Date: 2013-10-24
From: katahdin

To: home
Miles today: 0.0

well it has been almost three months since I finished my hike. Its been great to be home. I was able to get some fishing in, worked on the cabin and house and heal up my body. I am back to lifting weights to slowly regain the muscle I lost during the hike.It has been great seeing folks that I met on the trail finish their hike. the interesting part of the hike was at Katahdin once you finished-the end was so sudden. I mean you come down the mt, go to town, meet in the restaurant and the next morn everyone goes their own way. end of story- end of hike.My right knee is still sore and my foot problem is what they call hammer toe- where the tendons have made my second toe stick up. For a while the pain in the ball of the foot made walking painful, but I am now back to running with little pain. As much as I want to walk the PCT, it may not ever happen. Next year my wife retires in June, we have bought the lot next to our cabin so I need to build a garage and I want to spend time with her just enjoying what we have worked hard to get. The one thing I figured out, at least for me is that hiking is great if you have nothing better to do. I enjoy what I have and I missed not being home. Folks say if hiking isn't fun to quit- and being away wasn't fun, so I am done. I think with my wife retiring it would be selfish to go away for a whole summer again. Time is precious and once it is gone you can't get it back. I missed spending the summer with her and look forward to the upcoming years with her.I have hundreds if not a 1000 miles of trail in the high Unitas Mts five miles from my cabin that goes into a true wilderness area on peaks ranging from 8000 ft to 13000 so if I want to hike I can do it at home for a few years. my gear was great. Zpacks lightweight backpack was awesome-14.1 oz and it held up well. I washed it when I got home and I will use it in the future again. the sleeping bag also was good although I was cold in it at times. Upside to the hike was meeting new folks that I will hopefully keep in touch with for years to come. the downside were the trolls, what I call electronic warriors that didn't like my opinions so they would berate me as is custom on social media sites anymore. Too bad they didn't have the courage to face me and say things, but cowards never do. And yes they were cowards. I figure they will get what is coming to them in return one day. overall the adventure was one of a lifetime. Its not one that defines my life, but is one that made me use everything I had learned through my lifetime.if someone wants to hike the trail-then they should do it. One thing I smiled at though were the folks struggling on the trail as day hikers or weekend hikers that didn't have a clue on how tough the AT can be. On the other hand I saw day and weekend hikers that blew my doors off on the trail. It comes down to being prepared. I practiced hiked 400 miles in the mountains here to get my Achilles ready and it helped me. I did have constant foot problems but I think that is just my genetic shortcomings. I also kept my pack weight down and carried minimal food and water. max water was 2 liters and yes at times I got thirsty but it all worked out.I had hoped to see trail magic/angels and to be truthful I think I saw it everyday- even if physically it wasn't there. The fact that the AT exists is through only the efforts of a great community. Thank you all for your efforts and support of the trail. I hope generations from now will also be able to enjoy the trail, although I do hope it becomes more family hiker friendly in certain areas. It was a shame and great sadness to see folks get hurt hiking on the trail or as was the case with Inchworm- lost and as of this writing never found. No one hikes- to get hurt or die. although the AT is a great journey no one ever hikes it as their final journey. Prayers and blessings go out to all. Best of luck in the future. HYOH is what you make it. stand your ground, keep your ethics and do what you believe in. I am done and out. Both happy and sad that the AT adventure is over, but looking forward to making my own new adventures. life is good- it is what you make it.