Date: 2007-03-22
To: It Was the Best of Times - It Was the Worst of T
Miles today: 0.0

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES - IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES !!!That phrase seems to succinctly sum up my experience on the Appalachian Trail. I've been home now for 5 months and still haven't written my FINAL journal entry on my 2006 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. There are two reasons for this. The first is that for the last four months I've been busy working on a project on Trail Journals for Lefty and Buoy and have read (and re-read) every journal entry the three of us wrote. WOW, what an astonishing journey we had! Even though our AT journey is over, our journey through life continues and is so much the richer because of our experiences on the trail.The second reason is because I have such mixed emotions that I haven't been able to specifically define how I feel. This seems a little absurb, I know. Most people would assume you either liked it or didn't like it. But, trust me, it's just NOT that simple. I've been thinking about "how I feel" now that it's "over and done" and finally just accepted the fact that I still have ambivalent feelings. I have concluded this is because the AT is such a contradiction in itself! Bill Bryson in his book "A Walk in the Woods" summed up the confusion and contradiction in this way. "I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistible; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. I wanted to sleep in a bed and in a tent; see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. I wanted to quit and do this forever." I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF!In the months that I've been home, I've been interviewed several times by both the local newspaper and TV reporters. They seem to ask basically the same questions, to which I sometimes had different answers and is a bit confusing. I guess my response depended on how I felt that day or what I was remembering when asked the question.Of course the first question always asked was "WHY"? Why hike the AT? This was an easy question for me. First, hiking the AT had been a dream of mine for the last 10 years. Second, I'm always looking for a challenge and the AT challenges you physically, mentally and emotionally. I found it much harder physically than I had expected. There were many times when I wanted to quit. Most of my family and friends didn't think I would be able to do it; so, of course, this made me even more determined to succeed. Third, I wanted to share this experience with my daughter who had just recovered from breast cancer and help to spread the word about the importance of early detection.The next question asked was "What did you like the most about the trail?" or "What was the best thing about the trail?" The answer is definitely THE PEOPLE! The people we met were unequivocably the best part of the trail. There is an unexplainable bond between thru-hikers, even those you didn't know well. Thru-hikers came from all walks of life and brought so much diversity to the trail experience. The one thing we had in common was that we all had to be "a little crazy" to be out there in the first place. We met so many interesting people whether section hikers or day/weekend hikers and they all had their own stories to tell. Some had been challenged with life threatening diseases, either themselves or their loved ones. There were many times when we shared our stories and offered one another encouragement and support. I am so appreciative for the opportunity to meet these caring, remarkable, strong people. Then, of course, there were the ubiquitous "trail angels". These were the most amazing people and they appeared out of no where or when you least expected it. I'm not sure if I would have "survived" the trail without their support and encouragement. Thank you each and every one. Another question asked frequently was "Would you do it again?" I think I answered this differently every time I was asked. This goes back to those mixed feelings one has about the trail experience. When I first finished the hike and was asked this, the answer was a strong "NO". I'm sure this was because when you finally are done, you're really "done in". You're so tired and you're dealing with so many residual aches and pains. Now that I've been home for several months and it's geting that time of year again when hikers begin to prepare for their hike, I'm starting to get "Springer Fever" and might be inclined to answer in the affirmative. Our motto on this journey was "Surviving Breast Cancer", Living a Dream & Sharing the Hope". I hope that you have enjoyed our web site and we thank you for taking this journey with us. We encourage you to continue to spread the word about how important the early detection of breast cancer is.