Date: 2004-11-04
To: Prologue #1
Miles today: 0.0

decompression - the act or process of releasing from pressure or, the gradual return of persons to conditions of normal atmospheric pressure. Living at 27 feet above sea level one of the hardest things for me to do after completing the trail was the thought of leaving the mountains. It definately would be an adjustment for me. I always wanted to live for extended periods of time in the mountains and as I woke up and fell asleep day in and day out, I knew why I was there - to live in the beauty and wonderment of Mother Nature's bosom - the mountains. My Appalachian Trail journey was over September 24th when Lady Kritter and I climbed Katahdin. Many thru-hikers couldn't wait to get back home and leave the misery and hardship of the AT behind them. Now that Lady Kritter was here with me, my misery and pain was over. We were a team no longer separated by a dream.Lady Kritter and I spent the next 2 1/2 weeks traveling in the state of Maine on the "KrispyKritter's Getting Re-acquainted Tour" with Lady Kritter. We stayed in Maine for two reasons. One, to let Lady Kritter wind down from the pressures of enduring three hurricanes; and two, I did not want to leave the mountains. I did not want to leave the trail. Our first stop was a peaceful four days at Whitehouse Landing Wilderness Camp. I rented a cabin at White House Landing for the solitude of Lake Pemedumcook and to hear the periodic blast of the air horn announcing the arrival of hikers. I was hoping to see, one last time, familiar faces of my nomadic thru-hiking family. I was not disappointed. Pegasus, Boo-Boo, Papillion, Gaia, K-less, Bramble, Rael and several new faces came through on their final days towards Katahdin. Lady Kritter and I spent wonderful times together hiking and canoeing on the lake, getting to know each other again. We said god-bye to Bill and Linda, the owners of White House Landing, and traveled to Greenville to see Paddler and spent two days with him. Once on the road again, we stopped just outside Caratunk and spent the night at Northern Outdoor Center. We had a splendid display of the fall colors as we traveled through the Rangeley Lakes Region with our final day's destination at Bear and Honey's ¢The Cabin¢. We spent 5 days here, met the Garland Family and spent our days hiking and rock hounding. During our travels I had to change my mindset from the slow pace of the trail to the fast pace of the automobile. I had to leave town because of what I perceived as crowds in the small town of Norway, population 1500. Our travels intersected portions of the trail that I had crossed as a thru-hiker. I remember my reaction during those times as I stood on the roadside and felt the wind from speeding cars and wondered why was everyone moving so fast? Safely across I was happy to re-enter the forest and escape the noise of modern man. And now, here I am, riding in one of those modern chariots taking my Lady Kritter distances that took me days to obtain on foot. Time was, and still is, a hard adjustment for me. We spent the last two days in Freeport, Maine walking through streets of outlet stores, in particular L.L. Bean, North Face and Patagonia. People¢¦ so many people. It reminded me of a colony of ants, an endless stream of moving bodies along established trails, ducking in and out of holes and continually bobbing and weaving in search of something. Lady Kritter and I had dinner with Pipesmoke and his wife Janine who dropped us off at the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire for our flight home. Our late flight landed Orlando International Airport, the gateway to a fantasy paradise - Disney World. Friends from another lifetime (John, Mary, Neil and Rhonda) picked us up and we rode the busy highways of Orlando to a restaurant for a short visit. I was not accustomed to the loud noises of the big city. I was not prepared for Modern man's furiously fast transportation, whisking me away from the stillness of the mountains and depositing me in a sea of complexities. I learned to live the simple life on the trail and everything I needed was on my back. I wanted to continue this simple philosophy and began, on my first full day at home, getting rid of personal belongings. Over the years I have been known to be a pack rat accumulating so much stuff. Stuff no longer needed, memories no longer wanted and stuff no longer useful or duplicated and triplicated in unknown piles of other stuffs. Slowly, these items are entering a new phase of existence for somebody else. I find it hard at times to organize rooms containing my possessions especially since all I had to organize for the last six months was my backpack. I find myself outdoors more than I was before I left. I often build a small fire in our backyard fire pit and listen to the sounds of the nightlife, unfortunately most of it human. Only two weeks home and I long to see a green tunnel of a trail wandering through a forest. I hear Mother Nature calling and in one week, for three days, we will see each other again. Since I have been home one of the questions asked is this "Do I miss the trail?" I miss what was on the trail¢¦ I miss the challenges of daily life on the trail. What new adventure awaits me? What's in store for me today? Where will I get my water? What to eat? What animals will I see? Where will I rest my head at the end of the day? Will my body hold up? A dark night sky lit up with huge twinkling stars of diamonds with the faintest creamy color of the milky way splashed across the sky. I miss seeing the small towns of America, meeting faces of people I never knew, who shared kindness, their homes, and their zest for life. I will miss the acts of trail angels I never met, who made my journey an easier walk in the woods. I miss the cry of the coyote and the song of the Loon. I miss the sounds of running water cascading down mountain streams and the wind blowing through the trees. I miss the colors that vibrate in the forests, the alpine meadows and bogs bringing a pleasant beauty to the eyes. And most of all, I miss the men and women of my nomadic family who shared a common bond of living together, surviving snow storms, high humidity and heat, rain, bugs, hard climbs and steep descents. We shared a camaraderie that only a thru-hiker can fathom. I will always remember the words of encouragement, the smiling faces, the look of astonishment on achievements throughout our journey. Lady Kritter, The Goddesses of Deland, family, friends, my hiker family (past, present and future), trail angels and readers of my journal: each of us has contributed to the other's journey and I thank you for being a part of mine. I hope each of you finds your own paradise - it's only a footstep away.