On 04 July, while descending from Mary’s Rock in the SNP, Jax Dad encountered ridge runner Ms. Bliss. Following mutual greetings of “Happy Fourth of July”, she commented on his red, white and blue equipment/garb and proceeded to examine his gear from a distance of several feet. A discussion then ensued about his trail experience to date. In that discussion Jax Dad remarked that he found the hike pure drudgery; it was one step after another with little opportunity to observe more than where the next
...