Another day of hanging out with hikers, you might think I would get sick of it. I don’t. There is always so much to talk about. Today was actually justified as a productive day in town, as I finished resupplying, did laundry, and finished some errands.

We made plans to rent bikes and bike the “Creeper Trail,” but the multiple bike rental places all decided to close sometime around noon. It would have been fun, but there will be more adventures.

The Rock decided to organize a potluck, which was a fantastic idea. Rather than all spending half of our savings on more meals at a restaurant, we all chipped in for the potluck in the park. Of course, in the last three days of forecasted 100% rain, the only time it really rained hard was during the potluck. We had a roof though, so it was fine. There were more calories than could be counted, and we talked about everything, but mostly about food : bread, sourdough starters, wine, tea, coffee, gardens, greenhouses. It’s always a pleasant surprise when someone shares many interests, especially if they are knowledgeable.

After a while, Forest pulled me aside and said, “We need to leave tonight, or we’ll never get out of here.” I had already mostly decided that, as the rain was stopping, it was 9:30pm, and I had nowhere to sleep. So as the potluck died down, we got everything together and hiked out into the woods. Back to the land of beauty, peace, and no rules. It’s good to be back.