May 27 Mile 538

Lots of noise in and around the Taj Mahal of shelters. The noise didn't stop til about 10:30 or so. Some folks who couldn't take the noise and the incredibly loud snoring slept out on the broad lawn where camping is prohibited. Couldn't blame them and I should have done the same. Cisco and I have made a pact to tent camp from now on-no matter what-we'll see how that works out. We are planning long hiking days starting next week. Hope that works out too. Due to all the snoring we were up before 6 AM, ate breakfast and were hiking by 7:10, our earliest ever! Alot of the party people were still asleep. The hike of about 11 miles was uneven but fairly easy. The most notable thing as we got closer to civilization were these massive electric power towers that we just humming with incredible noise. We hope our brains weren't fried as we passed beneath. We had a short hiking day by comparison to our earlier hiking, as we were meeting my Sweety in the afternoon near Atkins, Virginia at I-81. We got to the spot there at 1:30 PM. And had a welcome surprise. At the I-81 interchange where we were to wait for my Sweety was a full-service Exxon station-and when I say full service I mean-FOOD! They had a great little diner and instead of a peanut butter and tortillas shell sandwich I had a freshly made chopped steak with salad meal. Plus lots of ice cream. What a treat. This is the first time in 538 miles that we have come out of the woods and ran into such an unexpected food treat. I have really lost a lot of weight, and have a concern going forward. Need to eat alot when I'm in towns. My Sweety came a little later and it was wonderful to see her. I couldn't be doing this without her support, that's for certain. She's the best!! And of course, I really miss her. It's the hardest part of the trip. We all have taken a break at a local motel until June 1-eating and relaxing-zero days are good. Will resume June 1 and post more blogs when I get a &*+$@ signal or when we are in a

town. Stay tuned!