Wow! Tons has happened since trail days... Our next special event was to have Kelsey and Ryan visit us. We planned to meet them at mile 561.3 but then we ended up spending another day in Damascus, making our daily average mileage a bit higher. We ended up hiking our longest day ever on May 21: 24 miles! That was a long day, leading us to Racoon Campground with a stormy night. Thankfully, the next destination was Partnership Shelter which had showers and PIZZA DELIVERY! Pizza Hut never tasted so good... A double decker shelter, 2 large pizzas, a 2 liter of Pepsi, a shower, and good company helped us relax. There was also Mt. Rogers visitors center just down the way where we charged our electronics and filled up our waters! What a treat.
Kelsey and Ryan were supposed to meet us around 3:00 on the 24th. We hadn't had service for a few days so we were unable to communicate with them. Teton and I raced to the road where our meeting place was planned. To our pleasure, we arrived there before them, not wanting to make them wait for us. We hung out for a while.... Did some stretching... Had a snack... Then we got a little sleepy and laid out the towel to take a nap. You can imagine the sight of a few dirty hikers sleeping on the side of a gravel road. We woke up around 5, still with no sign of our friends. Getting worried, we walked up and down the road with our phones trying to get service with no luck. Our original plan was to hike 4 miles north up a mountain to the next shelter, so we decided to leave a note for them and to head up the hill. Reluctantly, we headed up the mountain, checking our phones periodically for service. About a half mile on our way, Teton got a notification on his phone informing us that Kelsey and Ryan's ride was delayed and they weren't going to arrive until 7. Relieved to hear they were OK, we headed back down to the road. Teton hiked further south to set up camp near a nice stream since we realized hiking 2000 feet up a mountain in the dark wasn't the best idea, while I waited at the road. I read my kindle for a while until around 7:45 when they still hadn't arrived. I wrote another note, telling them where we would be and started packing up my bag. I finally heard a car coming down the road, doubting my friends were in it. To my surprise, the truck slowed down with a happy lady waving at me from the passenger seat. I was so relieved that they found us and that they were OK! We hiked the mile south to find Teton welcoming us with hugs and a roaring fire.
It was so nice the to have friends from home hiking with us on the trail. Friends and family get to read our blogs and see our pictures but it is hard to get a feel for what we really do day to day until you experience it. We planned big miles with those two and they were amazing hikers and did a stellar job. 60 miles in 4 days was a challenge for us all. Even though we destroyed their swollen feet and ripped up their blistered toes, Kelsey and Ryan kept up with us and never gave up. When we finally climbed our last hill and reached Woods Hole Hostel where they had parked their car, we were all relieved to have a break from hiking. We got in the car and drove, first to McDonalds, and the to Blacksburg, Virginia to celebrate our hike and my 24th birthday! A hotel room, beers, showers, and my best friends were the perfect way to bring in a new year.
Teton and I were sad to have our friends gone but thankful to be free of a hiking schedule. For the next few days, we took advantage of being able to hike short miles, camp wherever we wanted and to really enjoy what we are out here to do. We had a stop in Pearisburg to eat at a small town diner and to pick up a package, a zip line over a creek to "the Captain's" to camp in a nice man's yard who treated us to sodas and trout over the fire, and an all you can eat southern restaurant called The Home Place in Catabwa, VA were all great events over the next week. Not to mention the amazing views over McAfee Knob (the head stands and cliff hanging). We are lucky!
Troutville/Daleville was our next town stop where we looked forward to free camping and Waffle House. Unfortunately, either from some bad food or maybe norovirus, Teton came down with some sort of flu and we ended up spending an extra night in a hotel room, watching TV in bed all day, which was not too horrible ;).
Just over 50 miles later we looked forward to meeting Moose's grandma and long time family friend, Kim, for a weekend in Lexington. They picked us up near Glasgow, VA where Kim hiked 11 tough miles up Bluff Mountain with us. Grandma picked us up along the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway with chicken wraps and coleslaw for lunch. The 3 hungry hikers scarfed those down in minutes before getting in the car to head to the hotel. We are now enjoying a relaxing weekend in the Howard Johnson, which includes a luxurious mini golf course!
Looking forward to hitting the trail again and making it to Harper's Ferry for the 4th with Teton's parents!!!!
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