The Magic is Back

Our penultimate day in Pennsylvania was a blast. It started out with an intense boulder scramble that people say is reminiscent of what we will be hiking in the Whites in New Hampshire. It was fun but some of the drop offs were pretty steep so it will take some getting used to.

Once we got to the top of the climb it was a really nice five mile hike along the ridge line looking down into the valley. While we were bouldering through the first section we met a day hiker that asked us if we needed anything. We rattled off all of our favorite junk food and she said it would be waiting for us at the next gap.

Sure enough, when we got to the next road crossing there was a huge bag of goodies for us to share. We spent a few minutes scarfing everything down and soaking in the good vibes that comes with these small but sweet gestures from generous strangers. These moments make me feel like I am part of a secret society of really cool adventurers. A proud sense of belonging to a group that I really respect. I am looking forward to returning some magic of my own as soon as I complete my hike.

The sugar rush from the junk food didn’t last long and we stopped for a healthy lunch looking over into the valley below. I made a delicious broccoli and salmon couscous wrap that my body was so thankful for. I’m learning a lot from my fellow hikers about food and we are trading some helpful tips for eating as well as we can on the Trail.

We got in early today and spent a lazy evening doing crossword puzzles during a light rain. We are all so ready to be done with the rocks tomorrow and we are taking a zero on Tuesday to recover. We haven’t taken a day off since April 28 and it will feel so good to sleep in late and prop our feet up for the day.