9/6,7,8 the road home

Got moving bright and early to make it the 25 miles to hawk mountain rd. I was actually walking before the sun came up for a bit, hoping to see the sunrise at the top of the ridge, but the top was not looking the right direction. Just my luck. As i was walking i saw lots of people. It was memorial day weekend. Some guy was on a lookout called bake oven knob doing an official raptor count. I know that they were birds that he was looking for, but could not help humming the Jurassic park theme to myself for the rest of the day. i was looking around every time i heard a chipmunk scurrying through the leaves. I heard some people saying that they saw some other people hiking south, i caught one of them, but i am surprized it did not happen sooner because he was carrying a 60 pound pack at least. he was a crazy old man with no front teeth, definitely the weirdest i have met on the trail yet. I will just leave it at that. It was a cool shelter, in the barn of a house owned by the Parks Service. I could have ordered pizza, but i had to at least make my pack a little lighter.

I made sure i left really early in the morning to avoid talking to that guy anymore. it was 15 miles to Port Clinton where i was going to meet up with kristen's dad. On the hike i rehiked some of the trail that i had walked on so many years ago in boy scouts. Saw the pinnacle and some amish people enjoying the view. I could even see the old blue mountain camp ground from up there, right next to the big boulder field.
One lady i talked to on the trail had no idea how she had gotten to where she was or how to get back to her car. I tried to help her but may have pointed her in the wrong direction. A little later i saw a couple hoping to make it to the pinacle. They had hiked 3 miles in 2 hours and i did not have the heart to tell them that it was a 20 mile round trip from where they started and that they would never make it.
When i made to port clinton kristen's dad was right there to take me to gigantic cabela's and then home to see my family for memorial day. It was not exactly a relaxing evening, but it was a little bit fun.

TOday i began the ritual that i will be practicing for the next week. I am hiking on the trail, but also sleeping at home. Here is how it works... i pick out a place to finish, and then my dad and i both drive there. i leave my car and then my dad drives me to where i left off the day before. A complicated system, but it allows for maximum relaxation while still helping me move along the trail.
Up and at it early again tomorrow, then i have to stop by the dmv and get a PA license. Just imagine the picture.