Date: 2003-10-09
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Well   ...things got pretty hairy near the end. I was doing horendous mileage and the weather turned pretty cold and nasty so I fell behind in my journaling. I will try to go back and capture those missing days but I did want to get my journal updated to reflect the fact that I MADE IT !!On Thursday 10/9 at around 12:30 I reached the sign on summit of Katahdin, bringing to and end a 6 month and 10 day adventure and turning my near lifelong dream into reality.I had a pristine day on the mountain. Katahdin had been closed the 3 days prior to my arrival and there was a back-up of around 50 hikers chomping at the bit to make that final climb. So there was quite a crowd at the top. But that only sweetened my experience   ...to be there with so many friends with whom I had spent the last several months on the trail.Completing a hike like this brings a lot of mixed emotions to the forefront. I am exstatic to be going home to Leslie, the love of my life. I am proud of my accomplishment and thrilled to be among those who know what's involed in hiking the AT from end to end. Then again, it is hard to just flip the switch and NOT be hiking every day. Something tells me that the transition from trail life to what most folks think of as "reality" is going to take some time.I am sitting in the library on the Dartmouth University campus (Hanover, NH)and don't have the ability right now to add a photo of my last days on the trail and most of all   ...my "victory pose" on Katahdin. I'll add those shots to my journal once I get back home. My immediate plans are to travel from New Hampshire to Ohio for a short visit with my mother before continuing on home to Wyoming. Leslie and my daughter, Erin, are joining me there for a little family reunion. Leslie and I will then make the final flight home to Laramie.This has been without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever attempted. I'm sure it has had some long lasting effects on me but at this moment I can't put them into words. One of my first observations though was that being indoors, without fresh air and the sounds of nature surrounding me day in an day out, seems unatural.Over the next several days I will be reflecting on my experiences and gathering my thoughts. I do plan to post a retrospective entry once I have organized some of those thoughts. I learned a great deal about myself, about others and about life in general. An adventure such as this is NOT just about the hiking. In fact, at least for me, the hiking itself almost took on a secodary sort of importance.Many thanks to all of you who followed along in my journey from Springer to Katahdin. For those who would never even consider an undertaking such as this I hope the daily accounts of my adventure were of interest and entertainment. To those who might some day choose to hike the AT I hope that my journal provided some insight as to the day to day life of a long distance hiker. Trust me   ...it's not a glamorous existence and not something a person should consider without significant forthought and preparation. Im not certain right now what kept me going at times but I'm damned glad I did. I've been congratulated my family, my friends and by dozens of former and current hikers but the reward is mostly an immense sense of personal pride and accomplishment. I now belong to a relatively small group of hikers who know what it's like to make it ALL THE WAY. We're not special or better than anyone else in the larger scheme of things, but we share a common bond that only an experience such as this can form.I've Lived my Dream   ...and my wish for all who have chosen to read my journal is that you too might some day follow a dream of your own, whatever that dream may be.It's been a wild and crazy ride. Thanks for being there with me   ...