35 and Break

After taking our first zero at Ralph and Cinda's house, Danae and I finally felt well enough to hike again. We hit the trail Thursday without our packs. This is the day that my parents picked us up. Without our packs we were able to hike our longest day, 35 miles!!! We hiked from 6:45 to 5:30. We then sat by the road and waited until 6:30 for my parents to pick us up. It was rainy and cold and we were shivering uncontrollably. My loving family came to the rescue with blankets at hand. We then drove back to Ralph and Cinda's house to get our packs. We also took a quick shower which helped us warm up. Finally, we are off the trail for a few days and able to get some rest. So far we have been able to spend some quality time with my family and watch my brother graduate. Sitting on those hard bleachers for a couple of hours is almost as difficult as hiking. I think it is because my butt has less cushioning. I almost forgot, we also went to the Grantsville circus yesterday and made monster cookies. I brought the dough with us to the circus for a snack. Need to get that sitting cushion back. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, we will be able to see some friends and family at church before we go to Winchester for my cousin's graduation party. We will then get back on the trail either Sunday evening or Monday morning. We will start where we left off, route 33 in the Shenandoah. We should be able to make it to Harpers Ferry WV. This is the "half way point" on the AT. 

There are three places where people often quit the trail. Neil's Gap GA, Damascus VA, and Harpers Ferry WV. Those who quit at Harpers Ferry normally quit because they are bored. This might be us. The last serval weeks have been monotonous. We hate the idea of quitting, but we told ourselves at the beginning of the trip "we won't continue if we aren't having fun". I cringe at the thought of continuing the monotony for 3 more months. There are also several other factors. Finances, job deadlines, weddings to go to, and other summer activities to do. After this being said, Danae and I will try to slow down this next week and try to enjoy the trail a little more. We will see how this next week goes and then make a decision. This has been something Danae and I have been discussing for the last couple weeks. 

Sorry, I don't have any pictures. My phone died and I finally had to get a new phone.