Date: 2018-08-11
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: ME 15 - Monson 
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I talked to Next Step around 8:30 this morning while I was walking at the local park. He let me know that he was only about 9 miles from Monson and that he was hoping for a day of rest (except for the 9 mile walk and hiker chores, of course). So you guys are stuck with me today. He wanted me to let you know that his hike this morning was good, but pretty uneventful. That said, he is excited about starting the 100 Mile Wilderness TOMORROW! He decided to forego a Zero in Monson to give him more time to spend on the trail. With 8 days to cover 110 miles he is satisfied that he won¢t feel rushed to get through it. The final stretch before KATAHDIN!!!! I am beyond excited for him! I can¢t even imagine how he must be feeling by now. As he mentioned before, I will be flying to Boston next Saturday and will drive up to Baxter State Park on Sunday. Weather permitting, we will SUMMIT KATAHDIN on Monday, the 20th!!!!!!!!!! His 29 year dream will come to fruition and I know he is feeling blessed beyond measure to have been given this opportunity to see it through. Obviously, it would have been even better if we could have done the whole journey together, but it¢s okay. I¢m just so thankful I got to do half of it and I get to be there to see him finish. That makes my heart smile just to think about. After spending 1,000 miles on the AT with him, I truly ¢get it¢ when I read his entries every day and I know, that even as beautiful and breathtaking as all the pictures are that he posts, they¢re nothing compared to seeing it in person! If it works out, I¢ll get to see it for myself over the next few years when I go back and hike the last half!I¢ve been having a wonderful time while I sit on the sidelines. I got to surprise our daughter with an earlier-than-planned trip to Colorado. A couple of weeks ago, she thought she and her boyfriend, Ian, were going to the airport to pick up his roommate, but they were really there to pick me up. The look on her face was PRICELESS! We had an AMAZING week together getting her ready for her last semester of college- just hanging out, cooking together, playing lots of Catan (with her and Ian), binge watching some tv shows, and of course, shopping and LOTS of laughing!! Next Step and I will go on a MEGA road trip when he finishes the AT to visit ALL of our family, so I¢ll get to see her and Ian again soon and we¢ll get to spend some time with our son and his sweet wife as well! That helped to make it not quite so hard to leave. As you know, I¢ve also been spending time with my precious parents in Kentucky. We¢ve cooked together, shopped, and had some ¢fun¢ games of Triominoes ( which I always lose, thus, the quotation marks!!) My mom and I work the Daily Crossword Puzzle together almost every evening. One of the highlights of my time with them has been having them teach me how to can tomato juice. My dad raises a BEAUTIFUL garden every year and all summer, we¢ve been enjoying DELICIOUS veggies every night for supper. But I really am hoping to have my own garden next year, now that we¢ll finally be able to live in one spot long enough to make that happen. I wanted to be able to can my own tomato juice. So this was the perfect time to learn! And I ended up absolutely loving the process! (Now, I can¢t really say that I enjoyed canning the whole tomatoes quite as much. If you¢ve ever done it, you¢ll understand what I¢m talking about). But at least I can say I could do it if I HAD to. I¢m thinking the canned whole tomatoes at Kroger taste just fine to me. Lol I¢ve also been collecting zinnia flowers out of his garden to dry, so that I can plant those in my yard next year as well. My dad has two green thumbs, for sure. So I¢m hoping that some of that will rub off on me! But mostly, he puts lots of love, sweat and prayers into it and I¢m pretty sure, that¢s the true secret:-) And of course another highlight is that I¢ve enjoyed being able to talk to the kiddos any time I want! Not to mention that I¢ve had running water and flushable toilets! I¢ve been able to change clothes 5 times a day (no, I don¢t really do that, but it¢s nice to know that I can!). I have a real mattress to sleep on. I not only have a plethora of hair products to choose from (and I haven¢t had to open a shampoo packet with my teeth in two months!!) but I have a whole drawer of make-up to wear every day, and 4 different bottles of perfume to choose from!!! But I would go back to wearing the same clothes every day and give up all of my other ¢luxuries¢ in .3 seconds if I could have my back working again and be able to hike with my Next Step!!! Oh, how I miss that man! But we¢ll be together soon, just the way we¢re supposed to be!Hugs,Which WayElevation Data:Ascent - 1,425Descent - 970Grade - 5.1Weather:Day - 76 / SunnyNight - 60 / ClearOver The Horizon: The 100 Mile Wilderness