Date: 2014-09-08
From: Bland, VA via Laurel Creek at VA615

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

So, once again I write of the end of my 2014 AT Adventure. At the end of May, I sincerely thought I was not hiking again in 2014. Now I am VERY certain that is the case. The past week was a valuable lesson for me ¢ you cannot take the AT lightly. I guess I thought if I did it before, I could do it again. I did not stop to think in how much better physical shape I was in at March verses presently. Back then I had trained for months in increasing levels of effort and on a downward trend of weight loss. This time (although virtually at the same weight I was in March), I was much less prepared and had been gaining weight over many weeks before departing. In short, I was not strong enough at this point to be able to put in the effort on those darn old hills.I did however enjoy the week. Trudger was good company and we were roughly equal in hiking abilities. As before I saw some beautiful scenery and took pleasure from being able to rough it; being responsible for my own well being 24 hours a day. I again witnessed many sights, sounds, emotions and varied experiences that created fond memories. Although it was a real struggle, I am glad I went. Even though I have to eat crow and accept that Wendy predicted a short duration hike this time ¢ and I scoffed at her prediction.There were a few surprises to me. First was that were almost no bugs. I was thinking that it was certainly still warm enough for them; but, there were very few. That was a very pleasant surprise. It was also surprising just how few other hikers were on the trail this time of year. I knew there would certainly be no huge bubble of thru-hikers going north as before. In fact in 6 days of going north, we did not see a single other north bounder. Considering our slow pace, we thought we would have been passed by on occasion.   We probably saw about a dozen south bounders over the entire week. Most were section hikers with only 2 thru-hikers that we know of. Of 6 nights on the trail, only once was there anyone else camped by us. And on that occasion, whom-ever there was set up their tent about 100 yards away and never came over to converse. Previously there were usually 20 to 30 people congregated each evening. If you want a solitary experience, hike northbound in the fall.So, now what for me?   I am committed to work on my wellness ¢ for life. Want to learn to eat healthier, sleep better, get in better shape and stay that way via exercise more than exercise classes (i.e. weight training, etc.) and de-stress (relaxation, yoga, etc). If that leads to another opportunity to do more of the AT in future years, so be it. If not, then on to other adventures in my and Wendy¢s bucket lists. At this point, I seem to doubt I¢ll ever feel strong enough to tackle the hardest part of the AT (New Hampshire and Maine) ¢ but, who knows. Wendy says I¢m sometimes hard headed.Again, thanks to all who followed my trail journals. Hope it was somewhat entertaining and informative for you. And to those leaving messages there, I will be eternally grateful for your encouragement and support.Lastly, I will forever admire and respect those hikers who have the physical and mental strength to complete the AT. It is an extremely hard task. In total, my 580 miles in the books is just slightly over one quarter of the trail. How on earth can people, even younger than I, do it? They are my hero¢s.Final pic is Trudger and I's shadow on the Laurel Creek standing on the bridge with me waving good-bye to the AT.