Back in action!

Hey Everyone! I know, I know, you must have all thought that we disappeared off the face of the Earth. Luckily for all of us, we're still going strong...we were just too hot to type. :) Not surprisingly, we are fairly far from where we left you...having successfully completed the Shenandoah's and almost the last leg of the Virginia portion. HOORAY! One of the highlights of the past week or so has been the views from the Shenandoah's and the Blue Ridge Parkway. They are amazing! Also now that it's officially warm, we've been seeing lots more wildlife...yes, bears!...but mainly deer, rabbits, and birds that we can't identify but are enjoying nonetheless. Right up there with seeing a bear are the blackberry milkshakes that they serve at the waysides along the way! Talk about a little piece of heaven on the Trail! I was thinking about just stopping and camping at a wayside for a few months so I could have one every single day...but we figured we'd never get to Katahdin like that. :) We've been LOVING our Earth-friendly Mountainsmith packs and have gotten lots of questions about the Trek from people we've met along the way. We hope we leave them with the excitement and passion that we have not only for our journey, but for the cause as well. Thanks again for EVERYONE'S continued support!
 
On some housekeeping issues, I was having lots of trouble with my shoes (too small, I think) and had to stop in Waynesboro to test out some different ones at the outfitter there. Boy were we glad we stopped! We absolutely fell in LOVE with the store, the owner, and all the gear. Way to go Rockfish Gap Outiftters! They had any and everything we would ever need...not to mention their staff REALLY knew what they were talking about. Also we were EXTREMELY happy to see that they carried a men's and women's Mountainsmith recycled pack right there in the store. We made sure to get all gushy about how much we absolutely love ours and couldn't think of a better pack to travel the Trail with. They were excited to get that feedback! So they rocked! And thanks to them, I got some new shoes that actually fit and feel like I could run to Maine! Hmmm, maybe ALMOST run to Maine. :) Now if we could just get them to follow us and carry our packs....
 
Coming up in the next edition: the halfway point (wow!), Harper's Ferry, and the northern portions...