Monday June 24th

Great nights sleep. 2 other hikers here: Line wolf and his yet UN named female companion...she is miserable and has had enough of trail life...I think they started last week. I heard her on the phone with an encouraging friend. Afterwards, I gave her my nickels worth: "if you're miserable, be done with it..."
She's done..but is going car camping this weekend...I'm jealous of that!

So, big news of today: I summited Katahdin today! 5.2 miles up, then back down....foggy and windy...no good views, and a bit scary to be quite honest..lots of rock scrambling...I'm so glad I've done some rock climbing before so that I wasn't frozen with fear as I'm sure others would be.

I got up at 5am, walked down to the cafe for a ham and cheese omelette, caught the 630 shuttle to Baxter state park...scored an awesome day pack from the ranger (Yves)...apparently he had some  relationship with the 80s show "fresh prince of bel air"...

Hitch hiked piece meal back to town: big thanks to the hikers from new Brunswick!!
Tonight, jugs and aloha here..nobos that summited to COMPLETE their thru hike...I'm certainly more excited than they are...she said "I'm just tired"...

A young man and his dad are starting their thru hike..will summit Katahdin tomorrow...lone wolf (who may change his name to curly due to his head full of curls..)will start Sobo again soon...
Pics: me..happy and tired; the last toilet on the AT...wish I remembered the first one; AT sign; foggy mtn; white lady slipper

Sunday June 23

Here I sit in a tiny bus station in Bangor, ME. It's 330pm and I've been up since 430am. Flew out of Birmingham at 6 am, changed planes in Charlotte and Philly, took a cab to the bus station, awaiting 630 bus to Medway, ME, then a shuttle to Millinocket...I don't know how long that last piece will take.
I'm excited about starting south bound from Maine, but also a bit nervous as I feel like I'm in a foreign land with strangers. I've tried to think of everything I need and as a result, my pack seems too heavy...even though I weighed it and it's only 34 pounds with 7 days of food (no water)...I think it's that I know I must start out with the most  food ever...I already know I'll eat a lot the first few days just to reduce pack weight...the terrain looks flat on the elevation profile, so maybe I can eat a lot and walk a lot....that would work out great!
I've brought (and am wearing) lightweight hiking pants and a long sleeved sun shirt to Minimize the skin I'm exposing to the flesh eating black flies. I called a few hiker hostels yesterday to get a fly update...turns out they're still out and biting, but the numbers should be down drastically by mid July...I'll keep you posted. I've sprayed all my clothing with permethrin and brought deet as a back up. The deet seemed to work great against the ticks, but I hated putting it directly on my skin. I've chosen to cover my skin with (chemically treated) fabric instead of applying the chemicals directly to my skin....
I hope all of you know first hand the wonder of having a great family. I certainly appreciate it more as I age. I'm "wonderful blessed" as the little old lady in that Mississippi nursing home used to say! My family plucked me from the trail in front royal, VA, fed me all my favorite foods, let me bathe, do laundry and sleep, took me to rei...and get this..they were pleasant and engaging and seemed genuinely interested in my adventures! The nephews just keep growing! Many thanks y'all!

The other side of my family and some new friends (we'll call these "the dark side") went to the grand canyon via Las Vegas. Las Vegas is a freak show on steroids...the best people watching EVER. Also the hottest and driest climate EVER.
You know how you hate using the oven in the summer because it makes the kitchen too hot? Well, next time you make a pan of cornbread (450°), when you take out that cast iron skillet that you've preheated, just leave the oven door open and stick your face right down in there....and stay for a minute or two....while your face is melting off your skull, smile and say "welcome to Vegas, baby! Where's Elvis?"
Felt good, didn't it? Next time, just for bonus points, see if you can get your feet in there, too!
We enjoyed some good food, pool time and laughs before heading out to the canyon. Western river expeditions is the way to see the grand canyon....I love hiking, but it's a real time- inefficient method of exploring the canyon. On the J rig boat, I had no worry of the boat flipping as we crashed through the rapids (which is a very efficient cooling mechanism, by the way). We would pull over and hike to the most beautiful places I've ever seen...lovely turquoise creeks and pools, shady places to relax, and the rocks....wow. I have a new fascination for geology...
A few days at home to visit,  "get my stuff together" and tackle the "honey-do"list and here I am...headed back out
to the AT.  Shutterbug has also flip flopped and is about a week ahead of me..maybe we'll see each other!
Tomorrow I plan to summit Katahdin, spend one last night in a bed, eat one more good meal, then head south on Tuesday....
I look forward to keeping y'all up to date as my crazy adventure continues. Thanks so much for your continued interest and support!

Pics: there's Elvis!; the dark side

Tuesday June 4

An interesting array of people here..as usual. A lady and her brother here to section hike together, using the hostel as a base camp. A few other folks in their 60s doing the same thing. They all seem really nice. Thru hikers I recognize: the young couple from Austin, TX that interviewed m80 & trooper at the campground. Other thru hikers here that I don't know and probably won't see again since I'm leaving the trail for a few weeks.

I only grabbed a flat sheet for cover last night and I woke up cold...all I could find to use for warmth (without actually getting out of bed) was my towel I'd hung up to dry....it worked well enough for the few hours of sleep I had left....
Up early to get going! Only 4 miles to family!
After I've  eaten, brushed my teeth and packed, I'm ready. Except my trekking poles are missing. This is where I put them and they are not there. I can't walk without my poles. I've forgotten how to do reciprocal arm swing without using poles...no thru hiker would have taken them as we want our stuff and we know where it is. The scattered section hiker must have picked them up accidentally...she did put toothpaste on her toothbrush then wrap it inside a tshirt and put it in her pack..then spent 10 minutes searching frantically before she found it....yeah, my money is on her..but she is long gone...I called the hostel owner that is shuttling her. He arrives 45 minutes later with my poles. In the meantime, I get to hang out with a new guy, Lush. He and I walk together to front royal, VA. My family greets me as we have all arrived at the same time. The pole fiasco made the timing perfect! I will be returning to the trail towards the end of June...I'll let you know how lovely the grand canyon was....
Pics: Lush; the nephews and their sweet mom.

Monday June 3

The plan today it's to get as close to front royal as the weather will allow! The timing of the afternoon thunderstorms is the key. It's already cloudy this morning... Worst case scenario is to go only 13 miles to gravel springs hut and have 14 miles to do tomorrow, best case is to go 23 miles to the hostel and only have 4 miles into town tomorrow..I like the sound of option number 2! My family is picking me up tomorrow and I want to have an easy walk, allowing time and energy to enjoy our day together! (3 nephews to keep up with)...
I leave camp about 7am..i did set up my tent in the shelter last night..there were lots of insects crawling and flying around..I had no interest in interacting with them. And it did rain last night ..i didn't want to deal with a wet tent this morning. Yeah, I know I'm backpacking, but I have gear and I'm not scared to use it to increase my comfort and safety in the great outdoors. That's what gear is for, right?
My anticipated highlight of today was to be (another) stop at a wayside. My intention was to finally get a milkshake. I arrived at the wayside at 10am...early enough to get something from the breakfast menu! After a bacon, egg and cheese bagel with a chocolate shake, I was on my way!...I saw 2 adult whitetail deer with NO fear of hikers..they just stood there, less than 15 feet away, looking at me....I also saw 2 big rabbits.
These, with the far away bear and several black snakes, fulfill my "wildlife encounter" check off list for the Shenandoah national park. I will admit to singing aloud with an occasional extra loud "woo-hoo" thrown in for good measure..all to give fair warning to the fauna of my approach. Today i added an extra layer of fauna-alarming strategy: loud classical music. I figured out how to use my bandanna to hammock my phone at the upper edge of my sports bra while simultaneously keeping the screen protected from my sweaty chest...as I plodded down the last mile of trail...assuring that no more creatures would be added to my "seen"list....

I made it to the terrapin hostel at 530pm, my feet just shy of abandoning the rest of my body out of sheer contempt....all I can do is apologize with promises of massage and gentle stretches following the warm shower and moisturizing....
I ate the last of my delicious trail food, polished of a pint of carrot cake ice cream (not my first choice in ice cream flavors...not nearly enough chocolate) then hit the bunks for a restless night of the rotisserie chicken bed dance....I can never get comfortable on an air mattress, which is what was available...and it had a helmet sized lump off to one side, which threatened to toss me off the side of my top bunk, 6ft down to the concrete floor...I deflated the mattress enough that I didn't feel like it was trying to hurl me off the cliff...
My last Good night on the trail before meeting up with family here, then going to the grand canyon with more family! I'm sure it's anticipation that kept me rolling all night!

Pics: sign for the hostel;  mike, the owner; the bunk room

Sunday June 2

Left rock spring (923) at 738am..arrived at pass mtn (938.6) at 5 ish...
We saw a juvenile black bear this morning..too far away to get a good picture..it was cute and the perfect distance away!
I dropped off team fortis at Thornton gap this afternoon they had to go into Luray for a resupply.. .boo hoo..I will miss my trail peeps..

Here tonight: 6'7", lucky strike, kaboose & sassafras (father and 13 year old daughter)

Pics: new flower; old friends

Saturday June 1

Beautiful night at the campground..cool and breezy..so breezy, in fact, that I had to retrieve socks in the middle of the night... Slept in till 7am! Woo hoo! Today we went from Lewis mtn campground (911.0) to rock spring hut (923.3) with lunch at big Meadows wayside....(0.8 round trip)
The DEET on arms, legs, neck seems to be working. I can't find any attached ticks.I scratch every freckle I see and, so far, they seem to really be freckles. I push the tall grass aside with my poles..holding then like an old timer plow...hoping to knock the ticks off and also part the grass so I can make sure I'm not about to step on any snakes!
Interesting sights today: 30 colorfully dressed  multi generation Asians parading down the trail, John (Web breaker) the president of the Potomac ATC weed eating,
I had the fried chicken plate at the wayside. Dessert was black berry cobbler with black berry ice cream . A came outside and found a snicker bar on each of our packs (actually m80 stole mine, but later confessed)..we think it was John...thanks whoever it was! Tenting tonight on the hill above the shelter. Not quite level..I stuffed my sleeping bag under the right side of my mattress..maybe I won't roll down the hill...

Pic: John taking a break from weed eating to chat

Wednesday may 29

I forced myself our of bed at 6:15..oh the joy if strategic pillow placement..
Fit breakfast: coffee with a packet of hot cocoa mix, granola with vanilla yogurt, peanut butter sandwich..
The inn keepers daughter drove me to the trail..I hit the trail at 730am. I hiked a bit and had to fill or the permit to enter Shenandoah park...(team fortis isn't leaving until after 9am as they must drop a box of at the post office)
Today is a long hot humid day...I sang a lot..out loud to scare away any wildlife..it worked as several others had bear encounters today. Must have been the same bear as the common denominator was the lack of fear the bear exhibited toward humans. This bear was ON the trail..wouldn't move....delayed m80 by 45 minutes..
I passed 2 female section hikers wearing way too many clothes...sweater wrapped around their waist, pants stuffed into thick heavy socks...made me suffocate looking at the two of them...they showed up at camp about 2 hours after me..
Etch a sketch was at the shelter as I arrived..
There were bees and stink bugs all around the shelter...so I chose to tent..team fortis showed up eventually with the awesome bear encounter story...
Earplugs in and off to bed. 21 miles is plenty today.
Pics: porch off side of  b&b..I had to adjust the porch swing..it was too high (my feet didn't touch the ground) and it was tipped too far back..

Friday may 31

Up at 5am..probably had a bit too much wine yesterday..I drank lots of water during the night, had to pee twice and was sticky and yucky...I did not sleep well...plan is to get to Lewis mtn campground (911.1)
Celebrated 900 miles today..we can't believe it!..we didn't rest until lunch...
Trooper and I bathed off in the campground bathroom, I did sink laundry and it's hanging on the clothesline. Only 12 miles tomorrow so we plan to sleep in a little late and hike slow and have a late lunch at the big meadow wayside.
PIcs: celebrating 900 miles!;
Our narrow path through the tick infested grass...we noticed this is cleared with a weed eater near the public access areas...; our campsite, complete with hiker trash clothesline

Thursday may 30

We left at 715..I have earplugs, but apparently, the hiker virus is still alive..someone was puking at 3am....team fortis heard it..we were out of there!
Today is a light day..only 13 Miles...we were so worthless..stopped at lost mtn wayside at 1030am...I had a ham sandwIch, sweet potato fries, followed by a blackberry ice cream float made with sierra mist......then we opened the red wine I'd been carrying since Waynesboro...we polished off 1.5L
we left the wayside at 3pm and walked the 4 miles to camp..sharing a tent site...had a box of red wine each with cold dinner (I ate the lunch i would've had today)
big day tomorrow 21 miles, alarm set for 5am...ugh..long day, but Saturday will be another easy day.
Pics: my trail family:
trooper battling climate control...fleece half on
M80 being himself...
Willow being good..waiting for the treat..love those bottom teeth