Recently, I have been hiking with a larger group, with ten or so usually. Some people think that is too large of a group, but honestly I am having more fun with them than I have so far on the trail.

There is a big festival called Trail Days in Damascus, VA next weekend. Yes, I already hiked past Damascus, but a lot of hikers are planning to be there, so I may hitchhike back to enjoy the festivities. It is something I am considering this weekend. I also plan to consider a few other things. Hiking the trail was not what I expected. It doesn’t end up being what most hikers expect, but it is difficult both emotionally and financially. As of right now, I do plan to finish my thruhike, but it has been something that we hikers have been discussing. Is it worth it to hike 2200 miles when we have more fun just camping? Or do we only have as much fun because we are thruhiking together?

Not that I expected it to be easy! But I did think the hiking would be my favorite part, and things turned out differently.

However, I would feel incomplete going home anytime soon. The hike yesterday was great, though water was less readily available. We hung out in the shelter, told riddles, stories, read aloud. A hiker came in late at night who was hiking nearly 30 miles every day. He was not having fun. In fact, he admitted that the ten minutes of talking to us was the highlight of his trip. Maybe we are that awesome, or maybe he was simply focused on Maine too much. It was interesting that it happened right when I had been having the same sort of dilemma. It made me want to focus on balance, finding a good balance for comfort. Discipline, goals, fun, meaningful life.

This morning, Safety and I woke at 4:00 and started hiking. Well, we started after Safety got his dog Kota, who was hiding under the picnic table, then inside the shelter, climbing over sleeping hikers. Kota apparently wanted to sleep in, but once we got going, the hiking was enjoyed by all of us. As it got lighter and warmer, we got closer to town. Upon reaching a real road, we got an immediate ride. A fellow who owns a hostel of sorts gave us a ride toward the hotel, while bashing the hotel and promoting his paid camping. We opted to check out the hotel, which was much nicer than he pretended.

For now, we are enjoying the amenities, and I will spend my time here contemplating my next moves.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers!