June 22, 2004

It's not easy to stay motivated when one's feet throb in the morning.  I knew that we had planned a 16 mile day through Maryland, which has been all rocks so far.  I'd prefer a 6,000 foot climb instead of hiking on rocks.  At the end of this day's hike, Bear and I hitched into a little town called Smithsburg, MD.  We ate at a burger joint and hitched back to the trail to camp.  My cheeseburger, fries and cotton candy ice cream cone were my reward for a tough day on the trail.  There isn't a thru-hiker out here who isn't obsessed with food.  Food and weather reports are what interest us.

Living in the woods is very comfortable to me.  I love sleeping in my one-person Marmot tent with the air filtering through the screen.  Waking to the music of the birds is peaceful.  Hiking alone in God's natural world is beautiful.  Today I danced!  Yep...as Bear and I were sitting after 14 miles and resting our sore feet, we could not get motivated to hike on.  So... I got up, did an impromptu dance on the trail with hiking poles and pack in tow and away I went.  Sometimes you just have to create your own fun.

Happy Birthday to Bear's Mom, Mrs. Keeble!