Date: 2014-09-22
To: My Final Thoughts And Farewell
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

"Why did I want to hike the Appalachian Trail?" is a question often asked of me. First let me tell you why I didn't hike it. I didn't hike the AT to find myself, or to learn who I was. After 67 years I know myself quite well. I didn't hike the AT to escape anything or anyone. I wasn't searching for God or the meaning of life. I already had God in my being, but I did become closer to Him. I wasn't walking off a war, or a divorce, or mourning a loved one who passed away. I could never have hiked the AT if I had lost a loved one or if I wasn't a happy man. It would be the last place I would want to be.Plain and simple, I hiked the Appalachian Trail because of the challenge it afforded me, and because I just love to be with nature. I have been hiking in nature since I was able to sneak away from my home as a child. I am a perfectly happy well adjusted husband, dad, grandfather, and great grandfather whose biggest concern was whether I would be able to leave the people and the life I loved for so long to go hiking?I got my wish. I was challenged by the elements, the mountains, the 15 to 24 mile days, the rocks, the ups and downs day after day for six months, all while carrying up to a forty pound pack on my back. But the hard work was offset by the beauty of the Appalachian Trail. Not once did I want to quit. I was actually hiking in a dream and a prayer.Almost from the beginning of the hike I became a solo hiker. I appreciated being alone with my thoughts and prayers. I could just stop if I wanted and stare into the immense wilderness looking for any wildlife or movement. Stopping and starting without a schedule and eating or resting when I wanted appealed to me, so I basically kept this format to the end. I must have gotten plenty of socialization along the trail and near the shelters because this amount of meeting people seemed to satisfy my need.I was very homesick when I started out in Georgia, and I believe one of the reasons I was able to maintain my journal day after day was because I felt I was communicating with my wife by writing to her. It was the reason I became a Flip Flopper. I was always walking toward my wife, family, and home. I could have finished the trail in five months, but I loved stopping in the trail towns. Because I was always missing home, they made me feel like I was there. I could walk about and do my business while talking to my wife and family at will on the phone. I would pick several people at every town stop and call them and in this way it helped me to feel like I was close to home. While in the towns I tried very hard to live like I was home. I stayed in hotels and motels, ate in nice restaurants, went to the movies, got haircuts, and watched TV. Reading the local newspapers or The New York Times was a morning favorite of mine. I enjoyed interacting with the folks.I did have one perpetual annoyance that lasted the whole trail from Georgia to PA and from Maine back to PA. The Appalachian Trail has become infested with the drug culture. I read and learned about it before I even started the trail. So I was aware of what I would see. Pot smoking is a favorite among many people on the AT. I do not smoke dope or do drugs so I was constantly trying to avoid the situations where people would do this activity. I was successful most of the time but not always. One night in a shelter a fellow took out some weed and asked if we (three of us) wanted to party with him. This particular night I was the only one that did not want to participate. When I expressed my opinion for them to smoke outside the shelter, they became disinterested and looked sad. I said to the three of them that I would go put up my tent and then they could do what they wanted. They said not to leave, that they were not going to smoke. I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and when I did I noticed the guy with the weed started a fire in the shelter fireplace and he was smoking his dope and blowing the smoke up the draft going up the chimney. People of all ages, not just the young smoke pot on the AT.When I was pretty sure people young and old where not doing this, it was like a breath of fresh air. In many places in the guide books they will note after the write up reviews, no drugs allowed. I looked for these places because they were like safe havens. I did a lot of tenting also to avoid this activity.I bring this up not to tattle on the pot smokers but to alert you, the future thru-hiker, that if you do not want to be around this activity, you will need to tent more by yourself, and go to hostels and areas where it is discouraged. Some people do not mind being around these people so it is not a problem for them. To each his own.From Georgia to PA I treated water only about twenty five percent of the time. If the water was a spring coming straight up out of the ground and there was no animal activity around the water, I drank straight from the spring. Once I got to Maine and the entire way back to Port Clinton PA I treated almost all water because water levels were low and there was too much animal activity around the water.I guess one of the reasons I lost so much weight on the AT (30 pounds) was because I pushed myself to my personal limits. I hiked on average about twelve hours per day. If I was cold and wet I would challenge myself to go up mountains non stop until I was warm and dry. I could never eat enough calories to make up for the energy expenditure, probably around six thousand calories per day. There was a point after I got through the 100 mile wilderness in Maine that I had to take zero days just to power eat enough to try to keep my weight above 160 pounds. This seemed to be the area where I would feel weak from loss of calories. It worked but it took me longer to get home. I lost all muscle and at this writing I have regained 13 pounds and I am back on my bodybuilding workouts. I kid my wife and say to her, " Look how buff I am becoming". She laughs and says I am still too skinny. Men on the AT tend to lose more muscle faster than women. Muscle weighs more so men lose more weight. Women, because of the way they were made by God, have a higher percentage of body fat. They tend to lose this body fat first and then gain muscle so it is not uncommon for women to gain weight or remain the same as they hike the trail. I had a lot of musculature so I lost a lot of weight. My metabolism is fast so it doesn't take long for me to lose or gain weight. I write this for you future thru-hikers to keep an eye on your weight as you travel the trail. If you start to feel weak and listless you may need to force yourself to consume more calories.If you think you can get to Mt Katahdin in time, you might consider starting your hike in April instead of March 1st like I did. Then you might not have to endure the cold Smokies winter. Generally Mt. Katahdin closes around October 15th when they close the park. This year it may be extended because they opened late. This hike has been one of the most fascinating periods of my life. I am so glad I had the opportunity to hike the AT. I think of parts of the trail every single day and some days I can't believe I hiked it. Although I am very happy to have completed the AT, I would never want to do it again. My motto has been "ONE AND DONE". Once is enough for me. I couldn't bear being away from home and family that long again. Sometimes I actually smile as I think of my many adventures on this trail. Every day there was something new and fascinating. Go for it. If you want to hike this trail, do it. You will be rewarded with the pleasures of nature. My wife will say "why are you smiling" and I will answer, "I am alone on a high mountain. I am exhausted from the hike up, the sun is warm and bright, the breeze is gentle. I can see thousands of feet down into the beautiful valleys. I look up and I see a large bird gliding and circling the sun. I look all around me at this glorious sight. I look back up and where I saw one bird there are now three. I smile and somehow I feel God is smiling back. I am pleased with what my eyes behold and he knows it."Happy trails to you all,God love you and bless you.