Date: 2013-07-30
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

Easy and I made it home safely by 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon and I can't tell you how good it feels to be here. He'd invited a few friends over to celebrate in the evening, and Hannah (never did give her a trailname) made a surprise visit home as well. Just lovely!Hiking gives one a lot of time to think, and I've spent quite a bit of this time recently thinking about how I'd like to wrap up my trail journal. There's a saying about how it takes a village to raise a child, and as I reflected on my hike I realized that it took a large community of people to support me in the successful completion of my hike. So at the risk of this sounding like an overly long Academy Award acceptance speech, I need to thank lots of people.I was blessed with the most amazing hiking companions every step of the way. Each time I moved out of a hiking partnership it seems as though I soon moved into another relationship. Thanks to Infinity, Chino, Maineiac, Rainbow Braid, Wild Blue, Gonzo, Genie, Duffel Miner, Tommyhawk, Goat, Fix, Foxi, Flip, Starman, Walker, Cardinal, and Dragonstick. It was both a privilege and honor to have shared the trail with each of you.In addition to these wonderful hiking "mainstays", I was lucky to be part of a larger bubble of terrific hikers who I crossed paths with multiple times. These include (among many more) Oz, Dr. J, ZZ Topless, Grim, Eagle Runner, Hurry, Just Dave, Yonder, Logan, Whiteout, Ned, Sandman, Patriot, Tekakwitha, Northern, Mudmouth, Yardsale, Chin Music, Taco, Tin Cup, Maverick, and Stretch. It was great being part of this roving trail community and I missed seeing many of you once I made the two state "jump". I think I laughed harder than ever spending time hiking and camping with all of you. Then there were the many, many trail angels along the way. My deepest thanks to Tucker and Judy Maxwell, Tom and Tina Badley, and Greg Cook for opening up their homes to hiking strangers. Big, big thanks to Fresh Ground, who supported a whole gaggle of hikers all the way from Georgia to Virginia. Thanks to Kathi Bietsch for the pizza lunch at a park in PA, to Betsy Maislen (aka Short and Sweet) for the sweet mail drops and encouraging words, and to MaryEllen and David Royce for the incredible West Carry Pond dinner for a group of hungry hikers. Many thanks to Althea and Don Paine for the lovely night's stay at their home near Stratton, ME. Thanks to Tommyhawk and Goat's friend Fred for dropping everything and driving 2+ hours to pick up four tired hikers in Pennsylvania and drive them to upstate NY. One minute on the trail and the next at a Greek Festival yelling "Opa!". Thanks also to all the kind people who gave me rides and directions along the way.On the home front, many thanks to my good friends Cecilia Elwert, Lisa Daudon, Susan Pare, Nancy Orvis, Alan Kamman, Ann Pollender, Mary Stetson, Caroline Camara, Joyce Dicianna, Kathy Floyd, and Darcy Brouillette. You have no idea how much your continued words of support and encouragement through texts, emails, and Facebook and Trail Journals messages meant to me. Thank you.A huge thanks also to each of you for following along on my adventure. This Trail Journal business took on a life of its own that I never anticipated, and I so appreciated all the kind words in my guest book. I was moved to tears more times than you can imagine from messages you sent.And lastly, with gratitude and thanks to my family. To our kids Hannah and Jacob (aka Quark); you never doubted your mom's ability to take on this quest, and for that I'm grateful. And to my number one fan and cheerleader Easy Rider, all my love and thanks. I couldn't ask for a finer life partner and never once did you question my dream to undertake this adventure. At White House Landing a few days ago Barbarosa asked me about my mindset in taking on this long hike. Good question and one I hadn't really thought too much about. I guess that barring unforeseen illness, injury, or family emergency, quitting wasn't an option. Hiking the AT was a goal long in the making and I was fortunate to have the gifts of time and good health, so why wouldn't I go all the way? Besides, a wonderful woman named Katie was hired as my sub at school so what would I do if I stopped hiking and returned home? From the beginning Katahdin was a misty goal in a far off land, so instead I focused on more immediate goals each and every step of the way. Not until I popped out of the 100 Mile Wilderness did I realize that I was finally at the final goal of summiting the Big K.Lastly, the question I endured more than any other was "are you hiking the trail alone?!", or "don't tell me you're hiking the trail alone!", or my least favorite "your husband's okay with you hiking the AT by yourself?!". I started daydreaming about wild and crazy ways I'd answer this question because it became really tiresome. Here's the reality as I see it: one is never really alone on the AT. As I noted above, I had the best hiking companions for the vast majority of my months on the trail. I spent only one night in a shelter by myself, and two nights stealth camping alone. That's it. I never had a scary people or wildlife encounter. I had a couple of scary weather situations, but I made it through. The myth that people hiking solo, especially women, are unsafe needs to stop.What will remain in my memory long after the beautiful wilderness views are the people I met both on the trail and through the trail town experiences. Anyone sour on humanity and worried about the future of the next generation should hike the trail. I met some of the finest and most extraordinary people I have ever encountered on the trail. The largest demographic of those people in my hiking bubble were in their 20's, and they are amazingly talented young people with bright futures ahead. I deeply value the friendships I made along the way.So that's enough for now. Easy goes into the hospital for hip replacement surgery tomorrow, so his recovery will be my next focus, and then a visit to see my dad. When the dust settles a bit I'd like to post a gear review because I had good luck with most everything I brought along.There was one song on my IPod that brought tears to my eyes each time I heard it, from Georgia to Maine, and it seems fitting to close with the lyrics. Hiking the Appalachian Trail was the largest goal I'd ever set for myself. What's your dream? Again, thanks for reading!Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield)I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefinedI'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplannedStaring at the blank page before youOpen up the dirty windowLet the sun illuminate the words that you could not findReaching for something in the distanceSo close you can almost taste itRelease your inhibitionsFeel the rain on your skinNo one else can feel it for youOnly you can let it inNo one else, no one elseCan speak the words on your lipsDrench yourself in words unspokenLive your life with arms wide openToday is where your book beginsThe rest is still unwritten...