July 19 - 0.0

When I woke up, I checked out the weather for the 20th time during the night. The forecast called for thunderstorms starting at 10 in the morning. Therefore, we decided to not hike since we would be above treeline on Franconia Ridge. That was all of us except for Inferno. She decided to move on and left in the late morning.

Sam and I went to Woodstock Station for lunch. A few people along the trail had told me to stop there. While there, we met Lion King. He is a trail legend. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting coffee, going to the post office, and getting more ice cream. Inferno did fail to mention that we bought ice cream the night before too. Waddey, since Inferno hiked on, I asked Samurai to respond to your question. He said, "Yes!" He even had ice cream for breakfast one day.

Sonic and Riverdog were at Chet's when we made it back. It was the first time running into RD since Fontana Dam. He is the one who told me about the compression socks for shin splints. The two of them, Sam, and I went and grabbed dinner together. We wanted to go to a place called Gypsy Cafe as many people had recommended it to us. However, it was closed and so we went to a Chinese place instead.

For dessert, I had another Ben & Jerrys. This time it was Mud Pie which was a new flavor to me. The night before, it was another new flavor of peach cobbler. I was a fan of that one.

I can't remember if Inferno spoke about this, but Chet has hikers sign different areas of his house in the hiker area. I created a logo for my name in the shape of a bowtie. "2010" is the knot of the bowtie.

Overall, it was nice to have a day of rest, but the weather wasn't as bad as they forecasted. A part of me was upset for not hiking. It is better to be safe though. Plus, what's another day out on trail?

I'll end on the story about Chet. He was an avid hiker growing up. One day he was priming his camp stove when it unexplainedly exploded. He ended up being burned over 40 percent of his body. He is legally blind and wheelchair bound. He is able to walk short distances with the assistance of a walker or canes. Wanting to give back to the hiking community, he started to open his house to hikers. It has now turned in to a hostel. He is one of the most genuine people I have met and would do anything to help a fellow hiker out.