Date: 2016-06-30
From: Campsite at 1310.1

To: Sunrise Mountain
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I did not want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I had slept very well and it was cool outside and I was cozy inside! I heard Whitecap and Braids stirring so I went ahead and got up. Breakfast was first on my list then I started packing up. My fellow campers left about 20 minutes before I did. I was not in any hurry to make miles today. Yvonne flew into NY last night and stayed with her sister. She was driving out to meet me in the afternoon. I was going to cross many roads so it was easy to pick one for her to meet me at depending on her arrival time. The morning was beautiful and the path was forgiving at the beginning. It was not long before the rocks slowed me down. My feet were a little better and I was in great spirits but when you are repeatedly walking on rocks your feet definitely feel it. I came up on a great view at Rattlesnake Mountain and later I took the 0.2 side trail to Brink Shelter for a rest and water resupply. It was a nice shelter...new and clean. I was the only one there and it was peaceful. In many places like this it makes you feel like just staying and laying down a while and relaxing but it would really slow me down if I acted on all of my feelings like that. I continued on and stopped for lunch next to the trail on a boulder. I usually look for a log or boulder to sit on to have lunch as it is much more comfortable than sitting on the ground. Crocs passed while I was sitting. She was going to the next shelter to get settled and then take a 1 mile side trail to a lake to go swimming. That sounded enticing but I passed on that. I made my way up the trail and Joker caught up to me. We hiked together and had a couple of nice views. We came up on a fire tower that was locked so we were not able to climb it. When I arrived at Gren Anderson Shelter Croc was there and Whitecap and Braids came in shortly afterwards. The shelter was big and the area was very serene. We had a great time just relaxing and laughing about different things. Yvonne called and said she would arrive at 5pm and it was only 3:15 so I decided to meet her at Sunrise Mountain only 2.4 miles ahead. I had already hiked 14+ miles so I stayed until 4 pm before I started hiking again. Crocs and Joker were going to hike to the lake for a swim and Whitecap and Braids planned to leave shortly after me and hike 4 more miles. When I arrived at the Sunrise Mtn parking lot I was greeted with another nice view. I sat at a picnic table enjoying the view and waited for Yvonne. It is really nice to have family come for a visit. I envy the hikers who live on the East Coast and are able to get off the trail for a couple of days to visit family or family and friends come out to spend time with them. I can't complain too much since I did have friends from DC come out for a couple of days to hike with me and I have and will get off the trail to visit family. Yvonne was a sight for sore eyes when she arrived. I got off the bench like an old man, well I am an old man, but an even older one who is out of shape! I greeted my wife with a BIG hug and kiss! I was so happy to see her. She even brought me a DQ Blizzard! We sat for a while then set off to scout a couple of places for trail magic tomorrow. We found a good spot at the High Point State Park Headquarters. It was time to check in to the hotel and take a shower. It is sooooo nice to take a shower and put on clean clothes. Dimmick restaurant was recommended to us so we went into the Milford PA, yes back in Pennsylvania, for dinner. The restaurant was in an old home with a large wrap around porch. We sat at a table on the porch and it was perfect. Dinner, red wine and Yvonne in a nice setting. It doesn't get any better on the trail!!!