Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've been busy hiking! I've been doing consistent 22-25+ mile days, and it's time consuming! I've now completed 10/14 states, and my mentality has definitely changed. I've shifted from a "keep going" mindset to "make it happen no matter what". I'm constantly tired, stress over finances, and have to think about injury prevention all day every day, but I know it'll all be worth it at Katahdin!
The last time I blogged I was in Virginia, and updating you on what I've been doing since then would too time consuming. Instead, I'll jump ahead to where I am/ what I'm doing now.
Lara
As you may or may not know, Lara got off trail (for now) and went home. She had previously decided to not thru hike because she had family and school obligations and didn't think she'd be able to finish in time. She was originally going to get off trail in Harper's Ferry, WV, but decided to keep hiking for as long as she could. She and I had separated for a few weeks, and I, determined to hike with her for one last week, pushed big mile days every day for about a week to catch her. I finally caught her on the evening of our three month trail anniversary! It was totally worth it, and I couldn't have been happier to see her!
The fearsome foursome
You may or may not remember that when I started hiking Lara and I met two brothers (Tom and James), and another man from Colorado (Wookie). Wookie, James (Uphill), Lara (TR), and myself were pretty inseparable for the first month. I had heard that trail families that form early on don't normally last, but Wookie, James, Lara, and I all had similar time goals and I thought we might defy the odds. Sadly enough, we ended up splitting up in North Carolina, and it looked like I'd never see any of them again.
Full circle
As Lara's last day approached, we reached out to Wookie and Uphill to see where they were/ if a trail family reunion for Lara's last day would be possible. Strangely enough, it was! Uphill had been comically far ahead of us, but had gotten off trail in New York, and was sidelined with Lyme disease for a few days. He was getting back on trail the day before Lara's last day and he was only 3 miles up from where we were. Wookie had only been a day or two ahead, and literally sat around and waited for us to catch up on Lara's last day. Uphill's brother, Tom, was even coming to hike that weekend! It was pretty amazing how perfectly everything worked out.
Bye TR
After being with Lara all day everyday for two months straight saying I was sad to see her go is a crazy understatement. Thru hiking with someone creates bonds that no one will ever understand (unless you're thru hiking/ have thru hiked). I think that being with someone every waking moment for months straight and still being able to tolerate them is pretty rare, and the fact that Lara and I were able to do that and remain friends is a testament to how strong our bond is! 
So sad!
Present day!
After Lara left Wookie, Uphill, and I sat down and talked about how we wanted to remain together. We all discussed, and decided that we would in fact stay together, and decided that we would all attempt summit Katahdin together on August 7th! I'm currently still with Wookie and James and we're in Cheshire, Massachusetts for the night. Weather on the trail has changed significantly. It's been around 70-75 during the day, and gets down to 50ish at night. I was totally unprepared for it being cold this early on. A I had also always assumed that as time went on, life on trail would get easier, but that's not the case. Before it got cold, it was sweltering hot. I've always been ok with sweating, but sweating and not being able to shower for days on end is pretty miserable. I miss my friends, air conditioning, and consistent showers! However, I'll be in Vermont shortly and I'm really looking forward to a change of scenery! I'm also approaching the white mountains, and I can't wait! I know the most beautiful parts of the trail are just ahead of me, and I'm so looking forward to it!
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