Date: 2003-10-09
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The summit day, continued...............................As we walked back down the trail and into the park, you could hear cheering, and it was for us! There was a group of hikers with their family and friends who were celebrating and cheering hikers as they returned from Katahdin. What a nice feeling it was to be greeted by them.Constant Motion offered me a glass of champagne and of course I couldn¢t refuse. Tipperary, whom I hadn¢t seen in ages was there and we had a warm welcoming hug and chatted for a few minutes. It was so good to see him again. He will remain one of my favorite people from this adventure and the day we climbed out of Palmerton together will always be one of my favorite days on the trail.Baby Steps and I went to the Ranger Station to sign back in and it was there that I heard my good friend Leap Year had arrived in the park. This was going to be the best day ever!I hadn¢t seen Leap Year for quite a while. He had lost even more weight and his beard was big and bushy. He looked like a real mountain man. We gave each other a big hug and talked about our hikes and the climb up Katahdin. The weather for the next day was not expected to be good, so Leap Year and the others would not be summitting the next day. They would patiently have to wait for the day after to complete their dreams.We said our goodbyes and I headed into Millinocket with Sparky, Baby Steps, her Mom and Step-dad. We were all exhausted from the day, but our ever active appetites were telling us we had to eat, so we stopped in town for dinner. I was able to get a room at the Best Western and even though I was as sore as could be and very tired, I wasn¢t able to sleep until after midnight. I called Jack to let him know that I was off the mountain and ready to come home.The next morning after a great breakfast in town, we headed to Nashua, home of Baby Steps parents. They took in me and Sparky and treated us like family. Ann, Baby Steps Mom reminds me a lot of my Mom, and I really enjoyed my time there. It gave us girls some down time to talk about the trail before heading home.The next morning we took Sparky to the Greyhound station and saw her off to Philly to meet a friend for a week of relaxation. Next stop was Manchester airport to deposit me there for a 3:00 flight to Pittsburgh. I¢ll miss these new friends that I¢ve made on the trail. I have immeasurable respect and admiration for Baby Steps and Sparky. They were great company and a lot of fun too.I had a few hours to kill at the airport, so spent the time reading and thinking about the last 6 months. This trip would never have been possible if it had not been for my husband, Jack. He added all of my duties to his daily work schedule; the dogs, cats, birds, cars, cleaning, yard work, and bill paying. And he did it all , never complaining, because he knew how important this adventure was to me. Thank you Jack, I love you.Thank you also to all of the people who gave me rides; Jack from Georgia who said he couldn¢t stand the thought of his wife standing on the side of the road hitching, the wonderful older couple from Stratton, and the Overhead Garage Door Co. fellows that picked us up in Buena Vista, Va.. They thought we were kidding when we said that we were walking from Georgia to Maine! Yes, even the fellow in Monson who went past us, jammed on his breaks, drove backwards to pick us up, and almost ran into the car coming behind him. As we jumped into the back of his pick up truck and he tore off, I yelled to Sparky, ¢ Don¢t take your pack off----and HANG ON¢! We laughed all the way into Monson. Thank goodness it was only 3 miles.The United States Post Office employees were especially nice to us. Most Post Offices in the south have hiker registers for us and they were always pleasant even though we smelled like stinky bums.I must thank each and every one of you that has taken the time to read my journal and offer words of kindness and support. I would lay in my sleeping bag at night and read my guest book entries and e-mails and feel so loved. You all helped me get from Georgia to Maine, I couldn¢t have done it without you. Most especially I thank Karen from Boston. Karen cared for my body and mind. She sent the most delectable goodies and always knew the right thing to say when I was feeling blue. I especially enjoyed the poems she sent me. The day she surprised me at Lakes of the Clouds Hut will always be a high point of my trip. Glenn always told me how proud he was, PJ said I was her hero and Kim and Brian always kept in touch. My brother-in-law Mike never tired of reading about my journey and sending me e-mails that made me laugh. My sister karen never missed an anniversary; Happy one month anniversary, Happy 2 month anniversary, and so on for 6 months . Julia sent me Watermelon Bubblicious gum to Dalton, Mass along with a bracelet to wear on the trail. Hydromagnt and Farmerbob imparted their wisdom on hiking and knowledge of the trail in the Northeast. Bob was also my transcriber and did a fantastic job for me. Thanks to Jenifer, his wife and to their kids for sharing him with me this year. My brother John and Kathy had the toughest job of all, they had to decide what it was I needed to eat¢and send it. Then they had to care for my gear and send that when it was needed. Kylie customized the boxes so that they would stand out at the Post Offices.Thanks to all of the trail angles who left sodas and water for me to drink on hot days, oranges and apples, and lots and lots of candy bars. I appreciated every one of you. Jack¢s co-workers from Nova Chemical sent a constant stream of good wishes and encouragement to me as well as helped Jack with the day to day decisions on how to run a house, including how often to change the sheets. My first speaking engagement is to the WIN (Women in Nova) group in November. I¢m looking forward to sharing my story with them.Last but not least, I want to thank the courageous men and women that shared the trail and their lives with me this year. I have never shared company with so much positive energy for so long. I salute all of you for living out your dreams.May each and every one of your lives be filled with goodness. I love you all~Journey