All of the NOBOs I hiked with said that you could push big miles through the relatively gentle trail of the Shenandoah. With the sun shining for the first time in forever, that’s exactly what I decided to do today.
There were a few hikers that I wanted to catch up to with a big day, and my efforts were successful! I’ve managed to catch my friends Trash Panda, Rebound, and Scout as well as some flip floppers that I hiked with headed northbound. 
Twenty-eight miles is quite a long way, so I spent almost every bit of daylight and a little bit of darkness walking, but got the opportunity to swap stories with this hiker in the blue shirt. She’s about 10 years older than me, but is interested in going to medical school too. I can’t wait to learn more about her story and what she’s learned on the trail.
I’ll be honest, my body hurts after hiking for over 12 hours, but goodnight from the SOBO bubble. There is even a family of copperheads hanging out with all of us…they’re a little bold for my tastes haha.