June 17-18, 2004

Bear and I canoed 27 miles on Thursday.  The first 19 miles to the confluence of the North Fork of the Shenandoah.  When we hit the main stem of the Shenandoah, the cicadas were buzzing!  They have followed me on my A.T. adventure.  Thank God I didn't miss this once every 17 year phenomenon!  We portaged a dam which is hard work.  We literally emptied everything out of our canoe and carried our gear and canoe 500 yards.  We intended to camp at an island about mile 25, but we missed it.

So...we paddled on until we reached a low water bridge where I asked a gentleman about camp sites.  Robert Norris invited us to pitch our tents in his backyard.  As a thunderstorm brewed overhead, the decision was a no-brainer.  We eagerly loaded our gear and canoe into and on top of his car. We pitched our tents and enjoyed the company of the Norris family. Janice, Robert, Christina, Matthew, Jacob, and Emily were great to hang out with.  Matthew cooked us burgers and we played pool downstairs.  I was a two-time pool champion!  I fell quickly asleep and awoke to, "Breakfast is ready."  Wow!  Matthew had cooked some pancakes and we enjoyed breakfast, family style.  The Norris family was very gracious to host us.  I gave each of them forget-me-not seeds and hugged them goodbye.

On Friday, as Bear and I were canoeing the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, we spotted two bald eagles soaring above us.  I was able to capture a photograph of a mature bald eagle, easily identified by its spectacular white tail, head and neck.  Its body is brown and its bill is yellow.  The bald eagle was perched high on a tree above us as we canoed past.  What a thrilling sight!  The aqua-blazing has ended and was a great addition to my A.T. adventure.