Date: 2003-10-10
From: Portmouth, Me

To: The Gathering - Hanover, Me.
Miles today: 0.0

The GatheringWe pulled into the town of Hanover,NH early in the afternoon. The weather is supposed to be good,so I talked Papermaker into camping this weekend.A full moon,great views of the stars.It took some talking though,because he was all for getting a motel room to enjoy the luxeries of a hot shower,TV and a real bed. I could have had a better argument if I had of told him the truth. And that is that this will be my last weekend on the trail. My plans to hike for a while after the Gathering are not going to materialize. I still cannot lift my pack,or anything else for that matter without quite a bit of pain in my lower back. In fact, just bending over over putting any weight on my right leg causes pain.I have come up with a plan though to make a great lemonade out of this bag of lemons that I have been tossed.Papermaker isn't the only one who can pull off a surprise. I am putting him on his flight back home on Monday,then Mudbutt and I are driving south. I will drop her off in Atlanta at her house,then continue south until I get home.I plan to then hide my car,and have a fine dinner waiting for Papermaker when he comes home from work. But that is another story. We pick up our registration packets and are standing around talking to one another when Mudbutt is tackled from behind with the biggest of Bear hugs. It is none other than Liteshoe !!!Squealing and more hugs,followed by tears, goes round and around ,and just as we calmed down who should walk up but Hotdog !!!More squeals and hugs,more tears,and as soon as we calmed down overwalks Hopeful,and the scene started all over again. We are finally here! The Gathering.The event that for the most part signifies the end of our! journey. Through out my trip,Katahdin has been the goal,the trophey in my hands. The ultimate prize,but the Gathering has been the celebration point. This is the only place where people know,they understand.You do not have to explain where you have been or how tough or easy it has been.They just understand.Without a word.The hugs speak far more volumns than words. It is not so much a glad to see you hug,but rather a" I know what you have been through, and I understand ,congratulations type of hug." It is deep, rewarding and so very much bonding. They are long hugs,with tremors of emotions running through all of us. It is fantastic beyond beleif!!We talk and touch I can almost feel the ending coming together slowly,creeping in like a warm fog. it is hard not to yell out and say stop,I don't want it to be over yet. But I don't,it takes all that I have not to shut this out,thinking if I do,the end won't come. We finally let go of each other,and I go set up my tent. This feels so right,so comforting to me. This is familiar to me,a ritual that has become very dear to me. It takes me only a few minutes to set my house in order ,spread out my sleeping bag,blow up my thermarest. We head over to Dartmouth College where the fun really begins. Hanover is a real college town,and a money town. You can tell it by the cars,the buildings,the clothing stores ,.It reeks of wealth and power,of optulence. It also smells like hikers today. The streets are filled with them,packs on their backs ,raggedly clothing,making it look for the world like a homeless convention is in an upscale town. The college campus is sprawling and spread out over blocks and blocks. Young fresh looking students are everywhere,inter mingled with the hikers, forming a wide and varied contrast,as well as a wide berth from each other!! I look at these young people and wonder,do they even have a clue to what awaits them ou! t here in this big scary artificial world? Is there really any way to explain to them that these really are the best years of their lives? These years before the responsibities of jobs,families,bills , heartaches set in and overtake them? Before the expectations that their parents and the world will put on them really does set in? No, I don't think they know that,because they have not yet experienced the real world.They have nothing to compare it to. That is sad in someways.They cannot grasp and appreciate these times for what they really are. But then,do any of us really appreciate where we are? In life,in love,in the sceme of things? Are we not constantly searching for something better? Waiting for our ship to come in,or that better job,or car or spouse? When I ...... preceeds so many of our conversations about our hopes and dreams. Today,I am where I have only dreamed of being for many years. Today I am a thru hiker.I can identify with another group of people on a distinct level. Last year at the Gathering I spent all my time attending seminars,learning how to hike the AT. Ha! Ha! Ha! the joke is on me. I might have heard what gear to carry,or how to cook or keep from getting hypothermic,but the trail itself taught me how to hike it. How to get as much varied experiences as I could from it. It remains to be seen if I learned as much I as needed to. Hiker Roll Call,the event that overshadows ever other event this weekend for most of us. At least those of us who are thru hikers for 2003. The large room is filled with hikers,thru,sections,past ,present,wanna bes. The emcee stands in front and begins calling out different categories.She starts with 2002 thru hikers,then goes to secton hikers,hikers of other well known trails,then those dreaming of hiking at some day in the future. We applaud and clap vigoriuosly. She begins a roll all of years going back in time. As each year is called off fewer and fewer people stand up to take ther minute of recognition. 1989,1974,1968,1957...fewer and fewer hikers stand up..Some years there is no one to stand. Then there is the gray aired gentlemanthat hiked 40 years ago. The crowd gets quieter and quieter. Then the years are gone and silence fills the room as we reflect on the fact that it wasn't always a trail to hkeon from Georgia to Maine.That it took the dream of one man,then another and another to bring us to where we are today. Then with strong emotion in her voice she presents the class of 2003. We all stand and wildly cheer,grapping one another and crying or laughing,whichever hits us.Some even standing in dazed confusion realizing maybe for the first time that they have hiked the AT.I look around at all thse people,people who I now know and love. Those I met on the trail one time but let them into my heart for a place to remain there forever. People I will probably never see again. We share a common denominator.One that only a handfull of people will understand. I surprize myself by not crying. I feel energized,tired,estatic,sad,happy,invincible,scared,but no tears. Now that is what I call strange. Before,all I had to do was think about the roll call and I would get teary eyed. The mystery of a womans emotions. We finally quieted down and sat down then was asked if that was the best we could do and were we through? We stood and started the hooplah all over again. Exhausted,we sat down and tried to reign the emotions in that were spilling over. The rest of the evening was spent watching a slide show by Spur and Ready,a married couple who had hiked this year. I had met them several times along the way. It was neat just to sit back and relive this tour that I had taken over the spring, summer and fall. Imagine my surprize when there up on the screen were pictures of Mudbutt and I hiking along a ridge . Our packs sillouetted against the evening sky as we trudged along.It was late when we made or way back to the campground. The full moon shown so brightly that we did not need our headlamps to find the tent. There have been dozens more hikers set up and we look like a festival of tents with the different shapes and sizes. I can hardly bend over to climb in the tent and into my bag. refuse to think about the fact that I have to go home. I am afraid that I will start crying and never stop. I swallow hard and drift off to sleep,cherishing one more night in the real world.I know in the days ahead I will have to come face to face with the facts but for now I push them aside and try to get as much enjoyment as I can from this weekend.