Date: 2007-06-04
From: Catawba, Virginia

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am writing this entry with some unfortunate news. At the moment, I am sitting in Kevin's parent's home in Marshfield, Massachusetts. In life things happen that you can't expect and we recently had a lesson in that. On our second day in Roanoke, Bailey nearly died from heat stroke. She was rushed to an emergency veterinarian who told me she probably wouldn't live. Thankfully, after three days at the vet's, Bailey is still with us and is doing remarkably well. She is taking 3 different medications throughout the day and is eating a special diet of bland food, but she's wagging her tail and returning to her normal sweet self. It makes me smile to see her carrying around her new squirrel stuffed animal and sleeping on her back with all four legs kicked up into the air. She hates the medicine but is being a trooper about taking it. Because of this unforseen event, we had to spend all of our trail money to help Bailey recuperate and now it isn't possible to afford the rest of the trip, nor would it be fair to Bailey. On Wednesday morning we had to say farewell to Mattlanta who continued on his way. I can't say enough about him and it brings tears to my eyes to think we won't be seeing these amazing people everyday anymore. The rest of the guys went their separate ways as well, and it was much more difficult than I ever would have expected it to be since that first night at Gooch Gap in Georgia. Despite the horrible and abrupt end to our trip, I am so thankful for the friends we made while hiking the Appalachian trail. Out there, we became like a close knit family in a very short amount of time. We helped each other, depended upon one another, and genuinely enjoyed sharing each other's company. These friends were there for Kevin and I through everything that happened with Bailey and their support was unbelievable. It is very difficult to see the trip end but I know it could be worse, we could have lost our dog and that would have been terrible. There are lots of mountains I didn't get to climb and that brings a great deal of disappointment but I know that we can always try again. It makes me feel good to know that mentally and physically, I was far more than capable to finish the trail. The last 700 miles were enough to prove that to me. Maybe we can do sections over the next few summers, thus seeing sights like McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs, Harper's Ferry, and so many others. Life happens and sometimes you simply have to roll with the punches, being thankful for the opportunities that come along and having no regrets.      To get home, we ended up renting a car in Roanoke on Wednesday and made our way to Massachusetts slowly on Thursday, stopping frequently so that Bailey could eat, drink, go to the bathroom, stretch, and take medicine. We brought her to a vet here on Friday to make sure things are still going ok and plan on doing the same thing when we arrive back in Maine. The past 4 nights have been spent here enjoying the company of the Carriere family and readjusting to life in the "real world". Tonight we're headed north and I am ecstatic to see my dad for dinner(it's been nearly 5 months!) and then we'll go to Ben and Kate's to spend the night and decompress with amazing friends. In a few days we'll be in the Bangor area once more to see my mom, stepdad and sister, which will be wonderful. I'll also be able to see three of my cousins graduate from high school, so long as it hasn't already happened. I am at a point of bittersweet happiness to see everyone again, it's just that I truly miss the trail. I wake up wondering where we would be right now, what we would see. My legs get antsy and I've been mountain crazy these past few days. Kevin and I are already planning a Katahdin trip soon and know that we'll make this summer a fun one despite the way our trip quickly ended. To all of you who¢ve been faithfully reading my trail journal, I apologize for any disappointment and gratefully thank you for taking a few moments to walk through my shoes along this journey. It has been wonderful to have your support and kind messages along the way and I will miss telling you about our daily adventures. Hopefully I can tell you all about the rest of the trail in a few years when we¢ve had the chance to finish it! Again, thanks once more.