Date: 2008-11-13
To: Final Reflections
Miles today: 0.0

After hiking for six months I was asked by a friend how the hike had changed me. At that moment this question was much too deep for me to process. I was surprised to find while on the trail that there was little time for reflection, meditation, creativity or any of the things that I imagined would be so refreshing while living away from the rat race. But I found that the trail itself was work, often hard work. Of course a good portion of each day was taken up with the process of getting from A to B. Sometimes the final destination would be flexible, but often it was important to make it a certain number of miles. A safe place to sleep, a water source or a road with access to a town with food resupply could all be reason to need to push a certain number of miles in a day. Though the hiking itself was time consuming, there was so much more that had to be done each day. Each morning there was a process for breaking down camp, packing the tent and all of our gear. Packing properly was essential for a good day of walking so it needed to be done right. An improperly packed pack could cause real problems for the back. Then there was breakfast. Calories were vital for starting the day, but if a cooked breakfast was made it would take longer to get on the trail. Eggs or pancakes are some of my favorite camping meals, but to do that backpacking means extra time allowed for the cooking and the cleaning up process. That got to be too much and our breakfasts became light and fast. Water was key throughout the entire hike and throughout every day. In the morning we had to make sure we had adequate water in our packs to make it to the next water source. Time would be spent studying the maps to make sure we didn¢t miss a resupply point along the way. When we came to a water source, restocking took time. Even though we were using the Steripen, which is fast and light, it takes time and it¢s very important that it be done properly. We would plop down on the side of the trail, use our water bottles to gather water, hopefully from a clear, uncontaminated spot, and use the Steripen to clean out any viruses or bacteria. Then the water would be poured into our camelback bladders. Time consuming¢¦ but be were always happy to find water. At the end of the day we hoped to be camping near a good water source. If we couldn¢t find one it meant eating a dry dinner and possibly skipping washing up at night, not our favorite way to end the day. Then there was the end of the day. When arriving in camp we would have to decide whether to sleep in the shelter or our tent. We usually preferred our tent for the privacy. That meant finding a perfect spot to pitch it¢¦ dry, flat, root and rock free. Sometimes that was very hard to do. Then came the nesting. Everything had its place. The more organized and orderly we were the less likely we were to leave something behind the next morning when we packed up. We found if we set up the tent without the fly we could arrange our sleeping pads, bags, clothing bags and other gear more easily, then we put the fly on for privacy. Next we moved to the food. No food in the tents. The first question was ¢how serious are the animal problems in this area?¢ The bears in the south¢¦ from around Hot Springs down through Georgia and in New Jersey and the porcupines in Maine seemed to be the only serious animals we addressed. Of course, the mice in the shelters¢¦ that¢s possible everywhere and a part of why we preferred our tent. Through the Smokies the bear cable system was awesome and in New Jersey boxes where always provided. Otherwise finding a perfect tree for hanging a bear bag was almost impossible. I¢m not convinced such trees really exist. So that would take up a good portion of any evening. If there were no serious animal issues in the area and the shelter was not too crowded, we would hang our food bags from the hangers in the shelter. That was a simple night! After all the nesting is done, dinner was made, eaten and cleaned up. We had a nightly ritual of cleaning up, changing cloths and crawling into the tent all before sundown. We would sit in the tent for an hour or so writing and reading. I would write our daily log in my Pocketmail device, which would be sent home to Greg whenever I found a landline to transmit on. Lydia was keeping a handwritten journal, reading classics and writing her own novel. She would work at this for hours after dark. The next morning we were up and it would start all over again. For six months, every day, day in and day out. When we returned home Greg said that we needed to take some time to readjust. He said we had been ¢out there¢ for so long we needed some cocooning time at home. Even though we had plenty of town stops, hostels and hotel stays, none of that was really a ¢safe¢ place where we could truly rest. I thought that was very profound of him to recognize that, I¢m not sure that I did. But he was right. That¢s why when my friend said, ¢how did the hike change you?¢ I didn¢t have an answer. I was so consumed by just putting one foot in front of another that I hadn¢t had time for serious self-reflection. Now some forty days post hike and still when I sit down to put in words my feelings about this time my mind begins to wander. It¢s the people. You would think a hike would be about nature and getting in touch with¢¦ whatever. But the experiences I had with the people along the trail are what really touched me and I will always treasure. I am an introvert by nature, I don¢t easily talk with strangers. However along the AT we encountered so many amazing Trail Angels, Thru Hikers, Section Hikers, Hostel owners¢¦ the list goes on and on. I am tempted to name names, but I¢m sure I would miss someone, there were so many awesome people, I would hate to overlook even one. So to all of you out there¢¦ you know who you are, THANK YOU! Whether you know it or not, whether you appreciate it or not, God used you in an awesome way in our lives this year. Owl, Roo and I do not take lightly the kindnesses we experienced along our journey and we will pass it on to others. Thanks for reading along on our journal this year. We plan to hike our missing section through the Whites and southern Maine next year. So we¢ll be back out there. Maybe we¢ll meet! Rabbit, Owl and Roo"Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9