Today... I saw people I haven't seen in ages.
I walked 4 miles with my friend Betsie, and ran 3 miles on my own. (However, I still cannot walk down a flight of stairs normally. Problem!)
I had lunch with Faye and went to Sonic happy hour with Dawn.
I looked for a job... Ya know... the usual.
What else I did today? Looked at my pictures from the trail. As you do... or maybe as I do!
Since I started back to subbing this week, looking at the pictures kinda makes me feel like wasn't all just a dream...
a crazy, beautiful dream...
So... here are a few of my favorites. You're welcome!
I REALLY love butterflies. (Even when they are likely just some form of moth...)
Dragon's Tooth near Catawba, VA. Just one of the many amazing places I had all to myself. Beautiful.
McAfee's Knob. The new ridge runner for this section took my pic, just a few miles from the end of my 21 mile slack pack. About 10 minutes after I got to the road? DOWNPOUR, lightning, the whole nine yards. Me? Slept at the Four Pines Hostel! (Thanks so much to Four Pines... what an awesome place... if -by some ridiculous chance-you hike through Catawba, stop there!)
Then... Vermont. I just love this piece of an old car that was the trail marker near Manchester Center. And I love Manchester Center, that's a great town, full of great people. (Shout out to Odie, you made my day!). And I love Vermont... but maybe I have mentioned that before....
This is some mountain I climbed up between Manchester Center and Killington. I remember thinking... this is a tough climb... I had no idea how much tougher it would get! Hahahaha
Rock cairns on White Rocks Mtn. Most creepy, amazing thing ever. There were HUNDREDS of them. SO cool.
Heading down the Bamforth Ridge, between torrential downpours. As you do. (or as I do!)
It really only really rained a few times when I was in Vermont. When it did rain? It POURED. And this is what the trail looked like. So I had wet feet. My fave. NOT!
And I just have the prettiest feet to start with (nope)... This day I thought, my feet are SO gross I should take a picture! Then 10 days later, when I finally took a shower? They were about 100 times worse. Hiker feet make me laugh. So foul!
Looking back at Mt. Mansfield. Lovely.
Overlook from Spruce Ledge Shelter. One of 2 nights I actually camped with anyone the last 2 weeks I was out... and there were 15 of us crammed in the shelter during the... rain! Crazy.
Then my camera died.
Then it was miraculously resurrected to take 2 pictures. This is one of them, of the border line between Vermont and Canada. Cause I walked to Canada. SO cool.
It took me a day and a half to find my way back to Williamstown, MA where I had left my car. It was TERRIBLE. Partially because of poor planning on my part (or no planning, but hey I didn't ACTUALLY think I would make it to the end!) and partially because North Troy, the closest village to the end of the trail is in the middle of NOWHERE. Literally!
Luckily I got a ride with this guy, took three different buses, walked 3 miles, and got another ride with a nice lady from Cinci who lives in Williamstown (random)... and finally got back to the Saturn... where someone had left me some homemade cookies. They were GOOD.
I love hiking.
True.
