Speed Bump

For most of the five weeks I have been hiking the AT, I have enjoyed the solitude of hiking alone. It has been an amazing experience to walk for miles through the forest over ever-changing terrain and in wildly varying weather immersed in my own thoughts. But this week I discovered something very special - the joy of backpacking with a good friend. Speed Bump has been a friend for over forty years and he is one of the Three Amigos - a trio of old hiker buddies prone to doing things our wives think are crazy. This week Speed Bump joined me for over 100 miles to hike through the Shenandoah National Park. Walking through the woods for a week with a good friend who finds great joy in the beauty and challenge of living on the trail refills my fuel cells and reminds me just how special this journey is. Speed Bump can't go ten minutes without pointing out how beautiful the trees are or how incredible the views are or how perfect the weather is. He sees the special gift that the Trail gives to all who have the vision to find it.

Sometimes I need that reminder. Thank you, Speed Bump, for reawakening the wonder and awe that I was beginning to take for granted.

If you ever decide you want to hike just one part of the AT, the part you should do is the Shenandoah. It has the softest trails, terrific views, cool people, bears, and, in the spring, amazing wildflowers. It also has little snack shops called waysides that you are likely to pass most days on the trail. Stopping at a wayside for a cheeseburger and a blackberry milkshake is one of life's great pleasures. We even splurged and got a room at the Skyland Resort after a long day on the trail. We shared a suite with a young woman we met the night before. She had booked one of the last rooms just before we arrived but really didn't want to have to pay $190 for the night so she invited us two old guys to share it with her. (Sorry, but nothing interesting happened that night.) One of the cool things about hiking the AT is you meet people and within a few minutes are trusted friends.

So hiking with new friends is cool. Hiking with old friends is even cooler. I hope everyone has a Speed Bump in their lives.
Dawn of our last morning in Shenendoah NP

Stealth camping on Little Calf Mountain 

Speed Bump and Pepsi - there is nothing but space behind us  

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