Return of the Hiker

Well, I am back in the heartland. I didn't get to do nearly as much hiking as I would have liked to. And this time it wasn't an injury that knocked me off the trail, but instead my siblings and their lack of desire to continue. Jane got two huge blisters so I can hardly blame her for giving up. But John and Jim, who did hike 9 miles more than I did, lost heart due to the rain. (I missed out on the last 9 miles because I had to get Jane safely back to the car. That involved hitchhiking and it wasn't safe for her to go alone.)

The rain was monsoon-like. Apparently there were flood warnings in the mountains. And the storm hung over the entire trail from Georgia to Maine, so we couldn't even jump in the car and hike somewhere else. I was dissappointed to say the least, since I only did 17 miles and I was feeling like I could have hiked forever. No pain in the knees, no broken blisters, nothing.

However, the good news. I had a great time hanging out with my siblings. There is a lot to be said for vacationing with your siblings as adults. People don't tend to do that very often, it seems to me. Or, if they do, they do it with spouses and familes and everything. This was just my two brothers and my sister and me. We had a great time. Next year, our other brother may join us. I hope he does.