July 4 - 20.6 / 1,559.6

I woke up to the smell of pancakes being made. The cabin's caretaker had already started to cook, and some people were already eating. I went downstairs and ate my fair share.

The day was long and hot. The trail wasn't too difficult of a hike, but the maintenance on the trail was lacking. There were many points when I felt as if I needed a machette instead of trekking poles to wack away overgrown weeds and thornbushes. It got so bad in some places that I started to formulate an email in my head to send to the local trail club who is responsible for this section of the trail. I figured they probably already knew they needed to do some work, but it might help them to know that hikers were pretty frustrated about it. Not that the trail has to be nice and neat, I just feel as if I should be able to see where I am stepping and not having to pull thorns out of my arms and face.

The middle of the day took us to the Cookie Lady's house. My guide book mentions she occassionally has warm cookies as well as cokes and water. One can also pick blueberries for $1.50 a pound. I figured this would be a great place for lunch. Turkey, Thrasher, Samurai, and I all walked down there. We arrived, and no one was home. There were some signs on the outside of the house talking about paying for blueberries and where to get water. We were all a little upset that we weren't able to have cookies on the 4th. The others went to fill up their water blatters from the spigot. When they turned on the water they, they noticed it had a strong sulfer smell. Some of them tried to drink the water, but couldn't handle it. I decided to not drink my water and safe my last half litter for the next few miles. We knew we had a creek soon; however, we didn't know if it was going to be dry. Lola and Sunrise also showed up, snacked, tried the water, and left. They too were upset. I looked around for a bucket to fill up and buy some blueberries. However, I could not find one where they were supposed to be. The blueberries were huge and looked really good.

Nothing much happened the rest of the hike. We hiked to Dalton and had a few places to stay: Tom Levardi's or the Bird Cage. We did snag some trail magic, Sprites and 7-up as we arrived into town from the Bird Cage, but decided to stay at Tom's since his house is right on the trail. As we arrived, people were sitting out on the porch. It was Tom, Sonic, Weenail, Ponytail Dave and his wife, Filo, and Sidetrack. Not knowing if anything was going to be open since it was the 4th, Samurai and I jumped on some bikes that Tom offers and rode around the town. We found a liqour store and bought some drinks to celebrate the 4th with. We rode back to Tom's and ate dinner there. I don't think Tom normally makes dinner, but this was a holiday. We all sat around a picnic table enjoying hotdogs, beans, chips, and pasta with tomato sauce. It was excellent. For the next hour or two, we sat in his front yard just relaxing.

Later in the evening, Tom drove some folks to another town to catch a fireworks show. Samurai and I decided to take some bikes instead and go get ice cream. We came back to find the others watching Me, Myself, and Irene. Oh, that movie was terrible. I think I lost some time of my life watching it. Around 11:30, we all headed to bed. Tom offered blankets and beds to any one interested in sleeping inside. I claimed some floor space as I didn't want to set up my tent.

I did miss being with friends from back home, but this was a 4th I will remember for the rest of my life. I was able to spend it with new friends. Thanks to those who sent messages for a happy 4th.