Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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June 22, Pinnacles Picnic Area - mile 916.7

Actually, I am at home tonight, enjoying my own cooking & my own bed - what a life! When I heard the forecast for today & tomorrow - lots of thunderstorms with heavy downpours, wind & hail - I pretty much begged Tony to wait half a day for me to hike & then let me come home with him for the night, only to return early tomorrow. He had planned to come back tomorrow any way for the church picnic we're having, so I guess this doesn't completely mess up his schedule, but it does mean a lot of road trips & a lot of down time waiting for me to hike & then picking me up at various destinations.

Any way, with my chauffeur waiting, I decided to make it a very short day of 7.5 miles. Tony drove me back to the gap where he picked me up last night, so that I could start right where I left off & then he came back to Skyland to eat breakfast. I found out tonight that when he finished he came down the road where the trail crosses & tried to surprise me by coming south while I was headed north. As it turned out, he probably missed my by about 5 minutes, but he did run into Sue coming north & got to see who I've been talking him about.

So, with a short day under my hiking belt, we then drove home via the grocery store so we could get some fruits & veggies for supper. Tonight I have a tummy full of cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, salad & cantaloupe - & I'm thinking of finishing off the rest of my Ben & Jerry's ice cream here in a minute. I absolutely love non-trail food! I also have to get to bed because we're leaving again at 6:30 tomorrow.

June 23 Luray, VA

Another fabulous day of minimal hiking & lots of "family time" Today was our church picnic, so about a dozen people came out to meet me on the trail & then grill a bunch of hamburgers & sausages to go with all the salads & fruit everybody brought. It was a blast! I ate so much good food that I felt like a stuffed turkey afterwards. I did still hike another 5 1/2 miles afterwards, but tonight I feel absolutely sick & I think I may have an overload of rich food. But I certainly enjoyed it! It was great fun to see everyone, too, & I couldn't believe how they all came out despite the rainy, cold weather. Of course, just as we wrapped up, the sky began to clear & the sun came out & it turned into a beautiful day.

Well, after the picnic, I had the most wonderful hike, especially since the sun was shining & the views were all clear. And as luck would have it, I climbed Mary's Rock today, which has the best views in the entire park. When you climb up on the rocks there, you can see 360* & it is gorgeous, especially today when it was clear. It's been so hazy all week that this was a real treat.

Tonight is my last "Tony visit" but instead of driving all the way home & back here again, we decided to get a hotel here in Luray. This room we got is about the size of a house - I just can't believe it. They messed up our reservation so we ended up with what must be their showroom suite. It has a full size living room with a couch, chairs, gas fireplace & a desk, & then you go down the hallway past the bathroom into the bedroom. There's also a large, beautiful staircase in the front room, but it only goes up to a locked door! I guess the upstairs has been made into a separate room. But regardless, this is still the largest hotel room I've ever seen. I feel like royalty staying here.