hang on for the ride

The last 30 days have been a roller coaster. Starting with foot/shin problems outside of Pearisburg, then excellent rest and rejuvenation at the Evans' in Lynchburg, getting to hike with Jenny, dealing with biblical proportions of rain, bloodsucking gnats and ticks, two weekends of rest and rejuvenation with my friend Ed, more shin problems in the Shinandoahs, the onset of frustration and doubt, and the hardest reentry to trail life yet following my last days of rest at Ed's. Wednesday of this week, Ed drove me back to the trail. After a whole week without rain, the skies dumped on us as we neared the trailhead. Ed parked under an overpass so I could get out my rain jacket and readjust gear for the weather. I waited until the rain let up to head out, took some farewell photos, got Gracie suited up, then it was the moment of truth. I said goodbye and started walking with a heavy heart. I wanted to look back and wave goodbye, but knew if I did, I'd have a hard time continuing on. So I put my head down and kept walking into the rain. As soon as we started our ascent into the woods, the thunder started, and I went into worry/prayer mode. Fortunately, the rain let up by the time we got to the first shelter. I was not keen on staying there because there had been lots of reports of copperheads at the shelter. So, we trudged another 5ish miles to the next shelter. Whereupon one of the section hikers already there let me know he was not interested in sharing a shelter with a dog. The hike in had been difficult. My pack was heavy, my legs were heavy, my heart was heavy. And now, I had to make my poor baby dog sleep beneath the shelter. I think she had it better than me, since I had to share space with a puppy-hater. But, I was in no mood to pitch the tent. I had a cold dinner, fed Gracie, and went to sleep.

The next day was an improvement. We hiked 19 miles to Bears Den Hostel, got there in plenty of time for an unexpected cookout (trail magic!), and Gracie had her own doggie shelter for the night. A pint of Ben & Jerry's, introduction to speed scrabble (I totally ruled!), awesome hostel hosts and guests, and a great night's sleep did much to renew my hiking spirit. I'd spent much of the hiking day feeling kind of down, missing family and friends, and wondering if I really had it in me to keep going for another 2-3 months. Harpers Ferry kept seeming further and further away. The next day we crossed the 1000 mile mark and enjoyed a free meal at the Blackburn ATC center & hiker hostel. Gracie & I stayed in the bunkhouse, and I was up at 5:30am to start the day. When I turned on my phone to see what time it was, there was a message waiting from my mom. She had called from Knoxville, TN the night before. After breakfast and packing up, I called her, and found out they were on their way to Harpers Ferry to meet me!

I practically floated into Harpers Ferry, after finding out that my parents were gonna meet me there. So, now, here I sit, at the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference. Gracie & I had our picture taken and added to the album of 2009 hikers, I've collected our resupply boxes, and have found a great restaurant for a celebratory T-bone (Gracie gets the bone!).

Speaking of bones, Gracie has been racking up the treats, lately. She had her very own buffalo burger in Linden, courtesy of Ed, got the leftover rib bones from my last in-town lunch, and I shared my breakfast pizza with her yesterday.

Next major stop is Duncannon, PA. Until then, Happy Independence Day!
Peace,
George & Gracie