Oh, the life of a hiker.

Day 55 - 6/8/10
Had a slow start getting out this morning, later then 8:30, but after that I was really moving. The thought of seeing friends, a nice bed, and good meals really charged me up.

I only did 14 miles, but I'd have to say that it was the best section of the Shenandoahs I've seen so far, view-wise. There were a lot of open areas and cliff parts that allowed for great sights into the valleys. To be honest I've been a bit disappointed with how little there is to see here in the park. I thought it would be similar to the Smokies, being a Nat'l Park and all. Not even close, but then again I've heard from other hikers that the AT portion of the park is probably the least thrilling, and you have to do the side trails to see the good stuff, or ride a car along Skyline drive. Hearing that is a bit of a letdown, but it makes me want to go back someday. Maybe I'll vacation in one of the lodges, or at least take a drive along the Skyline. It's only a little longer than 100 miles.

I made it down to Thornton Gap at 1:45, the place where Evelyn told me to meet her way back when we visited 2 months ago. I had called her the day before and we decided 3 was a good time to get there, so I ended up calling her to say I was early. It took her about 30-45 min. to drive to Thornton, so in the meantime I hung around listening to music and eating. I ate 2 Snickers and cooked up my last remaining packet of oatmeal, Banana. I usually mix flavors, so I've never eaten that one plain. It wasn't very good, to put it mildly. Won't be doing that again.

Evelyn and Jim showed up at 2:45 and were really excited to see me. The car ride back to her house was nice, and we talked the whole way about bears and ticks and poison ivy. All the good stuff. When I got to the house the first thing I did was immediately go through Judy's mail drop. I've realized that one of the greatest, and yet simplest pleasures you can experience while on the trail is opening a mail drop full of FOOD! It's like Hiker Christmas. This time was no different. There was rice, tuna, Nutella, peanut butter, Snickers, trail mix, bacon bits, and more instant Starbucks! She even made these special cookies I requested. So I wanted to say thank you so much to Jen's mom, Judy, you did an awesome job with the mail drop. I'll be eating well for a long time.

After I had organized it all, which always takes a long time, I met Ruth (Evelyn's oldest daughter) and her fiancé John. Ruth was named after my mom, and I had only met her once a long time ago when we were little, little kids, so she mentioned the whole name thing. It's funny and cool to know someone was named after my Mom. I talked with her fiancé for a while because they just moved back from Cali, they lived near the LA area, and he's also a chef so I grilled him about that, no pun intended. Culinary school was one thing I always considered.

Time always goes by fast when you're taking it easy, and it felt like we were sitting down eating dinner before I knew it, which was a late one too (8 pm). John cooked, and we had awesome steaks, vegetables, and these great garlic mashed potatoes. I ate a lot, go figure. On top of that Evelyn made this amazing chocolate cake, one of the best I've ever had. So rich. The secret to it is a cup of coffee. Very cool. I ate two pieces, with ice cream, and probably could have had more but I didn't want to eat the whole thing. Afterward we all hung around the table talking, Evelyn, Ruth, John, and Evelyn's two sons Aaron and Andrew. Evelyn surprised me with a little trail gift, a harmonica in the key of G that I can play at night and stuff. I bet that'll keep the bears away! I thanked her for the gift, a very nice surprise and much appreciated.

After dinner I also had a chance to watch some of the C's game, which they ended up losing unfortunately. Lakers are up 2-1 now. When the game was over I played some table tennis with Aaron, which I haven't played since the good ol' days at Big C's house. Stayed up until 12 or so playing, then I went to bed. It's funny how early I get tired now, my mind and body have definitely adjusted to the hiker lifestyle. I'm usually asleep by 9-9:30. When I got upstairs I had a chance to talk with Jen for a minute. It was only a little past 9pm over in LA where she is. Maybe we should trade time zones...? Now I'm very tired and am going to bed. Perhaps I'll be able to sleep in, but then again I'm used to waking up around 6:30. Oh, the life of a hiker.

Total miles: 932.4