Date: 2015-08-07
To: Wrap-Up
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This will be an ¢all over the map¢ post. Not taking time to arrange it, so¢¦enjoy the ¢journey¢.We spent a few days in New York and are now back home in Texas, roasting in 100 degree heat.I will line up a doctor visit soon. It will be interesting to see what the trail has done to/for me.Have enjoyed reading guest book posts and journal entries. So glad we were able to share the experience with so many neat people.Several people we knew were featured in an article about the issues Baxter State Park is having with thru-hikers. Read that here: http://www.pressherald.com/2015/08/02/maines-baxter-state-park-pushes-back-rising-number-thru-hikers/Completing the hike would have been impossible without the help of my family. Bobby was a real trooper, putting up with my snail-like pace and being a steadying influence when the ¢plan¢ was falling apart. Leon helped hold down the fort and that meant I could focus on the task at hand, rather than worrying about things back home. Clare was always encouraging and helped by mailing a few packages and shuttling/slack-packing us in Vermont. My folks gave us a financial boost that helped us to the finish line.I didn¢t put much info in my ¢about¢ page, but this info may be helpful to others considering a thru-hike. I¢ve had three back surgeries (2001, 2005, & 2006). Since most of the backpack weight is carried lower, I had no problems with my back. I lost sixty pounds on the hike. I still have a bit more to lose, but staying active and eating healthier should help me there. I¢m a lacto-ovo vegetarian who had no trouble finding things to eat on the trail. This was the first time either of us had been backpacking.We didn¢t use mail drops to resupply. I didn¢t like the cost of sending packages and having to fit in dozens of visits to post offices along the way. Instead, we¢d carry enough food for a few days and hitchhike into/out of towns when we needed to resupply.Sometimes getting a ride was a problem, so once in a while we called for a shuttle/taxi or caught a ride on public transportation. We sometimes had to make the long walk in/out. We ran into a hiker who¢d made a two-sided laminated sign. It said something like ¢Need ride to town¢ on one side and ¢Need ride to trail¢ on the other. Simple & brilliant!We did very little slack-packing early on, but more toward the end. I make no apologies for doing some of the trail with a lighter daypack now and then. Since I was hauling three hundred pounds (body + pack) up and down mountains at the start, I still ended up doing much more work than the guys/gals who started out around half that.I think I¢ve identified a couple of things the trail experience has helped me with.As a teacher/coach, the focus is on the end results, right? Preparing for end of school year exams and championship season swim meets is what it¢s all about, isn¢t it? Well, I¢d like to spend a little more time during the school year and swim season to celebrate the steps we¢re taking along the way. That journey vs. destination thing. We can do both, can¢t we?I hope to better verbalize my appreciation for others. On the return trip we stopped off to visit a former swimmer. I was able to let him know how much I truly enjoyed coaching him. The guy was always at workout, could always be counted on in meets, and was a great ¢team player¢. Even though he probably knew how much I appreciate what he did for his teammates and I, it was nice to get a chance to tell him.