06/29

Chris dropped us off the next morning at the trailhead. The car ride over gave us a chance to bond over music. His late son played the clarinet, and so did I. He had an appreciation for classical music, so did I.

They were a nice couple doing a nice thing for strangers, in a town that could use a little more love. The start of our 14.5-mile hike began with a steep uphill which seemed to be infested with black flies. Arguably worse than Florida mosquitoes, they wasted no time turning my legs into a bloody mess. One hiker named “Friar” had a creative way of warding off the little demons; he had a fake dragonfly bouncing on a wire clipped to his cap. Not sure it was doing much, but it gave me a chuckle if nothing else. The hike itself was about what we’ve come to expect of Virginia. Green tunnel. Steep ridge lines. Incredible humidity. Luckily, we made it to the shelter just before the evening storms. Friar ended up joining us an hour or two later and shared the shelter with us. A peculiar guy but nice enough. Another night on the AT. Missing my friends and family back home. Missing my own bed. Missing my own bathroom… with a flushing toilet. You take the good with the bad out here, just how it goes. While everyday isn’t glorious, every day gets us closer to glory.