June 13, 2004

Today was a zero day, which means I didn't hike any miles.   Instead, I made phone calls to my husband, Bruce, our three children, my parents, brother, and friends.  Bear and I went to Wal-Mart to prepare for our five day canoe trip on the Shenandoah River.  We figured the canoe will have over 500 pounds in it.  This is huge compared to my 35 pound backpack.  I hope our canoe floats!

I fueled my body with food and drinks all day long and enjoyed a barbeque picnic in Waynesboro, VA hosted especially for thru-hikers.  About 25 of us attended and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Bear.  Names of some of the hikers in attendance were Ladybug, Bear, Thumper, Blue, Powderfinger, RedBeard, A-Squared, I Need a Hug, Scarecrow, 65 and Alive, Shepherd, and Chef.  The hospitality was greatly appreciated by all of the hikers.

I watched the Olympic Diving Trials on NBC with excitement as my daughter, Brittany, is a competitive diver.  I also watched the Laker's-Piston's game with Bear, polished my nails, read some magazines and enjoyed a warm bubble bath before bed.