some wild flower...
Passed the Audey Murphy monument today..I never knew he was the most decorated WWII vet..I just knew he was in cowboy movies...
Left War spur shelter (662.8) at 830am.
Lunch at laurel creek shelter (668.6) at noon, arrive at sarver hollow shelter (675.0) at 5pm.
Beautiful day for hiking...high temperature about 70. Below freezing temps last 2 nights. Poor zag is freezing to death in her 45 degree bag. She slept in her tent to be a little warmer. I forgot to tell you it snowed on us twice yesterday...I'm pretty sure the smoky mountains scarred me for life..I have a different reaction to snow flakes than before... Wonder has been replaced by dread.
I also sent home my frogg toggs which were replaced by my bright yellow mountain hardwear rain jacket, my owl hat was replaced by a wide brim sun hat, pillow stuff sack not replaced; I gained a pullover fleece top for warmth, as a pillow and as a layer under my rain jacket.
We had to walk 0.4 miles off the trail & down many switchbacks to get to the shelter. When I went to get water, there were 2 abandoned and dilapidated cabins. One wooden and one stone. Very neat old structures...I wonder who lived there...
This shelter is my favorite design so far, simply because there is a covered wooden deck where the picnic table is rather than dirt and no cover. How nice it would be to have either 2 overhead doors or sliding barn doors to open from my common area to the fresh air outside...one opening to a screened area and one opening to a big covered deck...and a hot tub..and a beer fridge .....and a massage therapist..oh wait..sorry.
In the shelter with me tonight: Alex (no official trail name, but being called onyx by these other two?), stumble& temp...never seen them before..apparently they do big miles, so probably won't see them again!
Tomorrow we plan to do 14 Mikes to pickle branch shelter with a nasty looking climb: looks long and steep on the elevation profile. It's probably not a good idea to look at the profile as it is usually deceiving: looks harder than it is, or worse, looks easier than it is...
Pics:
Cool things on my walk today:
Keffer oak..18+ feet in diameter & over 300 years old; lots of caterpillars coming out of their silky tree houses; red catchfly flowers ; a relative of yours..
Pine swamp branch shelter (650.1) to war spur shelter (662.8) 12.9 very long miles today. Much shorter distance than yesterdays 19.7 miles because the terrain was so rocky; hard walking and slow going. You just can't get anywhere fast (except injured)..
Phoenix is here with us tonight. She says she must finish the trail this year "because my cancer may come back next year". She also dyed her hair red "like a Phoenix"
I did a little laundry upon arriving: rinsed my outer socks good; put some soap on my shirt pits, the crotch of compression shorts and my liner socks, rinsed all & hang to dry over night. Soap and water on MY pits, baby wipes on the grits. I tried 3 times to soak my poor feet in the icy creek water...I couldn't make it to the 2 minute mark...too cold for me! Another hiker, "etch-a-sketch"and her pretty dog "Sam wise" came through with home made cookies...just in time for dessert!
Plan tomorrow is to get to sarver hollow shelter (675.0). 2 climbs to get there. Only had one today but my legs (& everything else, for that matter) are SO tired from yesterdays miles.
Pics: more pretty flowers; goofy happy hiker
They pushed us out onto the trail, kicking and screaming, in Pearisburg...right where we had gotten off the trail last Wednesday....I tried to convince zag to start outside of town...she'd have none of it. So we trudged through 2.4 miles of industrial fumes with nothing to show for it except purist satisfaction and irritated respiratory tracts.
We walked 19.7 miles today to pine swamp shelter (650.1) The strangest/most fascinating thing today: gliders kept flying along the ridge. Probably 2 per hour. No engine, but I could hear the whine of air disturbance as each one approached quickly from behind. Even when I was as prepared as I could be, I was never fast enough to catch a still shot. I did get a brief video, but can't post on here.
Since i sent my winter sleeping bag and puffy jacket home, it's supposed to be 30 degrees for the next 2 nights! I'll just put on my thin wool pjs and socks & get in my 40 degree bag...
New characters in the trail drama tonight: Phoenix, a cancer and frostbite survivor...back on the trail and determined!
Professor..lots of social questions I just wasn't in the mood to answer...
happy mothers day to all...
Pics: until next time...; new fern emerging in a circle; squaw flowers?
Last full day of visitation..bittersweet.
Had Indian food lunch buffet...I always say it's like a party for my taste buds. all those yummy spices I didn't grow up with. I think I will love it even more as I age and my sense of taste dulls.
The plan today was to go back and do the 5 mile portion ending at Trent's grocery. Andrea and Emily also wanted to do a little trail magic, so we stopped by the store for fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges) and some high calorie junk (little Debbie variety).
We dropped zag & em off and they walked north to south, then we drove around to the south end and started walking north all carrying some trail magic to hand out. Somewhere in the middle we met and handed off the car keys....we didn't see another hiker the whole time...we just carried that magic right back to the car! It was so nice to take a casual stroll along the trail with Andrea. I was able to show her the wintergreen leaves (didn't find any berries) and some other plants I had been telling her about.
I do not have the words to describe the joy I feel when I am with Andrea. I hope each person reading this has had or does have someone that makes their life wonderful.
Pics: two goofy hikers; a lovely blossom on an unidentified tree
Zero day in Blacksburg. Went to rei in Charlotte and bought another pair of Salomon xa pro 3 shoes (what I had to begin with). Talked with the Salomon customer service and had to email pictures of my synapse shoes..where they're tearing in the heel cup already and the featured shoe string...we'll see what happens..
Woke up to steady rain. Again.
I pulled the covers over my head and rolled back over. We only have 10 very easy miles into pearisburg...no need to hop out of bed at 6am today!
Breakfast was at 8, so I did get up eventually.
I had already packed my backpack the night before..I like to be organized.
We had a nice long breakfast, no one seemed to be in a hurry to leave. M80 and trooper braved the weather and took off about 1030 or so...they were getting a hotel room and were nice to offer us use of their shower once we arrived, if needed.
I sat around and read my trashy fiction zag found at one of the shelters (she's already finished with it). Its all about vampires and werewolves and humans...not the twilight series, but the ones about "sookie"..mindless entertainment...perfect for delaying hiking on a rainy day.
We eventually left about noon.
A very nice walk into town...the fog eventually lifted, allowing a clear view of the valley from up on the ridge. The sun came out about 530 pm, illuminating the forest. The late afternoon light casting long shadows from the tree trunks.
After making our way to m80& troopers room at the holiday lodge in town, zag took a shower and we all went across the street to the Mexican restaurant. After m80 gave the staff an education on the illegality of not allowing his service dog into the restaurant, we were seated. Shortly thereafter, Andrea and Emily arrived. Talk about a sight for sore eyes...wow. My world is much better. We'll have a few zero days, go to rei for shoe issues and get back on the trail on Sunday...until then..
