Date: 2011-08-06
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Saturday, August 6 ¢ Home ¢ It still hasn¢t sunk in that the journey is over, but it is starting to. My feet are still sore, my knees ache from Katahdin, but I¢ve cleaned and put away most of my gear, and I¢ve shaved off 144 days¢ worth of whiskers. As I sit and reflect on the adventure and people ask me if it was what I expected, I realize that it is both what you expect from reading about the trail as well as what you don¢t expect. For example how much you rely on other people to help make your dream come true. First and foremost you rely on your family and friends. I¢ll never be able to thank my wife Mary enough for all she has done. She has kept the home front running, kept my journal readable and up-to-date (even when I gave up on trying to spell words correctly), she¢s been my personal re-supply person when I¢ve needed new gear or something special, and most importantly she has been there supporting me throughout this adventure, even when I was beginning to have doubts. I know it was tough on her, even though she never let on, because it was tough on me being apart that long. I may do a long distance hike again in the future, but it won¢t be without her. For all that she did I can¢t thank her enough. I also have a large group of family and friends that I owe for their support while I was gone. I know my boys helped pick up the slack, while others were there if Mary needed something. I can¢t overstate the help of hostels, trail angels, and perfect strangers. Throughout the hike I was able to get clean, rested, and re-supplied through the goodwill of many of these people. Many of these people do what they do for little or no money, and the kindness displayed really restores your faith in people. I plan to go back and thank all the hostels I had the pleasure of staying in, but I could never begin to remember the names of everyone that provided trail magic, or a ride. The second thing I realize about the trail is that your experience is shaped by a couple of factors. Weather and your hiking companions greatly affect how you feel about different sections. Weather is obvious, when you see a particular aspect of the trail in rain, fog, or snow you generally don¢t have that fond of a memory of it as you would have if it had been a gorgeous day. Many times it came up in conversation on the trail that somebody loved a certain area, while another wished they could have skipped it. This was usually because of different weather on different days. The second one, hiking companions, kind of surprised me. I like hiking alone a lot of the times, but often times the trail is more enjoyable when you are able to share your experiences with a friend. I was grateful to have several hiking companions that I traveled hundreds of miles with, and now will probably have as lifelong friends. Thanks Mammoth, Enzed, Chainsaw, and Peregrine. There were several other people that I met on the trail that I hiked with for a short time, but wish I had hiked with them longer. Some were too fast for me to keep up, others had a little slower pace, and a few had to leave the trail. All contributed something to my hike and will be fondly remembered. Walking Wally, Shutter, Flutewalker, Savage, Breeze, Dexter, Fuzzy Navel, Tiger Lilly, High Five, Rambo, Sherpa, Darvey, The Colonel, Redwood & Lego, Snorkel, Rumble Strip, Blue Sky, Disco, Six String, Silver Fox, One Grey Wolf, Shoo Fly & Nero, Spaceman & Rocket, Fig & Duck, Steady, Billygoat, and Legion. I¢d especially like to mention Comanche, not only was he someone I would have liked to hike longer with, but he made a special effort to stay in touch, and was there in the end when I summited. Thanks again Comanche.In the end it was a magnificent adventure that I will always cherish. I was lucky enough to be able to complete my dream, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing about it. Thanks again to everyone that read my journal, and encouraged, and wished me well. It means a lot, and hopefully someday I¢ll be following your journal.