"Meet Virginia" - Actually, We've Become Well Acquinted

Hello, hello! We're checking in from Waynesboro, VA which is one of the friendliest trail towns. Not only did a Trail Angel drive us into town (no hitching, Mom!), but we also were given free showers, camping, and sandwiches from the local YMCA. After 7 full, long days in the woods, we appreciated all of Virginia's kindness. Even better, we received a surprise package from our parents! It included sweet, encouraging notes and lots of dehydrated food-yum:). THANKS MOM AND POPS...we miss you and love you tons! You're the best!

The last 7 days have been interesting!

-The weather has fluctuated immensely. In one week, we experienced thunderstorms, hail, snow, and 90 degree temps without cloud coverage. We're excited for the heat wave to break. As a side note, Britt is extremely scared of lightening. One night, a thunderstorm rolled as we headed into the shelter. Kirstin was leading and told her to stay 50-100 feet in case lightening struck. Britt was too scared...so she remained 3 feet behind Kirstin. We still had over a mile to go uphill during that 23-mile day, and Kirstin moved aside so she could literally ran the entire way.

-While hiking, we were caught off guard by our first HUGE, black snake on the trail. Our screaming scared off the snake before we could get a chance to snap a picture.

-We experienced more trail magic (Virginia is known for it). Thanks Boy Scouts for the sun tan lotion, lemonade, and Little Debbie treats.

-Our tans are coming along nicely...our horrible tan lines are even better.

-Bugs are out! There are parts of our bodies (which we won't mention) that are completely covered...yippee! We plan to get flea/tick collars (yep, the ones that dogs wear) and tie them to our shoes. We hope this prevents ticks from coming near us.

-We are about to experience our first AYCE (all-you-can-eat) Chinese buffet. AYCE are frequented by thru-hikers at all town visits. While this typically sounds disgusting to us, we heard they have sushi. At this point, we don't care if it's sub-par...we need to satisfy our raw fish craving!

We have been in Virgina for almost 400 miles and still have about 150 miles of the state to complete (about 25% of the trail is in Virginia). Tomorrow morning we head off to hike the Shenandoah National Park. We can't wait to indulge with a blackberry milkshake, an AT must. Off we hike to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia (160 miles). We'll update you later.