A las Mujeres........So, I don't drink out of straws anymore.......

Before I started the trail, my world was so small that if I was at a restaurant, I wouldn't even drink my beverage until the server brought me a straw to sip out of. That girl is gone. The actual abandonment of the straw sipping probably occured way back at mile 35. Goodbye prissy straw sipper, hello big gulper!

I also have gone from toting Gucci, Linea Pelle, or the occasional Louis Vuitton on my arm, to sporting a very stylish Granite Gear dry sack. Oh yes friends, Granite Gear dry sacks are the "it" bags for summer. Reserve yours now. I personally fancy the bright lime green one with a marigold bottom. This makes a great handbag for toting all my necessities when I'm in town for a re-supply.

I've gone from blow drying and washing my hair, to the occasional comb-through, tick check, and a rinse in a waterfall if I'm lucky enough to encounter one during the day.

Yes friends, a new me is emerging. A me that has always been there, just often lying deep down inside, only emerging from time-to-time. I've always had a constant battle within myself, I've often termed it the battle between birckenstocks & prada. Not that I really fancy Birkenstocks, specifically.....but hopefully you're following my analogy.

I don't need to sleep on a bed every night. I love my Big Agnes pad and tent, in fact...I often prefer it! So cozy!

And the real gem of the trail, the people. I can't find the words to explain how you connect with people out here. It is beyond amazing. The way the thru-hiker community looks out for and takes care of each other is something I will never take for granted. We share food, shelters, hotel rooms, clothes, money and hitches. If someone stumbles into a shelter wet, cold and on the verge of hypothermia...we help them warm up and make them hot chocolate to warm their body. We fart (some of us shart), poop, pee and change clothes in front of, or around each other with no shame. We are trail family.

Yes, I would even help out "the stinkers" if they needed it. In fact, I got downright worried about those stinkers one night when they left the shelter and ventured out into a storm one night. Trail family.

Our common bond is that we have all been chosen, the mountains have called us out one-by-one, and we have answered that call. We have been chosen for this pilgrimage north. Our goal is Katahdin. Our mission: to focus on the smiles as much as the miles and enjoy this awesome journey of getting there!

So......what have these two cool kids been doing lately? The answer is, lots!

Casey mentioned the amazing aqua-blaze in his last post, so I won't touch on that, but you should definitely check out the pics on our facebook page. There will also be more to come, seeing as Splitter has posted hers and I will be re-posting on our page because I am often too lazy to get my camera out. Don't worry, she has been warned that picture thievery will occur, good thing she doesn't copywright.

We encountered a Fiddler's Convention in good ol' Buena Vista, or as some of the locals like to refer to it, Buena Vegas. They treated us like royalty. It was so hard to leave,.we almost didn't. The amazing Kaye &Vickie gave us rides to town, food and beer. They let us entertain ourselves for hours on their outdoor games, speaking of which- I am the master when it comes to Ladders. I win at that game, always...just ask Case. It is my new game of choice. Sam and his crew fed us fried chicken, corn bread & coleslaw, as well as some fancy margaritas, ya'll, okay!! THEN, they put on a pickin' show for us and Frosty joined in on the harmonica! Good times were had by all!!

After this, a little further down the trail, Splitter's sister, Angela, came down to visit and spread some awesome trail magic! She rented a cabin for two nights and invited all of the Dirty Baker's Dozen to come stay in it, including Stella (Moss's 4-legged trail companion). Did I mention that she also brought about $300 worth of food! Amazing! She was actually worried that we might not be able to finish it all. There was a lot of good food, beer and some serious manscaping going on.

We watched some very predictable romantic comedies, played frisbee and listened to some good tunes. And a big thank you to Chucktown & Splitter for cooking! Everyone got caught up on their facebooking, good times were had by all ninjas involved! :)

Now we are back on the trail, the group seems to be somewhat dispersed, but I'm sure we will re-unite again....

Casey and I are staying at a campground tonight in the Shenandoahs. So ready to be at Harpers Ferry.

I'm still hoping for a bear sighting....from a safe distance, of course.

Peace and love to all! My wish is that each and every one of you will be able to experience a journey this fulfilling and amazing one day, so go ahead....start planning your gear list for your 2012 thru! :)

"We do this with no capital except our valuable time. We do this because the world we live in is a house on fire and the people we love are burning."-Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

-Journey

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