"Ryan!" someone yelled from a hill 50 feet above where my name was written in stones. It was Lightfoot.

I haven't seen him since November on the Appalachian Trail. If you've been reading my blog since then, you may remember we met in Shenandoah National Park.

He ran down the hill to join me.

"Hey, Lightfoot!" I said and put out my hand to shake his. "How've you been?"

He pulled my hand into a hug and a pat on the back. I apologized for the hiker smell.

After finishing his AT thru-hike, Lightfoot moved from New Jersey to California. When he saw my facebook status saying I was heading to the John Muir Trail, we made plans to hike together again for a few days.

Since hiking the AT, I probably doubled the number of great people I'm proud to call a friend. That in itself has made all the miles, and all the spent savings, worthwhile.