I observed Memorial Day as a day of rest after a 92-mile week on the trail. It rained the first 4 days out of Pearisburg, but the sun shone brightly the last three days. I was fortunate that it was dry and sunny as I crossed the Dragons Tooth, a large rock formation that took some real maneuvering to descend. I reached the 700 mile mark shortly before hitting McAfee Knob, which was another larger rock formation with a great long-range view of Roanoke, VA. I spent some time at the knob – see the pictures on my AT Jann 2012 Facebook page. The sun was starting to descend as I arrived at Tinker’s Cliff. I grabbed a few pictures before making my way down to my last tenting site for the week just past 7:00pm. Some days are longer than others, but they are all filled with wonder.

Yesterday, as I enjoyed my zero day in Daleville, VA I did some planning ahead to ensure it was possible to get to Harper’s Ferry by June 20th, where I am planning on meeting a friend who is going to join me for a week on the trail for her first “section” on the AT. I also got the time set aside to celebrate my eleventh anniversary with my dear husband. I will be near the half-way mark when I start back on the trail after our time together in Pennsylvania. To say I am looking forward to our reunion is quite the understatement.

I counted the weeks on the trail yesterday and was surprised to find that I had been out for just over 10 weeks. We will hit the 800 mile mark about the time we hit the end of week 11 on the AT. This week we will hit 95 miles this week.

 Taking a break on a holiday only messed up the post office pick-up. Daleville is a “trail” town and the outfitters opened for a few hours yesterday and I was able to get my new tent shipped from REI. The UPS store was also open for a short day and I could send my old tent back. This morning the sun is shining and I am just waiting for the post office to open so I can pick up my re-supply box for the week. Life is good and I am hoping to be back on the trail by 9am.