We completed the first half of our AT hike today. It’s such an important milestone, it was observed at least three times in three different places. We guess you can just take your pick!

The trail was wide in some places today; in fact, wide enough to walk side by side or easily pass by approaching hikers. We came upon a group of young men all loaded down with camping gear they didn’t yet find fully comfortable. We nodded & spoke to each as we went by. Then as we reached the end of the line, X suddenly squealed with delight and reached out to hug the group’s young leader. He was Ty Edwards and had worked as a teacher/naturalist for X at Crow’s Neck Environmental Education Center for two seasons, the most recent being last spring.

Today Ty is working at Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center in Micheax State Forest as the leader of a month-long wilderness survival program for court referrals. Ty’s group of middle to high school age boys had all had some brush with the law and were using the outdoor experience as opportunity to help clear their record. After two weeks in the woods, they were all being successful. We wished we had more time to spend with him, but were so pleased to see him. What are the odds of running unexpectedly into a former acquaintance on the AT? X still smiles when she thinks of the encounter.