Everybody was night hiking

Lots has happened since my birthday. So I'll give some of the highlights as quick as I can :)

Finally got some night hiking in. Night hiking is exactly what it sounds like - hiking in the dark at night. It's a crazy experience, and I'm quite fond of it :) I've night hiked a few nights now, the most memorable night was about a week or two ago. We had a craazy thunderstorm during the day, and Rocket and I got to a shelter just as it was starting to wait it out. Hardly got wet, which was nice. Made dinner, relaxed a little with a bunch of other hikers. About 6:30 pm, it stopped raining, so me, Rocket, Stretcher (who has been hiking with us for a while) and another hiker Cowgirl all decided to head out for a few more miles. Unfortunately, just as it started to get dark, it also started to rain. And, of course, we were hiking along the side of a mountain, and it was a steep downhill to the left, and a steep uphill to the right, and absolutely no place to pitch our tents. So there we are, Cowgirl way in front, and Stretcher behind us (we had no idea he was even behind us until his headlamp came up behind us in the dark!), getting drenched in the pouring down rain, climbing over slippery rocks up a mountain trying to find a place to camp. Then we see the sign: "no camping the next 1 mile" Ack! Well, about half a mile later, we found amazing camping on a cliff, where Cowgirl had already set up her tent, and decided to forget the rules, and pitched our tents. Woke up to an amazing view of the clouds below settled over the town. So amazing.

A few days ago, Rocket and I were walking out of the Shenandoahs (which were quite boring, I must add...if you ever go to the Shennies, don't backpack the AT...do the side trails, they offer way better scenery, or so I hear), and we ran into a family with two daughters who were only 4 or 5 and 7 or 8, and they were backpacking! The dad was carrying most of the stuff; the youngest daughter just had a little purse, and the older daughter had a mini backpack. How cool to give your kids such an amazing experience at such a young age! Anyway, the daughters were excited to see a female thru hiker, and had something for me - it was a lucky bracelet :) A green rubber band in the shape of a rhino! What wonderful trail magic :)

Waynesboro was great. Took a zero day, my parents came down for a couple hours to visit. Got to swim in the pool at the YMCA, and had an amazing grill out with veggies and burgers. Shenandoahs were okay. The hiking itself was boring, we had only one good view. We camped in the woods most of the time and avoided the shelters.

Currently in Harpers Ferry, WV, where the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters is located. Got my picture taken for the thru hikers book. I was the 275th Northbound thru hiker to come through this year. Pretty amazing. Of course, if I don't finish the entire trail this year, including the section I skipped, I'm considered a section hiker, but hey, an entire summer out backpacking is as good an accomplishment as any right? :)

After all, it's the journey to Maine, not Maine itself, that makes this trip amazing and life changing.

New pic updates. And I remembered to actually add that video of Rocket this time :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48651563@N04