June 16

Mom's hiker hostel

I got up early today.  6:30am.  Unbelievable.  I was on the trail by 7:30.  Some of the hikers I have been staying with each night were leaving for the trail as I was eating my breakfast.  I told them they could come down into town too if they liked, and some of them are going to meet me later at Thorton Gap when I get picked up by my folks.  Hiking this morning was fantastic.  It hasn't felt like June at all this week.  It's really been mild and cool, and the sun has been out with no rain in sight.  I stopped for a quick lunch break at Panorama with Simco.  He wanted to push on to do a big mileage day.  The rest of the bunch that had started off this morning ahead of me had stopped for breakfast at Skyland, so I had passed them.  I flew down the trail the rest of the way to Mary's Rock.  I was only held up by another deer encounter.  This doe was right in the middle of the trail, so I stopped.  It started walking back toward me, which was odd.  Turns out there was a fawn like 6 feet away from me in the bushes.  I saw it, and the mother coming right for me, so I turned around and gave her plenty of space.  She collected her yearling, and they scampered off down the trail.  I continued on, rounded a bend, and bumped into the deer family again.  They scampered off further down the trail.  Strange that they didn't go off into the woods.  They were hiking along northbound just like me.  This went on for about a mile, then I lost them somewhere.  I made it down off of Mary's Rock, and to the parking lot at Thorton Gap.  Pops was there with his daughter in law.  He handed me a cheeseburger and a Bud Light.  Sweet.  I called mom and they came up to pick me up.  I had left a note on the trail for my new friends to meet me in the parking lot.  When mom and dad pulled up we all piled in the car, breaking all sorts of highway regulations, and headed home.  We now had Tex (Texas), Wiffle Chicken (California), Trekking Pole (Poland), and Claudia (Denmark).  With this new bunch dropped off at mom and dad's house, we now had 11 hikers, including myself!  The rest of my crew was at Luray Caverns.  Dad and I went to pick them up, while the new group showered and got situated.  I got back to the house and started going through my mail.  Got my new Osprey pack from REI.  Awesome.  There were 2 other boxes.  In them was my 8" mirror ball, and the motor to go with it, that I had ordered off of Amazon.  This is going to be epic!  I've got my tunes.  I've got my disco ball.  I've got some really good Ihome speakers.  Game on. We are going to throw some awesome parties coming up.  I've never heard of anyone hiking with a disco ball before.  Should be great.  Mom fixed an awesome dinner for everyone.  Beef, chicken, all sorts of veggies, two different potato dishes, and fruit salad.  Full house tonight, and several of us are tenting in the yard.  Amazing!  Thanks mom and dad!

Doe and fawn on the trail in SNP near Mary's Rock, SNP.