Before her planned June 14th replacement operation, X’s step-mother’s hip has now become so painful they are unable to meet us tomorrow on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We inventory our food and discover with the unused items last night’s trail magic saved us, we have just enough to push on to Waynesboro.

At 4:00 p.m. we are on top of The Priest, and facing the daunting descent and re-climb out of the Tye River Valley. X takes the lead and covers the seven plus miles to the next shelter with an hour and a half before dark. N struggles to stay with her and is duly impressed! She is a hiking machine…

Harpers Creek is a lovely spot with numerous campsites (and equally numerous boy scouts all over the place tonight). We stay at the shelter to make use of the picnic table and convenient water source. We talk with three other fast moving ultra-light hikers as we rush to eat before dark. One has only a t-shirt and shorts to his name, so as soon as the sun is down he is in his sleeping bag to stay warm. Another has no air mattress so foregoes the hard shelter floors, instead digging small holes for his hips and shoulders so he can sleep on the ground. Hiker Midnight has come and gone before camp chores are completed. You have to stay flexible on the AT.