Date: 2018-07-04
From: Harper's Ferry, VA

To: Ohio
Miles today: 0.0

I rented a car from Harper's Ferry and drove home to Ohio. The drive was about 5 hours and it was really easy compared to hiking several miles a day. I arrived at my parent's house around 9 pm. My mom greeted me and she was holding Sofia. It was the first time I had seen her and really happy to finally have met her. She was born while I was on the trail. I was looking forward to meeting her for two months while hiking through TN, NC, and VA. She was smiling and looked really content.  A baby's life is pretty easy when the world revolves around them. I unpacked my car and stayed in the guest bedroom.  On Saturday my sister had a party for Sofia. Our family and friends came over to our parent's house to meet Sofia for the first time. She was handled by several people and she took a nap for a few hours. I couldn't blame her after all that stimulation. There was tons of food and beer as well. My family's plan was to fatten me up for when I got back on the trail. I ate a plate of chicken, sausage, potato salad, and macaroni salad. I really wanted to eat more but I've become a snacker on the trail. A few people asked me about the trail. Most of the questions were about food I ate on the trail and where I went to the bathroom. At the end of the day I dropped Theresa's parents back at their house in Akron. I visited my friend Matt at the coffee shop he worked at. He noticed my mountain man beard. I had been working on it over the last 3 months. We caught up a little before he had to close up shop. I headed home and passed out fast on a comfy bed. Sunday was a pretty lazy day at my parents house. Sofia was pretty chill as she mostly slept or ate. Even when she got fussy she looked really cute. I held her, fed her, and burped her. Luckily she didn't burp up anything but I've had worse things on me on the trail. She was eager to drink all the milk. I felt really happy to be with her and to take care of her. I'll look forward to finishing the trail so I can see her again.  Theresa showed up in the evening after driving back from Columbus. She had gone to a wedding over the weekend. I was really excited to see her since it's been a month. We caught up on all the things. It felt great to have her in my arms for the night.  On Monday Theresa had to go to work. I headed up to Akron to hang out with my friends Adrianne and Matt. Matt was moving out of his house and I help him move a few things with my rental car. The day was already hot by 10 am. We tried going to La Loma and Nepali kitchen for lunch but both were closed on Mondays. We settled on Rancheros. I got a massive burrito but couldn't finish it since my body was still in snacking mode. We explored the local Indian stores. They had a grocery store filled with spices and exotic fruits and vegetables. Another store was filled with colorful Indian clothing. I never knew these places existed in Akron. After heading back to my parent's house we visited my grandma at the nursing home. It was the first time she saw her great granddaughter. She was excited to see her. My grandma is 92 and is still going strong. Afterwards we headed back home and watched some movies. Theresa came back over and I became really sleepy. I think my body was trying to recover from all the hiking.  On Tuesday my sister, Cris, and Sofia headed back to Texas. I was sad to see them go. I know I'll see them all soon when I finish the trail. My parents were also leaving for Seneca lake for the 4th. Theresa ended up taking a half day and we made our was to Blue door for lunch. We raced to the restaurant since they closed at 2 pm. I got chicken and waffles. The waffles were way better than the Quality Inn. Theresa got some really tasty french toast. I was super content with the food. We then got some ice cream since it felt like 100 degrees outside. A heat wave had been hitting the east coast. I'm glad I wasn't hiking in this heat. At night Matt invited Adrianne, Theresa, and I to the Orrville fair. I hadn't been to a fair in awhile. I gorged on all the deep fried things. I really didn't care about the calories either. We got on a ride that made you feel like you were flying. Another ride was a giant loop. The loop spun us upside down several times. I could feel the blood rush to my head. We called it a night pretty early. Theresa and I stayed at her parent's house in Akron. I was happy to pass out in a soft bed by her side.  On the 4th, we grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and goat at Theresa's parents house. I was the grill master for the burgers but the neighbor grilled up the goat. Theresa's cousin Nick showed up with several large boxes of fireworks. He was planning on having his own display tonight. Theresa and I headed over to Penny and Dave's. They had hiked the AT back in 2014. They gave me some tips on bugs in the north. We hung out with their kids Frances and Abe. Abe was such a happy baby. He seemed to be smiling all the time. Dave put on some music and we all danced with Frances. In the backyard Frances played with a sparkler as other neighbors started lighting off fireworks. West Akron is where you go for home grown firework displays. It seemed that every other house started shooting off mortars and rockets. We watched the displays all over. We said our goodbyes to Penny and Dave then headed back over to Theresa's parents house. Nick was lighting off huge mortars in the road. A few of the mortars hit the power line causing them to explore near the ground. We had to dodge flaming pieces of mortar as they hit the ground. One mortar went off and hit Theresa's mom in the arm. Luckily the shell glanced off her body and exploded behind her. Theresa and I were ready to get out of the war zone. We headed back to my parent's house to pack up. I stayed up late getting my pack ready. Sadly it would be the last night with Theresa until I see her again on the trail. We still need to figure that out.  It was a great break in Ohio. Now I need to catch up to my tramily. It shouldn't be too hard since they are the caboose crew!