Early to bed and early to rise, doesn’t make me anymore wise. But it sure helps my body feel better. Today is a town day. George sent my resupply box to Luray and I was ready to take the afternoon off. I’ll have to play catch-up when I get on tomorrow but that’ll be easy enough.

Norman and I packed up and hit the trail around 7am. It was a nice morning with no one on the trail. I just don’t get it. I really thought I’d see more people, at least day hikers. It’s a weekend. Don’t people get out anymore? Did I miss something over these past few months? One thing is for sure, Fall is happening in Virginia. The leaves are turning yellow and they are covering the trail.

It was another easy day, little miles, little elevation and Little Rock’s! In the Shenandoah’s, instead of putting up wooden signs, they have concrete pillars. They are solid, I imagine no one will steal them and they will be there till the end of time. They still have White Blazes painted on trees every now and then, but these pillars are placed at every trailhead. And there’s a lot of trails in the Shenandoah’s.

I made it to the top of Pass Mountain which wasn’t much. It mostly consisted of a pile of mossy rocks with a view of Luray, but the trees blocked most of it. There are some big trees on this park. Huge pines, lots of Walnut and Oak Trees, some Laurel and lower brush. Unfortunately with the lack of rain, the ferns are curled up and dying. But that may all change. There is a forecast of a storm coming this way. Oh joy! It must’ve followed me from Maine.

I texted Allison from Open Arms Hostel and she had explicit directions as to where she would meet me. She is the sole owner and operator of the Hostel and has been doing this since 2015. I came out of the woods and crossed the highway. At least this time, it had Pedestrian Signs and painted crosswalks. I felt much safer, kind of.

Allison showed up right on time and took me immediately to the grocery store. She says all hikers have cravings for something when they get off trail. She knows us well. I bought some fruit, yogurt, sparkling water and IPA. The essentials.

We headed back to Open Arms, and I met the two dogs and two cats. It’s so nice to have a home to enjoy, even if it’s short lived. Allison showed me around, walked me to my private room and hooked me up with a hot shower. A shower is one of my favorite pleasures these days. Just hot water washing off the dirt and grime all over my body.

Ends up I had two packages. One was my expected resupply box and one was a padded envelope from my dear friend Gaye. Gaye boxed up a Spa Day for me! It had face masks, foot masks which I’ve never had before, dark chocolate, moisturizing lip balm and a couple of pages from a Devotional. Thank you for this gift of love. I stayed in my room and pampered myself.

The rest of the day I did nothing at all. It was just perfect. Allison did my laundry while I sat on the front porch and relaxed with the cat. Later in the afternoon, Allison had another hiker to pick up, so she dropped me off at the Mexican Restaurant. I had Carne Asada and Guacamole with Chips. After a bit, Allison came back and we went for Ice Cream. As far as I’m concerned, this day couldn’t have been any better.

Thank you Lord for rest and healing. Being Sunday, it was a wonderful day to rejoice in you and all that you have blessed me with. My Church was right here at Open Arms. It was rejuvenating, filled with hospitality, love, peace and rest for the soul. Just a perfect day on and off trail!

Have you ever heard a Circadian Cricket? Think about the average run of the mill cricket with an orchestra of a thousand! That is what serenades me to sleep, night after night. They are the loudest little body creature God created. It’s an amazing symphony at natures best or worse, depending on how you like cricket noise.

The morning light is much slower to rise here in the south. When I was in Maine, dawn was 5am. Here in Virginia, maybe 6:15 or so. So when I woke up at 5am, there was no urgency to get moving. It’s still dark. My new on the trail time is 7am. It works well especially since the terrain is so much nicer. No more days of walking around mud, tripping over rocks and roots. It’s smooth sailing, down the trail.

I still get some elevation but it’s spread out over the day with more miles to allow for gradual ascents and descents. I was off to find water. No real prospects nearby. I ran into a Trail Runner group and they were little to no help. So I moved along. I met these bikers and they stopped, emptied their water bottles and helped me out! Go bikers. They were from NoVa – Northern Virginia. About an hour or two later, I saw a campsite with only a backpack but no hikers. Within a minute or two, I met Mitch and his girlfriend. They had fresh living water in their hands. Hallelujah, it was right around the bend.

Sure enough, there was a pipe coming out of the mountain. And it was flowing. I cameled up immediately, meaning I drank one liter in minutes. I then, filled up my two Smart Water bottles giving me two liters. At this rate, who knows when I’ll find water again. I sat for a bit, ate a bar of wholesome goodness and carried on.

I heard poles clicking from behind and turned to find Mitch. Ends up Mitch is hiking to Roanoke, close to where I’m planning to finish. Great. We walked and talked for most the morning. He’s a Grad Student from Phoenix and earned his P.A. License. He’ll be moving to Washington D.C. with his girlfriend of 5 years. She works in D.C. for the Health Administration and they met in South Africa when they were in the Peace Corp. Sounds like a power couple to me. This is his first solo long distance hike, but he has backpacked in many places with friends and family.

We stopped at the Ledges, and had our lunch. This is Mitch’s first full day on the trail so we talked about goals and what he planned to do. He’s a smart kid and had planned on stopping at the first shelter for a total of 10 miles. Good plan. We hung out for a bit and then walked to the Blue Blaze for Gravel Springs Hut & Shelter. I nodded him farewell but as always, this is a narrow strip of trail and we will meet again.

I met another Nobo Section Hiker today named Polonia. She’s from Poland and told me her name is the Spanish version of Poland. She’s been doing section hikes each year from Georgia north. This year she plans to finish in Front Royal. She must be my age or maybe a bit older and was quite perturbed. She stayed in the same shelter that Mitch plans to stay at, Gravel Springs, but he hammocks. Ends up that during the night, a mouse or a legend of mice stole her bandana. When she got up in the morning, it had vanished. When she saw my bandana, it all came back and she had to vent. I’d be furious! My bandana serves many purposes from mosquito abatement to sweat retention to cleaning and wiping my body down. But one of the most important aspects of my bandana is the prayers and messages of encouragement written by many of my friends and family. It’s my most treasured possession. I hope those mice are making good use of her bandana.

I continued south towards Elkwallow Wayside. It’s another five miles down the road and has a camp store and grill with a good selection of snacks, burgers, sandwiches, soda, beer, and ice cream. I arrived and ordered a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Onion Rings and a Blueberry Shake. Oh my, that hit the spot.

Now that I’m full with more than this gal really needed, I slowly got up and waddled down the trail. I had a little climb to get up to the Ridgeline, where I planned to camp for the night. I’m done with Shelters and after hearing about Polonia and her bandana, I’m going to stick to stealth camping.

I found a nice little place off the trail that will give me plenty of space to roam and options for my tent. Norman was quite happy and sprawled out as soon as we got settled. He doesn’t help much with camp set-up, but then he doesn’t really need to. I got this dialed and our camp is up and ready in less than five minutes. Now it’s time to rest and relax, thplan out our following day.

Another beautiful and wonderful day on the trail. Shenandoah’s are truly a splendid place to visit and hike. I expected much more people here being they say it one of those most visited National Parks on the East Coast. From talking to the locals, once you get into the park, deep inside the park, fewer people are here. The entrance both North and South see the gaggles of tourists. So here I am, all alone on this prime piece of real estate. Lucky for me. Just me and Norman and the thousand of crickets serenading me to sleep. Good night Norman, good night Lord, good night crickets, good night all…

Me and Norman had the Shelter all to ourselves last night. It’s like our private little place to call home for the night. I’m glad I was in the Shelter and not in my tent because we had rain! Yes, glorious, wondrous rainfall. It sounded like much more than it actually was. With the tin roof on the shelter, it magnified it tenfold. Yet when I ventured out, the ground was barely wet. Definitely not the same kind of rain I had up north, that’s for sure. This poor state of Virginia needs a downpour because they are starving for water!

Norman and I packed up and hit the trail. It was really quiet. Not a peep from a squirrel or a bird. I arrived at Manassas Gap and met a hiker, Mexican Mainer. She was so excited to see me. I wondered if I had met her before but apparently she was thrilled because I was a woman. She said all the hikers she’s been seeing are guys. I have to agree. Woman are definitely outnumbered out here, probable 4:1.

Me and Mexican Mainer, born in Tijuana and now resides in Maine, is finishing up her hike this year. She has a little over 400 miles to complete. She’ll end up in Pennsylvania. She told her husband she wouldn’t be coming home till she’s done. I think this is her 4th or 5th year. I totally understand. Once you get going, you want to do nothing but finish this beast, as I affectionately call the AT. We exchanged numbers and plan to keep in contact. You need a cheering squad when you hit the tough days and someone to rejoice with, when you’re done! I’ll be checking on ya.

I decided to go into Front Royal. I had done a few extra miles yesterday so it gave me spare time to relax. I asked the neighbor for a ride, John from the Pentagon. I figured he was safe. He took me into town on his way to work.

Front Royal loves hikers. I went straight to Mountain Trails Outdoor Store. Charlie Brown, as he calls himself hooked me up. There’s FREE laundry and showers in the back of the store. They have locking storage units for your backpacks, outlets to charge your devices and the brewery gives us 1/2 price beer. I love Front Royal. Talk about one stop shopping.

I washed my hiking outfit, socks and PJ’s, then took a shower and washed my hair. So my issue is most places don’t have conditioner and if I’m to wash my thick head of hair, I require conditioner to comb it when I’m done. Guess what? They had a big bottle of conditioner. What a happy camper I was!

Norman accidentally got locked up in the locker and I could tell, he wasn’t happy about it. His constant grin looked more like a glare! Oops, you are not an animal so I promptly removed him. He pouted for a bit until I introduced him to the Panda Bear. Panda Bear hiked the entire section of the Shenandoah NP. That’s a big deal because he is one big bear! Norman was relieved and grateful to be out of the cage and found forgiveness. Thank goodness. We still have over 200 miles left on this trail.

After having my salad and beer, I packed up my new clean clothes and Norman was happy again. We headed out, thanking Charlie Brown for the incredible gift of cleanliness. It is the small things that I miss the most. Shower or Bath, Flush Toliets and Running Water and clothes that don’t stink!

Charlie Brown told me there was a Trolley that will take me back to the trail. Wow, how much better does it get? I stopped at the local ice cream and coffee shop. I asked if I could get ice cream and coffee together? Heck yes, one shot or two? Two shots of espresso over a scoop of Coconut Chocolate and Almond bits. Oh my word, it was amazing.

I headed to the Town Square and here comes Christie, the Trolley Driver. She comes bouncing out of the Trolley to take her break and has the biggest grin on her face. Is she my lost sister? I love this joyful woman! Ends up she is the one who made the suggestion to add a stop at the AT Trailhead. The Trolley didn’t go there but hikers could really use this FREE service. Thank you Christie! I was back on trail lickity split.

So I take back the thing I wrote about yesterday. It is hot and humid. Oh no, I’m not complaining just stating the facts. Good thing I took that shower or I’d really be a stinky mess. Now I’m just half stinky but still a mess. I finished up the day and arrived at the shelter just north of the Shenandoah National Park boundary. Tomorrow I’ll be in the Shenney’s as they call it.

As Norman and I were getting comfortable, here comes Bol and her dog Douglas. She was looking for a place to relax for an hour or two. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We started chatting and it was like talking with a friend. We confided about all sorts of things, relationships, career choices, our faith. Bol is from Bulgaria and a very. talented tennis player and coach. She makes a living coaching clients on their game. Wow, have you thought about Pickleball? We had great conversation about who and what we desire to be, how to conduct ourselves, how the world views women, and how the Lord influences us. We spent most the afternoon together before she hiked back to her car. Gosh, I hope we meet again. What an incredible woman she is!

I have only one regret today and that is not being with my dear friend Debbie Carapiet. She is the heart and soul of Bayside Cafe and is having her final Appreciation Dinner for all us volunteers. Debbie is retiring and I have served under her leadership for 14 plus years. This woman is a prayer warrior like no other. She has a heart that never ceases, and love that overflows from her veins! Gosh I am going to miss her terribly but now she will have no excuses when I ask her to come play pickleball! Can’t wait to see you on the courts. I love you! And thank you again for my birthday cookie!

Sometimes I wonder if I am suppose to still be out here, on this trail. Then God blesses me with a day like today! Mexican Mainer, John from the Pentagon, Charlie Brown, Christie the Trolley Driver and then Bol with her dog Douglas. I am reminded that yes, in fact, I’m right where I need to be. Thank you Jesus for sending all these angels my way. You are such a faithful and wonderful God!

Now I remember why I don’t sleep in Hostels. Because I don’t sleep. The two men in the room were quiet, no snoring or even heavy breathing. I just tossed and turned all night. The bunk bed was a bit caddywhampus. Maybe too many people sleeping on the lower bunk? Who knows. But for the life of me, I just couldn’t get comfortable. I finally switched ends and that helped slightly. Blue would’ve never approved!

I heated up yesterdays coffee in the microwave and I was packed and gone by 6am. I was long gone before anyone else was up or moving. The trail was empty. Just me and the spider webs. And there were a ton of webs to be slayed today. Some wrapped around my face which was pretty disgusting. I just don’t like spiders. That’s one thing me and my grandson Sid have in common. I don’t mind snakes or any reptiles for that matter, but spiders, no thank you. Needless to say, once the sun shines on their spindling webs, I whacked them away. Now, I do not mess with a full intact spider web. Those are intriguing and I will actually take a side route to avoid them. But just a silk string across the trail, I have no use or patience for those.

The Roller Coaster of ups and downs continued all the way to the roadway. It really wasn’t that terrible and it helped that I had already tackled a third of it yesterday. It was the typical PUD’s pointless ups and downs. No real views this time of year. The trees are covered in large leaves and block any chance of seeing a vista. I just put my head down and hiked as quick I could go. Which honestly, is maybe 2 mph. With all my stops and breaks, it averages out to a clip of, yep you got it, 2 mph.

My biggest stress today was crossing Route 50. Yes another four lane divided highway. I just don’t get it. I’m starting to wonder if hikers are expendable? This would never happen in California. There would be warnings, tunnels or bridges. Jeeze, we even built an underground tunnel for frogs in Davis! But here in Virginia, nope. Just run across the highway and hope for the best!

Luckily I made it or I wouldn’t be writing this blog. The later half of the day was much nicer. I met a local walking his dog. Another older gentleman came up one of the side trails and we sat on a proper bench and chatted for a bit. He was from Poland and hikes 3 times a week. He’s probably in his 80’s and seems quite spry. His wife walks around the neighborhood where the trails are flatter but he prefers climbing. He talked about all the trails he hiked in Switzerland and Colorado. Quite the inspiration for my future self.

The only issue I’ve had in the past three days is finding water. There was only one stream after I crossed the highway. I ran into a couple of Nobo’s and they told me the spring at the Shelter was still flowing. So that’s my destination for the night. The weather has cooperated and I only had two very brief sprinkles. Not enough to warrant any rain cover, umbrella or jacket. The temperature has been mild. No crazy humidity but I’m definitely sweating. I guess it’s good to keep my skin moisturized from the beads of glistening perspiration. Now that I think of it, my skin hasn’t been dry at all since I’ve been hiking. No need for lotions and potions. Good thing since I didn’t bring any!

I arrived to my humble abode around 5pm. I saw a total of four people today, one dog and lots of birds, squirrels and spiders. And there’s this crazy looking moth that resembles Nemo, the fish. It’s orange, black and white. Cute little moth and very fast.

As soon as I arrived, I went to the spring and filled up. This time it was only 50’ from the Shelter and just slightly downhill. There was a pipe that came out of the hillside and was flowing quite nicely. The hummingbirds were gathered around as there was a field of gold flowers. The other pesty insect that was hovering were small bees. They’re not yellow jackets but a version of their smaller cousin. They don’t seem to sting or bite, from personal knowledge. They will land on me, and then takeoff when they realize I don’t have anything they want. What they do want, is my food. Not meat, but anything else. Odd little insect. Even when I went to pee, they followed me, landed in the spilled excrement from my body, and after checking it out, left. Hopefully, they find something else to do tonight than hang out with me and Norman.

Norman has been pretty quiet today. He seems like he’s either content hanging out or he’s ready for something new. Hard to tell because his expression on his face never changes. One things for sure, he is easy to have around and honestly, doesn’t eat much. I’m hoping he doesn’t lose any weight. This hiking thing is a great weight loss program!

Today was a great time with me and the Lord. Before I left this morning, I pulled out my laminated bookmark of Psalm 91 and left it for Pink. When we talked last night, he told me he had a few pages from Psalm in his backpack. He has faith. He’s just still trying to understand who he is in Christ. All we can do is influence others, share with them the love of Jesus, and trust God to do the rest. He always has the perfect plan.

I actually dreamed last night. That is the first time I can remember dreaming on the trail! It was an odd vision. My sister could interpret for me. I had purchased the house we lived in as teenagers and remodeled it. The last place I would want to be is SoCal but there I was. Living in the home that I grew up as a teen. Hmm, not sure what that was about.

Billy Goat and I slept in till 6am. It was so nice to not be rushed and he felt the same. We had our breakfast, me coffee with biscotti and Billy Goat had Pop-tarts. That’s a very common breakfast out here on the trail. Then he ate a Honeybun! Loaded with fat and tons of calories. He’s lost too much weight and eating anything that has high fat count helps him keep what little weight he has. I’ll stick with my coffee and biscuits.

We finally left around 7:30am. I had two liters of water and Billy Goat had one liter. He doesn’t use FarOut, only paper maps so I gave him the updated water report and he decided to head down to Blackburn Trail Center. It’s a little off trail but there is water and everything a hiker needs.

I continued on as planned. If I do close to 15 miles a day, I’ll be at McAfee Knob by September 10th. That’s my plan, but we know how plans go. We make plans and God laughs. I found a great granite ledge that had views for miles of the valley and farmlands below. I didn’t get many views yesterday so this was quite nice.

The Roller Coaster started fairly quickly. The Roller Coaster, a 14-mile stretch of steep climbs and descents with few views. It’s interesting how they try to convince the Sobo’s that this is a big deal. After Maine and The Whites, it’s hard to get too excited over a few ascents and descents. But I’m going in with open eyes and I’ll let you know when I finish it up tomorrow.

I saw very few hikers except some day-hikers heading to Ravens Rock. It’s a nice vista of Bluemont and the surrounding area. Then more ups and downs before running for my life across the highway. I forgot about these crazy and dangerous road crossings. I come out of the woods and can hear what sounds like a freeway. There’s a signboard explaining where to cross the four lane divided highway. Route 7 is a high-speed, tie your shoes, and run fast, kind of butt pucker. I waited for 2-3 minutes where I can cross the eastbound lanes. Then standing in the center divide waited another 1-2 minutes before I bolted across the westbound lanes. Probably the scariest part of the trail! What happened to Pedestrian Over-crossings?

Once my heart stopped racing, I walked the .25 miles on the shoulder and went back into the woods. Only one more mile and I would be at Bears Den Rocks. It is believed that these rocks were formed over 600 million years ago. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains that extend from Northern Georgia to Southern Pennsylvania. Anyway you slice it, it’s a beautiful place and hundreds of hikers walk up to watch the sunset.

I was out of water and being there was not a drop found on the trail, I headed to Bears Den Hostel. It’s only .1 mile from the trail. Once I arrived, I was greeted by Pink. He has an extended stay and showed me around. For $40, you get a bunk, shower, laundry, pizza, soda, a pint of ice cream and breakfast. Sold, I’m in. All I really wanted was water but this is too good to be true.

There was plenty of places to slumber and I found a bottom bunk. I took a shower and relaxed for the evening. This couldn’t have been any better. Thank you Lord, and thank you Pink for finding this colorful place to stay for the night.

As I was talking with Pink, he said he is not a Christian. As I listened to him, and heard his stories, he has all the qualities, the character but just doesn’t know who Jesus is. I am always taken back when I meet these kind souls who are living for today, but not for eternity. This temporary home is so short but everlasting is, just like it sounds. Forever and ever. That is the promise our Lord made when he gave his life for us. I had some good conversation with Pink and I’ll be praying for his salvation and surrendering to our one and only, God Almighty.

So let me explain the 1181.6. When I hiked northbound (Nobo), the last number above is the mile marker on the trail. Now that I’m southbound (Sobo), my Mile markers are converted to someone who is going south from the Terminus of Mt. Katahdin. It’s complicated and causes havoc for Nobo’s and Sobo’s to coordinate meetups because our mile markers are different. Honestly, I’m a bit confused too,.

After an extremely restful night of sleep, I woke up and made myself some eggs and coffee. Towns Inn has a communal kitchen with all the fixings for making breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once I devoured my breakfast, I headed to the Post Office to pick up packages and to mail stuff out. I’m swamping out some of my cold weather clothes for warmer weather shorts and tank tops. I still have my hiking skirt, being it has served me well but needed something cooler for evening wear. I picked up my 5-day supply of food and headed back to Towns Inn. Needless to say, I picked up 2 bonus miles in the process.

Once I got back to my room, Norman was swimming from the chandelier, wondering where I had gone for much too long. He was consoled, and I resumed packing. I forgot how heavy 5 days of food is?! Once repacked, Norman was placed in his rightful spot, on my back, and we headed down the trail.

Oh my gosh, I feel like I have a box of rocks in my pack. I’m thinking it’s close to 30 pounds, with excess food and 2 -1/2 liters of water. The water report is looking pretty dismal. All the “reliable” water sources have dried up, as per comments on FarOut. When hikers pass through, they will write comments that update the data. Today, all places to find water are non-producers. So I planned accordingly.

Funny thing is the first major milestone was crossing the Shenandoah River. No, there is water in that river but I am 500’ above it on the Auto-ban with cars and trucks zipping by. No access to the River and from comments posted, they say it taste like a combination of Phoenix and Hot Sauce? Not sure but that doesn’t sound good to me. I’ll stick with my tap water from Towns Inn.

I saw my first hikers, two ladies out for a section hike. They were definitely in their 70’s with one external frame pack that was as old as the gal who was carrying it. I most likely will not see them again as they were slower than me. The trail is much different down south. The ground is rock hard, solid and not even a patch of mud! The trail is fairly flat compared to what I’ve been hiking for the past month or two. There are a few rocks but they are few and far between. I think I’ll like hiking south.

On the trail today, I saw a huge group of kids coming my way. As we met, the boy asked if I was hiking the whole AT? I told him I was and right then, I gained Superpower status! They had lots of questions. Evidentially, they are a group of Homeschoolers who hike every Tuesday on different trails, but mostly the AT. There were 20 plus kids ranging from 5-17 years old. I was quite impressed with them and their attitudes.

Being I left so late, I stopped for lunch around 1:30pm. There were three young guys, probably in their early 20’s , stopped and ready to set-up camp. One of the boys had a paperback novel with him, the size of War & Peace. He must be a fast reader! One guy was relaxing in his hammock while his other friend was scouting around for the flattest place to pitch his tent. I’m just eating lunch but stayed for a bit, watching these three plan out the rest of their day.

Based on the water report I received from the three boys, the upcoming Shelter is my only sure bet. Well that confirmed my fate for the day. The only water source for the next 10 miles and it’s a spring. That’s always good dependable drinking water and cold to boot! I ran into a few more day-hikers but no other thru-hikers. Honestly I don’t expect to see many, if any at all. Maybe a Flip/Flopper like me and Reset, but everyone else should be elsewhere.

Around 5pm, I arrived to David Lesser Memorial Shelter. It’s a beautiful structure with lots of camping sites and platforms. It has picnic tables and benches, a swinging bench and a perfectly constructed Anderondack bench. I dropped my pack, retrieve my daypack, four liters of water carrying containers and headed down to the spring. It is .25 miles down the hill. The trail is well blazed but it’s definitely all of .25, if not more. The spring was flowing and I filled up every bottle I had. 4 liters of glorious, life-saving water. I hoofed it back up the hill and started cooking. It looks like me and Norman have the place to ourselves. Oh how nice that’ll be.

The birds were squawking, the doves were cooing and I was hearing all sorts of squirrels and rodents in the trees. I saw a couple of white-tailed deer and the forest seems to be alive again. For sometime up north, the only critter I was seeing was a red-tailed squirrel. South is where the animals are. I better keep a close eye on Norman so he doesn’t get mistaken for a wild animal.

A Sobo Billy Goat just showed up. He was the 9th to checkin at Harpers Ferry. He left June 1 so this guy is flying. We will be sharing our shelter after all. That’s a good thing. There’s plenty of room and always nice to have company.

Today was a good day. Me and the Lord had some conversation about what’s to come. I really had it in my head that this was going to be easy peasy. He reminded me that nothing comes easy. There will be days that will be easier than others but it will not be a piece of cake. The fact is that everyday I’m out here, is a testimony to Jesus protecting me and reminding me of why we are here. If I’m to honor Him, then I need to be purposeful in what I am doing, saying and thinking. Thank you for your words and wisdom, and most of all, for keeping me close to your heart. I know I am loved and cared for. What else do I really need?

After our summit to Katahdin, and all the celebration, Blue and I headed to Medway, just past Millinocket. Blue reserved a room for us and I was all sorts of ready for rest and relaxation.

Our next few days, were a whirlwind of everything but hiking! We drove to Portland, Maine where my first bit of business was going to REI. I needed to replace my leaky mattress, obtain a new water filter and found trekking poles that weren’t bent. My husband George has always thought I should be a “Gear Tester”. If something can break, tweak or wear out, I would be the first one who would make that happen. I love REI. The gal working the front counter, heard my dilemma and without hesitation, pointed me in the direction of a new sleep pad. Awe, how nice sleeping on air will be.

One thing Blue required of me, before further ado, was purchasing some new clothes for our city weekend. My town dress isn’t cutting it any longer and I was ready for a pair of jeans. We stopped and shopped at TJMaxx and I found exactly what I was looking for. Blue Jeans, T-Shirt, Sweater, Underwear and new Shoes. There’s nothing better than a good fitting pair of jeans!

Afterwards, Blue had booked me a Deep Tissue Massage with a Sports Therapist. I love a great rubdown. I met my Masseuse and she was an athlete herself. She’s climbed Mt. Katahdin 15 times! Oh my, she’s crazier than me. In no time flat, I was disrobed and laying on my back. This little woman found everything aching on my body and then some! Ninety minutes later, I was standing taller, and melting at the same time. Best ninety minutes I’ve experienced in the past three months! Thank you sweet Blue and Happy Birthday to me!

We made our way down to The Wharf. Blue and I found Brickyard Hollow which was rated #1 Pizza in Portland. What a great combination, pizza and beer. I introduced Blue to Roasted Brussels Sprouts and ordered a pizza with grilled peaches, goat cheese, basil, and balsamic drizzle. It was delicious, and the beer wasn’t too shabby either. By the way, Blue loved the Brussels Sprouts.

The next day was spent exploring Peaks Island. It’s the most visited island in Portland, with a Ferry that transports people, cars and bikes hourly. After our 20-25 minute ride, we disembarked and headed to the bike rentals. The guy who rents bikes has been doing this for nearly 40 years. I don’t know how many bikes he has but there was a slough of them. He set Blue and I up and off we went. The island is one mile long and 1-1/2 miles wide with about four miles of beach trail. It was so nice using opposite muscles from hiking.

And the beach was stunning. The rocky ledges protruded from the retaining walls with limited sandy beaches. There were moorings pretty much around the leeward sides of the coves with tons of sailboats. The weather was ideal, not too hot, and not too cold. We stopped along the way, building rock cairns, talking to the locals and just peddling to our hearts content. We found the one and only Ice Cream Shop and indulged ourselves with two scoops each. Then returned our bikes and back to the ferry, right before the big black cloud landed on the island. It was definitely time to leave!

Blue and I scoped out the wharf. I found the local Pub that had a live band. Two guys playing guitars, singing original music as I drank beer. Blue listened as she was saving herself for an evening beverage. It’s my birthday so I can have beer at 3pm. The restaurant across the water was hustling and bustling with the evening set-up. I had asked for dinner recommendations and Scales was the place. After my beer, we headed over as they don’t take reservations over the phone for the day of. I walked in and Tony was able to squeeze us in at 6:15pm. Perfect. We had about two hours to walk and work up our appetites.

Blue and I decided to head north and see about kayak rentals for the following day. We arrived at Maine’s Narrow Gauge Train & Museum. Hmm, why not take the train and see about kayak rentals later? And we did. It was a well spent hour learning of the history in Portland. Ends up that Portland is a deep water port that served in supplying all sorts of equipment to England and Europe during WWII. It also is the closest distance from America to the east. The town has burned countless times but has been rebuilt and now has thriving businesses and restaurants. It really is the best place I have found in Maine. The vintage train was a three-mile jaunt and in fact, stopped where we wanted to rent kayaks. Perfect.

We headed back to Scales and arrived about ten minutes early. We sat in the lounge with another gal who was waiting for her friend. And then we were escorted to our table. The restaurant has an open kitchen, which I love. The waiter gave us some great recommendations. Being we are in Maine and Seafood is King, we ordered all things fish. Our dinner was one of the best meals I’ve had on trail. We started with Endive & Stilton Salad with crispy prosciutto, sourdough croutons, and dijon vinaigrette, along with Smoked Bluefish Paté olive & caper relish, on toasted sourdough. This was followed by Grilled Octopus with sweet pepper & pine nut conserva, corn fritter, and rouille. The octopus was the sweetest and most tender I have ever tried. For dinner, Blue and I shared Seared Scallops with roasted peppers, kale, applewood smoked bacon and cream corn. What a dinner indeed. Our dessert was a Fig Cake with a perfect Cappuccino.

On our final zero day, Blue found a Calvery Chapel in Portland. Since I’ve been hiking, I haven’t set foot inside a church. It was so overdue, singing to the Lord and reading God’s word with fellow believers. That is one of my favorite things to do, sing songs of worship and reading my old leather Bible. I was in heaven! The Worship team and Pastor were just what my soul required. He shared scripture from 2 Samuel of David and Bathsheba, his complacency and disobedience. It is so easy to fall from grace, and the reminder to stay focused on what is right and true, along with being thoughtful about God’s calling in our lives. Such a great reminder of who I am in Christ.

After church, Blue and I headed back down to the beach. The weather was perfect for paddling. We rented a couple of kayaks and paddled in the bay. We found an Osprey nest being guarded by both Momma and Papa Ospreys. The chicks had hatched and they were quite vulnerable to the many large birds in the area. A seal popped his head up to check us out and Blue opened up her favorite beer of all, Mic Ultra. It’s not really beer, but it’s what she likes. We sat and lounged for a bit, paddled around the Marina, checking out yachts and sailboats before heading back to shore.

At this point, we figured it was time to take care of domestic duties like laundry and packing. But one of my followers and previous Shuttle Driver Homespun, recommended a great stop called Gorgeous Gelato. Well, we haven’t had a proper lunch so that sounded like a perfect plan. We found 15 minute parking, ran in and got our three scoops worth. Just for the record, I don’t typically eat, drink and indulge as much as I did these past days. But this is my birthday weekend, and I’m hiking many miles, so excessive calories need to be consumed. Along the way, we made our obligatory stop at Allagash Brewery. They brew one of my favorite IPA’s I’ve tried in Maine. That concluded my overindulgence and binging of food, ice cream and beer.

I nodded farewell to Blue today. She’s flying back home, as she planned to do long ago. I’ll miss hiking with her, and all the Platinum Stays along the way. Blue has been one of my most favorite hiking partners ever. It is hard to find someone who you can be with day after day, week after week, month after month. She arrived the first of July and seven weeks later, I love her more than I did when she showed up with “Bob the Bear”. She is full of energy, has grace and amazing athleticism, and just a ton of fun to be around. I believe she hiked close to 800 miles with me, from last year to this year. She told me she has no intention of completing the AT but she’d like to hike another trail elsewhere. Maybe one with less rain, mud and muck! CDT might be in her future. Maybe give her a year or two to recoup. In September, an Alaskan Cruise Ship is in the works for her and her sweet husband Alan. Thanks to Alan, who shared his bride with me, so I could hike for weeks on end with Blue. For his faith and constant prayers, and his loving support of this most beautiful Lady Blue.

With four days off trail, I’m ready to get back out there. It’s funny how much I yearn to put my feet back on the narrow ribbon of dirt. I have visions of Virginia, free of the mud, muck and rocks with trails of grandeur. It seems only fitting after everything I’ve conquered. The weather guessers on this section of the AT, are predicting mostly sunny, in the low 80’s. I’ll take that. Humidity will be high but I’m gonna walk with purpose and cut right through all things hot and humid.

My final day I am flying to DC, then taking the Amtrak to Harpers Ferry and spending the night at Towns Inn. It’s virtually the same route I took three months ago. This time I’ll hit the trail and start hiking southbound. I’ll be a Sobo for the next three weeks. The trail should be less crowded, with most of the Nobo’s further along by now. The Sobo’s will still be making their way from Maine, with a handful of flip-floppers like me and Reset, heading south from various points along the trail.

Reset was rearing to get back on trail. Like me, she had taken a stretch of days off. She was headed south to the first campsite, some four miles down trail. As for me, I’m hanging in town and picking up my resupply box from the Post Office in the morning. I’ll load up my pack and head out, or up as it typically goes. For now, I’ll be solo with the Lord and looking forward to the Shenandoah‘s. Much more to follow…

Today is the day. I was up with the crack of dawn, anticipating the day. I went to the Privy early and on the way back, I checked on the Squatter Juice. As I came around the back corner of his shelter, I yelled, “Squatter it’s time to get up!” He jumped out of his skin, dang you scared me! Yeah, that’s what you get for waking me up with your thunderous voice over the past week. We laughed and I went back to my Lean-2. That’ll be the last time I’ll be waking up with Juice and Wedding Walker.

We all had daypacks ready for our summit today. The boys borrowed theirs from the Ranger Station. Blue and I are old hats when it comes to slackpacking and we have our own small version of packs. We had coffee and some as version of breakfast, then headed to Blue. Now that she’s a City Girl, as she calls herself, she likes to sleep in the confines of her SUV. The Ford Edge has been reconfigured into her home on wheels. I can’t believe how quickly she resorted back to life off the trail. Poor thing, never had a chance!

Blue had fruit to share with all us Hiker Trash but we had a breakfast of Beef Sticks, Macaroons, Peaches, Oatmeal with Carnation Instant Breakfast, and were quite content. Plus we need to be light on our feet. There are many thousands of feet to climb. We headed to the trailhead and began our days assault on the mountain.

The summit of Baxter Peak on Katahdin is the highest point in Maine, and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The views are without a doubt the finest in the state, if it’s not covered in thick cloud cover. Hopefully the clouds will lift by the time we reach the summit.

The first mile or so was nice with slight elevation, and followed the Katahdin Stream. We saw many of our thru-hiking friends and lots of dayhikers. The weather guessers said it would be cloudy with no rain, so it brought more people out than usual.

By the second mile, we were climbing. We passed the Katahdin Stream Waterfall and we’re back on boulders and roots. The best part was there was no mud. Oh how I was thanking the Lord for drying out the trail. As we reached the first view point, we were above tree line. Reach The Hunt Trail, from this point on to the top of The Gateway, the trail climbs steeply on an exposed ridge that can be very akin to technical climbing at times. This is when it gets fun and a bit more involved than hiking.

We had a break in the clouds for a moment and had great views of the the Brothers Range, The Owl, and the Northern Maine Woods. The clouds had completely cover Katahdin but I was holding out hope that it would break up as we climbed.

The technical part of this trail was indeed, what everyone spoke of. There were huge boulders to climb, crazy exposures that I could not think about and a full-body workout once again. The difference today was that everything I had done on previous days, prepared me for this ascent. It was difficult and I was huffing and puffing, but I felt at ease. It’s funny when I write this because I’m surprisingly shocked that I can say this. Me, of little climbing ability, did a Class 2-3 climb without ropes or pitons, and actually did a-okay. It was a slow approach as there were a few others ahead. After 2-1/2 hours, we reached the top of the most difficult part of the climb at The Gateway. At this point, the trail transitions from the incredibly steep, nearly technical climbing of The Hunt Spur to a flatter, rocky walk on the Tablelands.

On a clear day, you can see for miles in all directions. Unfortunately, the clouds never lifted and we had no view except for the ground underfoot. Seems like every time Blue and I get to the highest peaks, Clingsman Dome, Mt. Washington and now Mt. Katahdin, it is raining or foggy. We had a little of both. It was more like a heavy mist, but poor Norman was soaked down to his fur covered inners. I finally had to stow him inside my pack so he could warmup for the photo-op.

Juice was ahead and waiting for us at the Summit. As we were closing in, Nails was coming down. It was such a great reunion and I finally felt the gravity of what we accomplished. Hugs, high fives and many tears flowed as we made our way closer. The final climb were granite steps and some rocks with Alpine Flora and Fauna. It truly is a spectacular place and revered by the Penobscot Native Americans of this area. Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Maine at 5,269 feet (1,606 m). Named Katahdin, which means “Great or Greatest Mountain.”

As we arrived, Juice was nowhere to be found. Wedding Walker called him and due to the limited visibility, it was hard to make anyone out. We walked closer to the wooden sign, and Juice stood up. He had sheltered behind some huge boulders. It was wet, foggy and misty. Mr. Blue was also waiting for his companion Pokemom. We all walked to the sign together and took our pictures quickly. Then gathered behind the big boulder to eat.

I turned on my phone and to my surprise, I had one bar of service. I called my hubby George and after several tries, was able to celebrate with him. I don’t think George would’ve liked this hike. The weather was difficult, we were all wet and cold, and Juice’s fingers were literally blue. After a short while, we packed up and headed down Abol Trail.

Abol Trail is a Blue Blaze, much steeper with rock slabs and a bit shorter than the 5.2 miles up the Hunt Trail. It started out well but within a few steps, it was a butt slide for a couple of miles. The slabs were damp, but what really made it slick was the peat gravel that adhered to our shoes and provided little traction. For two hours, we slid on our butts, lowered ourselves down with our arms and shoulders, and went ever so slowly not to twist or break anything.

Wedding Walker glasses kept foggy up so I took the lead, hunting for Blue Blazes. This, if you dare call it a trail, was poorly marked. What I did find was a gal who was hiding behind a rock, waiting for her family to catch up. She could barely walk because she had terrible leg cramps.

Since I have been on the Appalachian Trail, I have been using this supplement called Sport Legs. It is the most effective aide I have found that helps my legs from fatiguing and shortens the length of recovery. I gave her a handful along with some salt tablets. Wait for 5-10 minutes, and you’ll be golden. We continued on and saw this sign “Stay on Trail.” I about choked! What trail? It was a series of boulders, slabs of granite with an occasional Blue Blaze. This is NOT a trail.

Finally after nearly shredding my skirt from butt sliding, we made it to a proper version of trail. There were switchbacks and some resemblance of dirt. Wedding Walker and I hiked down towards the parking lot. His wife Beth and College Roommate planned me meet us at the trailhead. I asked Wedding Walker if Beth would hike up the trail to meet us? He didn’t think so because he hadn’t asked her to. As I was ahead, I saw two ladies sitting on a rock and thought, hmmm that looks like Beth, the wife in his pictures. I called out her name and told her Wedding Walker was right behind me, then stepped off the trail so she could videotape his arrival. They haven’t seen each other for a month. What a beautiful reunion they had. He wanted to run to her but his legs were spent from climbing up 4400’ and coming down much the same.

Me and Beth’s friend, can’t remember her name, walked together talking about many different things, while Beth and Wedding Walker got reacquainted. We still had about a mile to get to the car, and then find the car in the overcrowded parking area. Beth had written an inscription on the back of the car window, “Neither rain, nor mud, nor pestilence will keep them from climbing Katahdin or finishing the AT. Congratulations Wedding Walker and Juice”.

Then the party began. Beth made a feast for us. Fresh turkey sandwiches with avocado and tomatoes, three kinds of chips, strawberries and raspberries, homemade cream cheese brownies, and a wide assortment of beer. There was plenty to go around as a few more hikers showed up. What a celebration and feast we had!

Once we sat, drank and ate, there was nothing but miles of smiles. It’s funny how soon you forget of the hardwork and crazy weather we endured for hours. I guess it’s part of our selective memory. You remember the good parts, the joyful times, the friends and family you met along the way. Wedding Walker and I shared about all the aspects of the trail. He had been on trail for one month to the day, and I had been on the trail for three months to the day. There were so many emotions that we both shared, yet it always comes back to the people you meet along the way. Yes, the environment is lovely, the mountains are majestic, the animals, well elusive, but the Trail Angels, the Hostel Owners and Shuttle Drivers, and the Hikers we met on this journey, are truly what is etched in our minds. Wedding Walker and Juice were my family at the end. We shared laughter and sometimes pain, we shared shelters and small tent sites, but most of all, we shared the common goal to stay true to what we came to do. I admire that because in the back of my mind, I know justhow hard it really can be.

There was an article in “The Trek” about the success of thru-hikers. It stated that 1 out of 4 maybe 5 , will actually finish their hike. The odds are fairly low. So what makes you successful? Support. Having family or Tramily as they call it on the trail. Trail-Family. When things get rough and you don’t feel like continuing, know that someone else will fill in the gaps. I’ve had several people on the trail that helped me along the way. From the beginning when my knee smacked the rock, Triple Crown JZ was there to the rescue. He took me to Urgent Care, brought me to his home, and helped me back to the trail. Couch and Braveheart were my first Tramily. We spent a couple of weeks together, working out rock problems and weather issues. We bonded quickly and made plans to finish the trail together. Then came Blue. It wouldn’t had been the Platinum Version of Trail Life without her. When it was raining for days on end, she would be finding backroads, hostels and hotels that we could find refuge in. I She was a lifeline, my laughter and joy when things went south. And when she left the trail, Wedding Walker and Juice took me under their wing. I’ve had so many people who helped me proceed north. And I can’t forget my most trusted and loyal companion Norman. Some may think he’s just a monkey on my back. But he was the one and only that stayed with me through thick and thin. He consoled me when I was ready to throw in the towel, when I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle, yet with his sheepish grin, I knew I could go on for just one more day. To all my friends and family back home that cheer me on, who follow this blog of my tales from the trail, thank you. Much of my reason to be out here is to share Gods love on the trail and with you.

I am not quite finished yet. On August 22nd, I’ll be back at it, heading south from Harper’s Ferry. I have roughly 300 more miles to go and plan to culminate this adventure at McAfee Knob. That’ll finish my journey and complete my stint on this ribbon of dirt, rock, mud and muck. For the next few days, I will be relaxing in Portland, Maine with Blue, doing not much of anything. I’m planning to take a page out of Blue’s Playbook. Relax, eat fine food, drink lots of beer and celebrate my birthday. Sounds like a perfect way to transition from north to south.

What a beautiful place to wake-up to! The sky was clear, with a rose sheen on our mountain peak. I could stay here all day. But breakfast will be served at 7:30am so I packed up, headed to the store. Then waited.

Toto showed up and was terribly sick. Oh no! Only two more days to summit and he doesn’t feeling well. His glands were swollen, he has a fever and zero energy. There was no one at the store, so the only option is to get ahold of a Ranger. I didn’t have cell phone coverage, no Wi-Fi and was no help. Luckily the Ranger was able to radio help and within 30 minutes, a shuttle driver from the AT Hostel arrived. She drove Toto to the ER. I bided him farewell and will call Toto once I get out of here. So sad after walking 2190 miles just to not finish the last 8 miles. He’ll be back, I am sure of it.

Breakfast was served at the Abol Store. Typical continental style with eggs, sausage, French Toast sticks, bagels and cream cheese. It’ll suffice and get us down the road. Wedding Walker and I left around 9:30, as Juice wasn’t in any rush to leave. We had an easy ten mile hike to Katahdin Stream CG.

We walked through more forests and along a river for most the morning. The fog had come in and blanketed the trees with mist. The ground was damp but not the mud and muck we’ve had for so many miles. After awhile we stopped along a granite slab that protruded into the Nesowadnehunk Stream that flows into the Penobscot River. We sat for a bit and watched a kid float down the River on an inner tube. What a great way to relax for the day, cold but fun.

We crossed a few rivers but nothing that we couldn’t rock hop. Some of the rivers were fairly large but the water wasn’t flowing like the last few days. There may be a change in the weather here in Maine. Hopefully they will enjoy some amount of summer, even if it’s just a week or two.

There were many ponds on our way. Most had loons on them, floating around. I was bound and determined to find a moose today, stopping and looking, listening to any crackling in the bushes and trees, but still no moose. I’m starting to think that there are no moose in Maine! Maybe someone comes out in the middle of the night and places moose droppings on the ground to trick me into thinking here are moose?!?! It could happen.

This area of Baxter Park is frequented by many campers and dayhikers. I saw more people on the trail today than I’ve seen in weeks. This group of four gals who call themselves The 4 M’s were quite impressed by my near completed hike to Katahdin. They raised their sticks and ushered me through the gauntlet. It made my day, and Wedding Walker also was christened by their super gauntlet powers.

We arrived at Katahdin Stream Campground around 1pm and found our site. It was a Lean-2 with a picnic table and quite primitive. The grounds around our site were thick with fallen trees and a trickling Brook. Not the most scenic of all places but definitely proper place to stay, especially when it started to rain.

Blue arrived and brought provisions, snacks, fruit and beer. We all sat around and shared our tales from the past few days. Blue went back to Shaws Hostel and met up with Mary Poppins. She was so surprised to see Blue and what a great reunion they had. Blue also saw the boys, Cassain, Otie and Garfield. She drove the gang to dinner in Greenville and received the new and more fitting name of Bluber, a Blue Uber. Quite appropriate. Blue plans to hike Mt. Katahdin with us tomorrow, as she should. She has started this hike and this will be the finishing jewel.

The Ranger came around and presented us with our Purple Tag which allows us to hike Mt. Katahdin tomorrow. It’s more symbolic as we don’t need to present it to anyone but the yellow receipt needs to be given to the Ranger as we leave the Park. This way they can keep all hikers accounted for and documented. I should’ve asked her how many people summit each year? Close to 30,000 people attempt to hike Mt. Katahdin every year.

So here I am, the final night in Maine. It’s bittersweet, but it is also exciting to be here. We had a brief rain shower this afternoon which is par for course. I’d be miffed if we hadn’t had rain for more than two days! I decided to sleep in the Shelter tonight. This could be my last time sleeping in one, at least on this trail Wedding Walker is a Shelter Guy and Juice likes sleeping in his tent. But being we want to get up early to start hiking, Juice decided to commandeer Shelter #1 that is unoccupied. He snores pretty darn loud and didn’t want to keep us awake. I hate to say this but even with him in the Shelter down the way from us, we’re still going to hear him. That’s my final rest on the north end of Appalachian Trail. More to come in the morning.

It wasn’t the best night of sleep as my air mattress kept loosing air. I’ve got to check for leaks when I get to my next campsite. I so need good rest and sleeping on a deflated mattress just doesn’t help. The boys and I were up at 5:30am and on trail at 6:30am, just as planned.

Today was an easy day with little miles, little elevation and just a little bit of mud. Wedding Walker led the way through the first section of the trail. He has a nice pace that’s easy to follow. We meandered through more virgin forest and followed the shoreline of Rainbow Lake. There must be a Hunter or Fisherman Lodge at the north end because we saw and heard 3-4 Float Planes landing and taking off.

We stopped for a bite to eat and enjoyed the gorgeous lake that had leeches all over the bottom. Juice said as long as you swim above the bottom, you’ll be fine. You’ve got to be kidding me? I am not putting my foot in that lake and definitely not my body. It’s a looking at lake, no swimming happening from me. And to think about it, I haven’t seen anyone else swimming with exception of the two kids from yesterday. But Mom quelshed that fairly quickly.

We headed north and climbed our one and only knob today, Rainbow Ledges. Rainbow Ledges, a partially exposed dome of granite, scraped clean of much of its soil by an early 20th century forest fire. Blueberries are abundant here during late summer and early fall. We had a fairly good view of the base of Katahdin, as well as views southwest to White Cap and Jo-Mary Mountains. The boys had cell service, the one and only place to make phone calls before entering Baxter Park.

The family showed up and planned to get to Abol so they needed a camping permit to Birches. I was so fortunate to get the tent site at Katahdin Stream tomorrow night. Hikers who don’t have a site ahead of time, lineup at the Kiosk at 4am to wait for the coveted 12 spots. Some of the hikers were already waiting at 2:30-3:0am this morning. The spot that Blue and I have accommodates 4 hikers so Juice and Wedding Walker can stay with us.

We all headed to Abol Bridge and arrived around 1pm. Abol Bridge is above the West Branch of the Penobscot River. It is a major milestone for hikers going in either direction on the AT, as it is the northern tip of the Hundred Mile Wilderness, and the southern end of the trail in Baxter State Park. Just east of the bridge, the Abol Bridge Store has plenty of provisions for the hungry hikers including ice cream, many snacks, sodas and beer. All the hikers stocked up on drinks and sat outside on the one picnic table.

Donald Duck as he calls himself, the Ranger gave us all the intel on securing a site and permit to climb Mt. Katahdin. There were 10-12 of us sitting outside as he gave us the rundown on all things required at Baxter Park. It’s a well-oiled machine and there are a series of hoops you have to jump through to summit this mountain. We all had to fill out permits and come tomorrow, we’ll need to drop those off with the On-Duty Ranger at Katahdin Stream CG after 7am. Ones without a campsite, will look on a board, then hope and pray that their name is on the roster. If not, they need to try again the following day. It’s quite a process.

I picked up my resupply boxes, which included my Birthday Cookie from Bayside Cafe. Debbie Carapiet bakes these huge chocolate chip cookies for all volunteers on their birthdays. Even though I am 3,000 miles away, it was that important that she mailed me my birthday cookie. What a sweet gift to have right before my summit. I shared it with the many hikers that were sitting at the table and still have some left for tonight’s dessert. Yummy!

Wedding Walker secured our campsite for tonight which includes showers, and breakfast in the morning. We headed down to the lake and I finally had the opportunity to see Mt. Katadrin in all her glory! The clouds lifted and we all sat mesmerized by how beautiful and larger than life, she truly is! Today was the first day that I actually could see her from the base to the top. It was the warmest day I’ve had in Maine and one of the clearest. Such a treat and what a windfall. There is something pretty darn spectacular about waiting and then finally seeing her with your own eyes. We will be climbing that mountain in two more days.

It has been such a struggle to get to this point, in so many ways. But now that I am this close, it is a reminder of how hard-work is required to obtain an everlasting achievement. Nothing in this world comes easy that is truly life-changing. There were many times where I questioned my motivation, my purpose and reason for being out here. Yet the Lord made it clear that this was important and He had a plan that I would see in the end. Persevering is a struggle at times.. It requires blood, sweat and tears to overcome obstacles that we or others, place in front of us. I wonder how many times I was so close to achieving God’s best but stopped short? My prayer is to see what my Lord has intended long before I was created, fulfill His promises, and to give my heart solely to Him. Then I will truly see the glory of God.