Date: 2005-10-15
To: A month later...
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s now been exactly one month since my long quest to hike the AT ended at Abol Bridge, one day after summitting Katahdin. I feel a sense of accomplishment for which I¢m thankful to God for my good health and the opportunity to hike. I also thank God for the Trail¢s existence, made possible by the dedicated people throughout the years; the dreamers and visionaries, the builders, the maintainers, the stewards of this ¢footpath in the wilderness.¢ I also owe much to many people in my life. First of all, my wife Laurine who tolerated my absences and took care of things at home. While the absences were lengthier in recent years, the early years of short hikes were more difficult for her when our daughters were young. She also shuttled me on some hikes, notably a one-nighter from Kinsman Notch to Franconia Notch in 1993 while on a family vacation and more recently, picking me up at Greenwood Lake June of 2004 when a wet painful blister abruptly ended a hike.On the subject of family, I first heard about the Appalachian Trail as a child from my mother Jeannette and my aunt Elizabeth Cooke (my Dad¢s sister) who were active members of the Green Mountain Club¢s New York Section. The Club¢s facility on Lake Tiorati in Harriman Park, NY was situated a few miles from the Trail less than an hour from our New Jersey home. Through the club, I was exposed to hikers and a little of the hiking lifestyle. My first remembrances of actually setting foot on the Trail was at the Lemon Squeezer and Island Pond. When I joined the Club as a college student and began participating in more hikes, I met Dick Hudson, one of the early 2,000 milers; he¢s mentioned in Ed Garvey¢s book.Until her final years my aunt who passed away in 1987 always expressed interest in my hiking; every time I returned, she¢d ask how many miles I had remaining. On the other side of the family, my Uncle William O¢Connor was also active in the Club as well as a Boy Scout leader. My mother passed away in April 2004, shortly after I had finished my first long (for me) section hike: 103 miles from Springer to Wallace Gap. We talked about my AT hiking right up to within a week of her death. During my 2004 and 2005 hikes, my brother Jim assisted me with shuttles and maildrops as well as enjoying my treks vicariously.Next, I¢m thankful to my first hiking partner Keith Davis who hiked all of Vermont from North Adams, MA to Sherburne Pass as well as the rest of the Long Trail with me. He was especially a trooper on our first hike in 1977 when I convinced him to follow me; neither of us had backpacked before and he had never even camped. Despite my poor physical condition, he stuck with me and we hiked well together for years in Vermont, the White Mountains, Southern Pennsylvania, and over a hundred miles in Virginia. Keith moved to Colorado in 1988 but joined me in 2002 for a 25-year anniversary hike in Vermont over the Lincoln Ridge. The beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks brought back great memories.In 28 years of section hiking the AT, countless Trail Angels appeared. Many were willing to pick up a scrubby-looking hitchhiker and often, would go out of their way to deliver me further than I reasonably expected. Others provided refreshments or kind words. Some came up with items I had lost. Vermont, 1980: I left a camera in a shelter. I left a note for a hiker named Arnold I had just met with my name and address. 2 weeks later, the camera came in the mail. On my last trip in Maine, a thruhiker came up with my missing pole tip. Wildcat, who I only met on Springer in 2004, shuttled me over 100 miles for my October 2004 hike and also surprised me with Trail Magic when I emerged from the Smokies. The list can go on and on.Of course, I¢m thankful for trail maintainers. The clubs and their volunteers perform admirably. The best-maintained sections, in my opinion, are the 2 ends (GATC and MATC) and the middle (PATC - I¢m naturally biased). And after 33 years of hiking (it¢s about time!), I¢ve finally joined the ranks, taking care of 2.2 miles in Shenandoah National Park over High Top.And finally, I¢m immensely grateful to Keith Bance aka Northern Harrier. When I joined him for the first part of his 2004 thruhike (seeing each other for the first time in 30 years), we both benefitted from the experience. I enjoyed hiking with him and providing some Trailside assistance in Virginia, New Jersey and New York. His advice was valuable in planning my own subsequent hikes.   He reciprocated in New Jersey and most importantly, Maine when he picked up my car in Gorham, drove to Abol Bridge, and summitted Katahdin with me. Hopefully we¢ll hike together many more times in the future.Ah, the future - what does it hold? Well, I will not re-hike the entire AT but some portions I certainly will revisit. In November, I¢ll return to where it all started in Southern Vermont for a week of hiking, followed by another week in Eastern New York, Connecticut, and Southern Massachusetts. So many trails, so little time! John Muir Trail, parts of the PCT, parts of the Colorado Trail, the Wonderland Trail, Isle Royale, the Wind River Range, Alaska, Norway, the Alps, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Pyrenees - all places I want to backpack. But there¢s also other outdoor pursuits. When I retired in 2003, I planned to cycle and kayak as well as backpack but thus far, it¢s been mostly backpacking. Need to bring things into balance!And the balance involves activities other than hedonistic pleasures. Family trips and events will always be a joy. Laurine and I had a wonderful trp to Scandinavia last summer and we anticipate similar trips in the future, although we probably won¢t get back to Africa!   I¢ll also look into service projects and other ways I can give back to a world that needs help.