Date: 2016-10-28
From: Stealth Camping Near Wawayanda Creek

To: Unionville, New York
Miles today: 12.7

Today is October 26. This will be my last entry to this blog, as I complete my hike today. I have had two great fears as I hiked the AT . My first fear was that I might contract Lyme Disease, a chronic very serious life long health problem caused by getting bitten by a deer tick. These ticks are the size of a poppy seed, so they are very hard to see or feel if they get on you. I remember the first tick I saw while hiking the AT. It was on my tent, and it filled me with a very deep sense of fear and dread. I was able to deal with this threat by wearing long pants and spraying my clothes with a very effective tick repellent called Permethrin. My second greatest fear was getting lost in the woods. This fear only became severe for me in the last few days of my hike. The AT is marked by white paint rectangular (two inches by six inches) markings on rocks and trees. These white rectangular paint markings are called blazes. Ideally, you should be able to see from one blaze to the next one. However, blazes fade over time, marked trees blow over, and sometimes it is not possible to see from one blaze to the next one. Thousands of people have walked the AT over many decades, so usually the trail is well defined. It is now late fall. As a result of the 36 hour windstorm, many leaves have fallen, hiding the trail, so in a few parts of the AT, there are no trail markings in view, and leaves have hidden the trail, and the trail often makes sudden turns. At such times, I am filled with a terrible panic. If I were hiking with one or more other people, this would be no problem. One person would simply stay put, where the last blaze was, while one or more other hikers would search out the next blaze. However, there are very few people left out on the AT this late in the fall (with the exception of weekends when there are many day hikers out), I might only see 1-2 other hikers (or none at all) during the course of a day. When both the trail and blazes disappear, I make my best guess as to where the trail goes to next, but there is always the risk that I will be wrong and then unable to find my way back to the last visible blaze. A few years ago, a hiker named Inchworm wandered off the trail and died, so every time I don't know where the next AT blaze is, and I am all alone in a silent, gray sky, cold, windy forest, I was filled with a terrible dread. I only had this terrible dread during the last few days of my hike. Happily, my story has a happy ending. I have finished my hike, and I am back at home in Miami. The last thing I want to do is thank the many people who have made my hike possible. The person who made the biggest sacrifice was my wife, Ginny. It was very tough for her to not see me for over 7 months. Ginny also mailed me stuff when I needed it, and kept the house going while I was gone. I also owe a very deep thanks to my sister Anne and her partner, Debra. They sent me very generous amounts of money, and treats, letters, and even lottery tickets during my trip. Anne and Debra, I cannot thank you enough. I want to thank my two Odyssey 2000 cycling friends, Randal and Ron who invited me to stay in their homes during my hike. I also want to thank all of the friends who visited me during my hike: Bob, Fred, Joe, Susan John, Sandra, and Karen and Dave who hosted me at their house. Also, thank you Beth for the wonderful care package you sent me. Thanks also to Warren Doyle, and all of the other WONDERFUL people I hiked with on Warren's New Hampshire/Maine hike. Finally, I want to thank the many, many trail angels who provided food and maintained the AT by donating their time to clear debris from the trail. There is probably one or more people who I owe a debt of gratitude to who I have forgotten to mention in this thank you list. Please accept my apologies for this. I appreciate your thoughtfulness very much.