Date: 2016-09-10
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0

It's been two weeks since my hike ended. Mark recently asked how I am doing now that I am back to life "like the rest of us". I have and have had a pretty good life. It's easy to "adjust" to having a refrigerator, toilet, shower, and bed. I am back to watching lots of television too. It's been great to catch up and speak with friends and family. I particularly like emphasizing that I am home for good - my hike is completed. When Beth and I were first married, she would follow me around the day before I headed out of town to work for days or a week. I was reminded of this as I found myself smothering her a bit during my first days home. I received a scolding after I failed to let her know where I was going one day when I returned unused hiking purchases. I thought it was a bit funny, but she wasn't amused. It was a reminder that I have been gone a long time with just my hiking family really aware of where I am and where I'll be. So I am adjusting. Week 1 saw frequent refrigerator raids at all hours of the night - fudgsicles continue to be consumed. Physically, my feet still don't feel normal. Pads grew on the bottom of my feet, something like an animal's paws. I really don't understand the difficulty I have walking down a flight of stairs. It makes me wonder how I managed to hike a couple weeks ago.I don't miss the hiking. I am so glad that I hiked the AT, but I continue to be glad that the hike was completed. I am so grateful to Beth and realize even more how I never would've finished without her pushing me in a loving way to get back out there. I also realize that I couldn't have finished without my incredible trail family and the trail friends that made my final weeks so enjoyable. I periodically am in contact with them. It's not the same as when we are hiking, but it's pretty good. I feel as close to them as I feel with my best friends from high school, college, and those incredible first years of growth after college and our initial years of marriage. I feel comfortable saying that I'm certain I'll be able to see them years from now and be able to pick up with them as if we've never been apart. We went through this together and it connected us in a significant, binding way.I miss meeting new, amazing people. I miss the adventure and sense of accomplishment that came with each day's hike. I've reread my February entries and am taken right back to experience it again. I became increasingly aware, as I recovered from Lyme Disease, or just how important people were to me and are to me. My journey taught me how much I treasure people. As much as I enjoyed hiking for miles by myself - miles that let me recall so many great memories of my life and think about my loved ones and all of your overwhelming support - I realize that I was dependent on interacting with all of you. The mental part of hiking the AT was so much harder than the physical part. I'd been forewarned about the tremendous mental challenge and know, for me, that it was all that and more. My recollection is that Big Guy, my incredible father-in-law, found it amazing that I began this hike not having anyone to hike with each day when this hike began. Looking back, it is amazing to me that I began this hike by myself. The February posts embrace hikers that quickly became my trail family. This will probably be confusing but, now that I've hiked the AT, I can't see me hiking an extended time without incredible people around me. I think I hiked with some who can hike by themselves, but know that's not me.Today's picture shows where I'm at with this hike's facial growth. It's not the same as when I finished the hike, but it's a big difference from when I began this hike. I don't know how long this look will remain. In some ways it's a continual reminder of my hike. I miss my ongoing banter with Mark and Aunt Alice. I miss getting needled by my sister Janet and Fresh Ground. It will be interesting to think of all of this as time passes. I look for your e-mails almost everyday and have a genuine sense of excitement when a post comes my way. How I'll ever replace all of this eludes me. I just read my list of reasons to hike the AT. Included in them were to enjoy and embrace the comraderie of the AT hiking community, to have a larger-than-life experience, and to look forward to engaging with new friends in the coming years. My transition is underway. I am already grateful for the memories. Thanks to all of you.