Date: 2008-07-27
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm writing this as a post entry because I didn't feel it was prudent to squeeze in a bunch of thank yous at the end of my summit day entry, so I'll do it here. There are so many people that have contributed to this journey, whether they be hikers, encouragers, family, friends or whatever. So, here we go:I'd like to thank my family for being my biggest fans. They all embraced this (not so) crazy adventure of mine with understanding and encouragement. Dad, Mom, Ryan, and Julia (Kait and Evan) all made the effort to come hike with me several times as I progressed north which made a huge difference, especially our rendez-vous in Great Barrington, MA as I was especially struggling with motivation at that point.I'd like to especially thank my mother for essentially creating this online journal. I'm sure transcribing my chicken scratch handwritten journal entries was a pain in the ass at times but the number of hours devoted to the task really created something really special. This journal has been made public to all of you, but I'm sure a few years (or months) down the road I will thank her even more for putting this together for me. Thank you to my friends. Thank you to Christian for hosting me down in Atlanta and providing transportation. Thanks to Brad and Ryan for letting me hang with you guys in NYC. It was a much needed break with familiar friends after pushing hard through PA and NJ. Thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of hiking with. The AT is full of absolutely amazing people and really put the thru hiking experience over the top. Thanks to all the NOBO hikers I met. We may not have exchanged life stories or even names but your impact will always be present. I'd like to give a special thanks to California Joe, Cowboy Killer, Shepherd, Trill, Bigfoot and Fester for hiking with me. This has certainly been an individual journey for all of us, but crossing paths with all of you made hiking a lot more fun and meaningful. Thank you for you stories, your company and for being real.Thank you to all trail angels. You inspire us all. Whether it be sodas in a stream, a ride into town, or anything else, the amount of pure untethered kindness is unique to the trail. You have certainly inspired me to reciprocate in the very near future.I'd like to thank all my readers as well. Thank you for signing my guest book. It is truly a pleasure to roll into town, hop on the internet and find tidbits of encouragement. Even if you didn't sign my guestbook, thank you for reading. That hit counter in the corner going up always motivated me to keep writing. This journal has been a real treat for my whole family. It has allowed us to reconnect with long lost friends and make new ones as well. Lastly, I'd like to encourage all of you to not just read about my adventures but to experience your own. This world has so much to offer but we can¢t use the excuse "I just can't." I realize we all have obligations (yes, me too) and anchors but the opportunities are there. It is our job to make them work. Whether you feel a bit of escapism, a simple desire to see the world, or a personal challenge, adventure is deeply rooted within all of us and if you enjoyed my journal, I suspect it isn't too far from the surface. My last piece of advice is to be a traveler rather than a tourist. "The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." ~ GK Chesterton