Date: 2014-09-07
To: Looking Forward
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I procrastinated in writing this final journal entry, perhaps because I wasn't quite ready to close the book on my AT thru-hike. I can't believe it's been 10 days since I stood atop Katahdin.I thought being home in early August for a week with my shin injury would have helped me with my readjustment, but apparently knowing what to expect and dealing with it are two entirely different things. As before, I found my energy level the first few days at home to be nonexistent, as I was plastered to the couch much of the time, too exhausted even to make it to the fridge. It took me three days to mow the lawn, a little bit at a time, normally a two-hour job. I struggled to take my dog, Sammy, for daily two-mile walks, even though I'd been averaging 10 times that distance through rugged terrain in Maine. Fortunately, I've started to feel my energy level gradually return during the last several days.My knees, which had been keeping me up at night the last week or two on the AT, now feel fine. My feet are a different story. They have a strange combination of numbness and pain, particularly when walking around barefoot in the morning on wood floors. Soaking them in ice water definitely helps, but I expect they won't be back to normal for a month or more. Tor, who's a nurse, noticed upon my return that my spine was crooked, most likely from lugging a heavy backpack for so many months, and convinced me to see a chiropractor, who gave me a few sharp jabs and tugs to get me straightened out.I feel lucky I haven't experienced any depression, which many people report upon returning home from their thru-hikes. I think keeping busy by working through a task list, e.g., mow lawn, upload photos from phone, has helped give me the feeling I'm being productive, even through many of the seemingly trivial items are taking much longer than they normally would.During the first week off the trail I felt like I was in a dream, not up to speed with the world rushing by around me. The other day I was driving on the Mass Pike and found myself doing 55 in the right lane with traffic whizzing by. I'm still wrapped in a blanket of serenity and don't yet feel any of the low grade stress associated with life in the civilized world. I suppose I'll know I'm getting back to normal when I feel the urge to flip the bird to some Masshole driving like a maniac on the highway. For now, I'm happy to continue my existence in a slightly catatonic state.I've decided to return to my old software job, the one I resigned from in March to hike the AT. At the time, my boss tried to arrange a six-month leave of absence and later to keep me on on a part-time basis, but the powers that be rejected both requests. In retrospect, it was the best thing that could have happened, as I was able to hike the AT without thinking about work for more than 10 minutes during the entire five months I was away. People assume it must have been stressful for me to take the leap into unemployment, but in fact that was never the case, perhaps because, as explained by the following Goethe quote Helen sent me, I was completely committed to my thru-hike:Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it nowWith regard to my future plans, I had a number of discussions with my fellow thru-hikers the last several weeks about the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada along the West Coast. While hiking the PCT is intriguing and would represent the second leg of the triple crown, it's not something I would consider doing in the next year or two. I plan to fully savour Sonja's last year of high school and her hockey and lacrosse seasons. Her Nationals hockey tournament in early April delayed my departure for Georgia this spring, so it seemed appropriate that I found myself in a hockey rink a few days after returning from the trail. Any hockey families out there understand that hockey is both a religion and a way of life. I also plan to spend the next year with Tor preparing to become empty nesters.In the short term, I'm looking forward to visiting AZ and ABear in Arizona for a long weekend early next month and taking part in AZ's annual rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike. The single-day hike covers 23 miles, running from the North Rim to the South Rim and is unusual in that, unlike the climbs along the AT, the downhill comes first. AZ invited me on this hike before we parted ways in Central Virginia, and I'm excited to be seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time as well as to be reuniting with two of my closest AT trail friends.In closing, I'd like to thank all of you who followed along through this journal. I was truly overwhelmed, upon summiting last month, by the number of congratulations I received and couldn't help but notice that two of the first to come in were from David and Michael from Alaska and Australia, respectively. I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did.