Day 81
Miles Hiked Today — 11.7
Total Trail Miles — 895.7

Lewis Mtn. Campground (Break)

Scott and I have decided that today will be his last day of hiking due to knee pain, blisters, and overall soreness.

In a short while BJ, a woman who works at the campground, will give us a ride to Front Royal where we'll pick up Scott's car. For the next four days, Scott will slackpack me. We'll still get to see each other in the evenings and I'll still get closer to Maine.

Today we were hiking by 6:30 a.m. and ready for a nice long lunch break around 10:00 a.m. We cooked mac and chreese (vegan version of mac and cheese) with veggies and ate it all in about five minutes. Ah, the thru-hiker hunger!

Just before our lunch break ended, a man stopped by and asked if I was a thru-hiker. He asked how many miles a day I hiked, when did I start at Springer - all the standard questions.

He went on to tell me that he had always wanted to hike the A.T. and that I was living his dream. As he left, he called over his shoulder, "You're living my dream, don't forget that!" With all due respect to his dreams, I wanted to tell him to get out here and hike, and to stop telling innocent folks like me to fulfill his dreams for him!

Day 82
Miles Hiked Today — 16.7
Total Trail Miles — 912.4

Motel in Luray, VA

Last night we stayed at the Super 8 in Front Royal. At 8:45 a.m. today Scott dropped me off at the Lewis Mountain Campground where we stopped yesterday. By 11:30 a.m. I had hiked 9 miles to Big Meadows, a resort area, where we met for lunch. From 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. I hiked another 8 miles to the Skyland Resort, where we met again.

For the next few days while Scott is here but unable to hike, I'll leave most of my gear with him and slackpack. My new pack converts into a day pack, which allows me to carry just the essentials like water, some snacks, and TP. It only weighs about eight pounds. I can really move fast with such a light load!

Scott will pick me up at the end of the day. We'll probably continue to stay at this Super 8 until he goes home.

It's great to be able to relax and watch TV in our motel room tonight. However, everything on TV seems so ridiculous to me. I guess I'm just used to the honesty of the woods.

Day 83
Miles Hiked Today — 22.2
Total Trail Miles — 934.6

Super 8 in Front Royal (but still hiking)

As I started to write today's journal entry, there was a loud knock on the door and a frantic voice shouted, "Sneetch and Scott!" When I opened the door, Spider was standing there and behind him were TeaTree and Brooklyn! So, for the past few hours, I've been reunited with these two old friends as well as with Cusi, Java, and Jeopardy.

TeaTree and Brooklyn have been going slow, taking lots of days off, and doing lots of yellow- and blue-blazing. Tomorrow they are starting their aqua blaze - a canoe trip from Front Royal to Harper's Ferry.

So how did they find me here? Scott and I were in our room watching "Who's Line is it Anyway" and laughing hysterically. Tea, Brooklyn, and a few others are staying in the next room and they heard me laughing. (For once I'm thankful that these motel walls are not soundproof!)

It was quite a long day and it is now way past my bedtime - 11:20 p.m.!!! I hiked about 23 miles today and have another 23 miles to do tomorrow. Sleep, sleep, must have sleep.

Day 84
Miles Hiked Today — 23.3
Total Trail Miles — 957.9

Super 8 in Front Royal (but still hiking)

I started out at Little Hogback Overlook in the Shenandoahs, in the rain. After about 13 miles, I left SNP. It was a great feeling to have hiked through the whole park - another big milestone!

It rained on and off all day, which made for slow, slippery going over lots of rocks. The nice thing about the rain is that it makes the greens of the forest very vibrant.

Scott met me wherever the Trail crossed the road, which was about every few miles. He seemed worried about me because of the rain, but I felt fine. The first 20 miles were great, but by the end of the day, I was really dragging.

It's hard to believe that I'm almost in Harper's Ferry. At 1003.4 miles, it's a little shy of the actual halfway point, but it's considered to be the psychological halfway point for thru-hikers. I'm starting to think I might actually be able to make it to Maine!

In the mail today I received vegan cookies from Tamarack and some from my mom. Thanks, ladies! I also picked up letters and treats from my good friend, Leena and from my mother-in-law as well. I'm so lucky to have such abundant support!

Day 85
Miles Hiked Today — 19.6
Total Trail Miles — 977.5

Super 8 in Front Royal (but still hiking)

It's my last day, for a few weeks, with Scott. Being out here on the A.T. and away from him is a constant struggle for me. I keep reminding myself that he's coming back in three weeks.

I'm usually not a sweaty person. But today, hiking in 100% humidity and 85 degrees, I sweated completely through my clothes. It was rather disgusting! I'm sure it will only get worse as the summer continues.

On the importance of little goals . . . Earlier this week when Scott hiked with me, I noticed that he became frustrated thinking about all the miles that lay ahead on any given day. I shared with him a little trick that I've learned after hiking all these days. I set many small goals to keep myself focused throughout the day. My first goal might be a shelter or other break spot between five and ten miles from where I start. Sometimes I only have two goals - lunch break and then my final destination for the day. I only think about getting to the most immediate goal. On a long day, I might have four little goals. This practice keeps me from getting overwhelmed with the miles.

Day 86
Miles Hiked Today — 25.9
Total Trail Miles — 1003.4

Harper's Ferry

Once again, I'm sleeping under a real roof while I'm staying with my Uncle Dick and Aunt Darlene in Cambridge, MD. My father is also here.

Scott dropped me off this morning at a trailhead where we said our goodbyes. He started the drive home and I started back on the "Roller Coaster." This is a 15-mile section of the Trail with 17 small ascents totaling 5,000 feet of elevation gain.

I had planned to hike about 17 miles today, but I got ambitious and ended up hiking almost 26. Never again! It's too hard to enjoy myself when I walk that far.

Unfortunately, I didn't watch my water level and I ran out of water after about 10 miles. It was four more miles to the Blackburn ATC Center, the closest water source.

I arrived at Blackburn completely dehydrated and on the verge of panic. The weekend caretaker, Philippe, offered me a soda, which really hit the spot. We got to talking and it turned out that he lives near my aunt and uncle in Cambridge. Not only did he offer me a ride, but he also offered to take all my gear so I could slackpack the next 12 miles to Harper's Ferry. Now that's real trail magic!

After a long, hot 12-mile walk, I arrived in Harper's Ferry, met Philippe, and we started out for the eastern shore. We had a really nice time chatting and he let me buy him dinner at a Greek diner in Annapolis. Thank you, Philippe!

Day 87
Miles Hiked Today — 0
Total Trail Miles — 1003.4

Cambridge, MD

Today was a great day of bonding with my dad. We went on a long boat ride on the Chaptank River. All the buoys on the river have ospreys nesting in them. They are fascinating, beautiful birds.

Later in the day we ran some errands and then enjoyed a fabulous dinner prepared by my Uncle Dick. He is an amazing cook!

For some reason, I feel as if I'm having a mid-life or mid-Trail crisis. I look back on the first half of my hike and wonder what it all means. Why am I doing this? Hiking to Maine no longer seems like an amazing journey. It just seems like the crazy, whimsical idea of a stubborn person who once enjoyed walking in the woods.

Update on old Trail friends: Samurai left the Trail in Waynesboro, bought a bicycle, and rode home to Cincinnati. Zach also left the Trail for a while, due to shin splints, but will be back to hike some more with his girlfriend. It's strange how much my Trail family has changed since I stood atop Springer Mountain.

Tomorrow I hope to hook up with TeaTree, Brooklyn, Java, and Jeopardy. It will be nice to hike with friends again.

Day 88
Miles Hiked Today — 17.9
Total Trail Miles 1021.3

Dahlgren Backpackers Camping Area

This morning my dad drove me to the ATC headquarters where I met up with tons of old friends, including TeaTree, Wood Nymph, Mr. Toastee, Java, and Jeopardy. It was so nice to see everyone again. "The Girl Gang" (TeaTree, Wood Nymph, and I) headed back to the Trail.

Everyone is a little bit tired right now. We all know that we're capable of making it to Maine. It's just a matter of perseverance. But after hiking all day with Tea, I'm much more excited and energized than I've been in a while. I'm definitely going to stick with TeaTree until Scott joins me next month. I'm hoping not to hike alone again.

Day 89
Miles Hiked Today — 13.8
Total Trail Miles — 1035.1

Ensign Cowall Shelter

Today's highlights:

• Pappy George, a local gentleman with a pickup truck, drove us to town, waited while we bought groceries, and then drove us back to the Trail. I'm always so grateful for folks like Pappy George.

• As we hiked by the original Washington Monument this morning we met a large group of kids and their teacher. They were quite impressed to hear that we had hiked from Georgia. They had lots of neat questions like, "Do you go to McDonald's?" (No, of course, I don't.)

• A red-tailed hawk attacked me. I assume she was trying to protect her nest.

Day 90
Miles Hiked Today — 12.0
Total Trail Miles — 1047.1

Best Western, Waynesboro, PA

I confess, I'm not much of a woodswoman lately. All this time in hotels - I'm getting soft. Tonight I'm clean, full of pizza, and watching TV. Sometimes the woods are overrated, and besides, my feet are killing me. We did hike about 12 miles today and we're splitting the hotel bill four ways. Okay, enough rationalizing.

Trail Report: It's starting to get really hot out. And it's extremely humid. I sweat like a pig all day long. There have been lots of rocks on the Trail lately, and they're taking a toll on everyone's feet. My feet hurt so much sometimes, they almost itch. The pain is deep inside. It feels as if the bones are rubbing against each other.

I have the feeling that I'm supposed to be doing more thinking out here, more contemplating my life. Some days I'm just counting the miles. Sometimes I even forget to look around me and see the trees, the views. At times I try to distract myself with friends, food, miles, anything to avoid thinking about how much longer this hike will last. I really miss the comforts of home, especially my bed and running water.

Other times I look around and feel so thankful to be out here. In a few days, I'll pass the halfway point of the Trail. I'm excited to see what's ahead, especially New England.