September 29th, 2018, Virginia
It was another beautiful day—cool and sunny. The trail was still under water in some places. The streams were running high and fast because of the recent heavy rains. My shoes got wet and muddy off and on and stayed generally damp all day. But each day without rain is a bit easier than the one before it as things continue to dry out.
The forest also continued to provide occasional paw paw patches with ripe fruit. It’s nice to get something fresh to eat that I didn’t have to carry.
I met a lady on the trail who was day hiking while her husband spoke at a Cato Institute event in Middleburg. They live in Austin and her husband recently wrote a book about healthcare entitled “Overcharged.” She said he’s written a number of books on academic subjects but this is the first one that “crossed over.” It is also available on Amazon. Her husband is a professor at UT-Austin and she works for the US Forest Service.
I mentioned to keep an eye out for paw paws. We hiked together for a while and eventually found some. We worked together to get them down from the tree then peeled and ate them right there. She had never heard of a paw paw but seemed to like it a lot. Her return loop trail came along and we said goodbyes.
I decided to stop hiking a bit earlier today, about 4:15, to get a bit more time in camp and a bit more rest. After 1200 miles I’m starting to feel some wear and tear and may stop a bit earlier for the next few days.