Miles vs. Smiles. Yin and yang. The age-old conundrum. Every hiker faces it, and indeed every hiker has days where "miles" or "smiles" take priority. I'm of the belief that a good balance is best, and you have to regulate this balance in your hike. Some regulation is in the works for my hike right now.
I crushed Shenandoah. Every day was a 20 miler, including yesterday's marathon, and even though today was only 18, it included a stop in Front Royal! But all that walking caught up with me. Doing the last 5 miles from town to the shelter, I could feel myself slowing down, losing that good hiking feeling and wondering why the heck I've been pumping out such long days. Time to regulate.
Northern Virginia, luckily, is a good place to do it. There's good terrain, nice views, and a hostel up the road, so tomorrow and Thursday will be nice and leisurely.
After resupplying in Front Royal, I have a mere 30 miles before leaving Virginia for good! It's hard to believe that I've walked 500 miles in this state. Tonight I'm at the Denton Shelter, which includes a deck with Adirondack chairs and a solar shower. Sweet!
-Scribbles (aka Ted)
9:25 p.m. 5/19/2015
9:25 p.m. 5/19/2015
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