It’s good to be back on the trail. I did anticipate a slow start, having been off the trail for a while, so I am still only a few miles North of Bland, VA. Nonetheless, it’s good to be back.

I’ve been hiking with Teabag. We seem to have similar paces and senses of humor, so it had worked out pretty well so far. The official hiking group is about 25 hikers or so, and is spread out over quite a stretch of the trail presently, though I expect to see them all relatively soon. I think we will be in groups, leapfrogging each other for a while. It is more practical than hiking in such a large group, but we will see what happens.

Today was not the greatest hiking, as a lot if it was fairly close to the highway. I was also shocked to see so many hikers. I presumed they would all have gone back for Trail Days, but I guess some didn’t. And a lot who didn’t are what we call the “serious hikers,” those who are a bit too preoccupied with daydreams of Katahdin. It wasn’t as bad as we feared though: the other hikers were relaxed enough, and there was certainly plenty of beauty amid the urban stretches of hiking.

The rhododendrons are finally blooming! It was beautiful to see, and I look forward to hiking further into the woods tomorrow to find more beauty.

During Trail Days, I added a few pack pounds, one of which was a book by Emerson. I plan to read some tonight and get a good night’s sleep in my hammock.