I had camped next to some boy scouts last night. I had gotten into camp late and it was the only spot I saw with good trees for my hammock. Baby talk was set up right near us as well. What neither of us knew about the scouts we camped next to was that they were waking up at 4am for a sunrise hike. 

When 4am came, the scout master blew a fake bird call and from all the tents and hammocks emerged half sleeping Boy Scout zombies. It was terrifying. I went back to bed. 

When I woke up for real, it was to another beautiful day. The sun was already shining and the skies were blue. As the Shenandoahs had been so good to me so far, it seemed only fitting that our last day here would be lovely too. We had made the plan to do the ~105 miles of the Shenandoahs in 4 days. Meaning we had 28 miles to go today.

The first 12 miles were up and down but without much in the way of steep inclines. I pushed hard to a) see if I could and b) get to the way stop quicker. We were about to hit our last one and I really wanted that cheeseburger. 

I felt great as I walked. The left knee was sliding as  it was supposed to as was the right knee. My feet seemed to have fixed themselves too. Everything was in working order. Today felt like the first day in forever where I had no concerns. I was able to look up as I walked, enjoying the scenery, rather than focus all my attention on where to step. 

I walked with the couple from yesterday for a bit as well. Mindlessly chatting about the trail. “By the way,” the wife said. “What’s your trail name. We just call you the wandering wizard cause you kinda look like Harry Potter.”

When I got there, way stop did not disappoint. I treated myself to a coke, a triple cheeseburger and a blackberry milkshake. I stuffed these into my stomach as fast as I could. But while I was shoveling food into my unhinged jaw, baby talk showed up. “28s not happening today. Not even sure 20 is.”

Yikes. I knew she wasn’t feeling great but I was still surprised to hear her say it. We chatted it through for a while and eventually came up with a plan. She would camp wherever felt right while rocket and I went on to finish what we started. Tomorrow, rocket would wait for her while I kept going.

Sadly, my first stint on trail is coming to an end. I have to go off trail in a few days for a few weddings and I want to make it as far as I can now – maybe even to the official halfway point. Before heading out, I gave babytalk a big hug and said I hoped I’d see her in Harper’s ferry when I grabbed my train home. Yet another goodbye. 

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I walked chatting with Jupiter (the gas giant) and another woman (whose name I never caught) for a while. We chatted about the love hate relationship with the way stops (they do kill so much time) and the big plans for jupiters 25th birthday (a 25 mile day, followed by a day off in Harper’s ferry.) I was invited to the birthday party but sadly won’t be there for the big day. 

The sun was setting as I got into camp. I grabbed the spot next to rocket’s. We both ate dinner and chatted about the last few weeks and ways to get / keep the band together. We’ll see if any of them play out or if tomorrow morning is just another goodbye. 

Key stats:

Miles: 28

Elevation gained: 5,200 ft

Mile marker: 970

Days to get through the Shenandoahs: 4