I filed my paperwork today to take a leave of absence from work and go back to hike another section. I’ll be travelling on May 8th and start southbound the morning of May 9th where I left off in Virginia in 2015. I’m looking forward to finishing the longest state on the trail and getting back into the wilderness. There should be lots of NOBO thru-hikers on the trail, so I shouldn’t be alone. In fact, I suspect I’ll be looking for ways to get some solitude.

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

J. R. R. Tolkien