Date: 2008-10-20
From: South!

To: Harper's Ferry - My FINISH LINE
Miles today: 0.0

Wow. I am done walking for a while.During my last hostel night (Free State Hiker) there was a sign that read:"No hiker hikes unsupported: Please use our phone to send aThank-you." This is a very accurate statement and this is my Thank-you note.First, I want to Thank the Lord for blessing me with friends and family and alow injury rate or maybe that last is just a high pain tolerance. The second is the three ladies and a dog that did the first half with me: Rabbit, Owl, Soaring, and Roo. I would have quit several times if you four had not been there. Rabbit = please give Roo a doggie treat for me.Thank-you, to all who supported me with logistic, prayer, text msgs, moral and emotional support. This list is huge.Thank-you, to all the other hikers who shared a shelter and hiked with me. A special Thanks to Caveman and Bookworm. You two were great hiking partners, who also let me hike my own hike. You both will do well in the world.To all the known and UNKNOWN trail angels who picked me up, fed me, let me wash my clothes, provided me a real place to sleep, provided water and sodas on the tail: Thank-you. To the unknown jug water angel in NY ¢ wow perfect timing on those jugs. To all the trail maintenance people: Thank-you. ESP Maine! Maine has the hardest part of the trail to maintain, the second largest section, and the least amount of residents to draw upon. I know this year a lot of hikers cursed your name, but we also praised you. We realized just how deep that mud would have been if the swamp bridges had not been built. It was not your fault that mother nature provided enough rain to cover the bridges in mud and water, or worse to float the logs off the logs foundation. You rock! Oh yeah...can you send someone down to teach the Tn and Ge section how to make a privy? :-)To the people who man the ATC: Thank-youI know I missed someone or some group. Thank-you.My last section was an interesting hike. I left the last large group of South bounders (Caveman and Detour) at Pine Furnace Grove State park and started to slow my pace to 8 or 12 miles days so I could end on a Saturday.I stopped at a hostel on Wed night and ordered hotwings for dinner and a wrap for lunch the next day.   I spent the evening making final plans to meet a group of friends for the final 10-mile walk into Harper's Ferry. Marty and Devin offered to bring me breakfast on Friday and I said yes, I could use a second breakfast. Then I jokingly wrote and sent one of those "Oh yeah Lord if you want to help with this also" type requests, for a way to stop my 6,-000 calorie a day intake problem. ( Side note: I am not sure how much weight I lost but I did lose several clothes sizes on the trail and am borrowing Stella's jeans as none of mine fit. This is the only time I think I will ever fit into Stella's cloths. Stella is one of those naturally graceful like twig humans. She comes by it naturally, I have to walk over 2,000 miles.)Well the Lord answered that pray. Hm-mm......One of those two meals was not safe and gave a good case of food poisoning. As I walked south on Friday, I wondered if I could reach Gathland Gap where I was meeting up with my friends for the final 10 miles. That last 8 miles to Gathland State Park/Maple Tree Campground was the hardest 8 miles on the trail for me and took me 8 hours to complete.I spent Friday night sleeping in 30 min gaps as I would wake up cold with the chills and would put on a layer of cloths, to only walk up 30 min later to remove the clothes. While I was not recovered on Saturday, I was capable of hiking without stopping every mile. Marty and Devin were true to their word and arrived with a wonderful breakfast which I nibbled at. Between the coffee, part of a banana, and just the joy of being surrounded by friends, the last 10 miles flew by. It was a beautiful day. I walked in with a helium Tigger balloon tied to my pack.Everyone kept asking me, how does it feel? I wish I was a poet, because "surreal" is the only word I could think of to describe it. How do you describe a 7 month cumulative effort filled with enjoyment, hardship and the strong feelings and support toward and from friends and family. I was glad I had my sunglasses on....but I know the tears of joy showed anyway.Then to top off it off, between Stella and Anastasia had organized this gourmet picnic. It was wonderful. I manage to nibble away at all theoffering and enjoyed catching up with everyone.Keep bouncing everyone. Tigger wrap-around (sort of, I did bounce around a lot) 2008