Hey, got your message about the weekend trip. Honestly, I think the best time to go would be early fall, maybe late September. The leaves start changing, but it's still warm enough to hike comfortably without getting soaked by afternoon thunderstorms like you get in July. Plus, the crowds thin out after Labor Day, so we'd actually get decent service at that restaurant you mentioned. I checked their availability, and they have open slots for groups in September. Let me know if that timeframe works for your schedule. I can block off a couple of weekends. Also, I finally fixed that old camping stove we borrowed last year, so we can actually cook this time instead of relying solely on granola bars and trail mix. Should I start looking at campsite reservations, or do you want to just wing it like last time? Either way, I'm in.

Yes, I finally got around to reading that book you loaned me last spring. I know it took forever, but life has been a bit of a whirlwind with work and the usual chaos. Honestly, I wasn't sure about it at first because the pacing in the opening chapters felt a bit slow, but once I got past the midway point, I couldn't put it down. The way the author describes the landscape makes you feel like you're right there in the middle of it. I can see why you were so insistent I read it. Do you have any others by that same writer you'd recommend? Or should I jump straight into the next one in the series? I think I saw it at the library last week. Anyway, thanks for passing it along. It was a nice escape from reality for a few evenings. Let's catch up properly soon.