Date: 2006-10-17
To: From Home
Miles today: 0.0

It started as a 2174.6 mile hike and turned into a 6 month faith builder of seeing God answer prayer after prayer. My prayers and the prayers of others.       ¢It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.¢ From the love showed by my wife, family and friends and many others through prayers, those who signed my journal with words of encouragement, trail angels that provided water, pop, food , snacks and encouragements, many friends who provided lodging and meals throughout the hike. The hikers that became friends and some I am sure will be life long friends. The great views and beauty of the mountains, valleys, streams, lakes, animals and plants of all kinds. It was the best of times and I praise the Lord for them!      What seemed to be the ¢worst of times¢, health problems, from blood clots to sore feet, bruises, scrapes, a few blisters, to date 3 lost toenails, some sunburn, wind burn and a day near hypothermia, another day of heat exhaustion and many days of just being physically exhausted. What seemed to be the ¢worst of times¢, were actually the times when my faith grew the most, when I was the weakest I found my strength in Him! I prayed most earnestly and had to simply trust God the most. Sometimes my prayers were as simples as , ¢I need Your help Lord¢ or ¢we need your help Lord¢ and He would respond with His love & grace and meet my needs and the needs of those I was praying for. So , I praise God for what seemed to be the ¢worst of times¢!      I need to thank those who helped me to start and finish my hike. First and foremost, the Lord who gave me the desire of my heart and caused things to fall in place to be able to even attempt the hike and of coarse His involvement in completing the hike.      Next, my wife Sharon, without her support and involvement I would not have started or completed the hike. There were times I did not think I could continue and she would always offer words of encouragement and good advice, I then would be able to continue.Thanks to my oldest son Doug, for updating my journal and tracking my hike. Thanks to my youngest son Matt for coming to pick me up and take me back home not once, but twice.      I would like to thank the rest of my family, friends and fellow hikers, trail angels and all who offered prayers, help and encouragement of any kind throughout my hike. Also a special thanks to Skywalker, Righty, Joe Cro, Banjoman, Social & Dandelion and the many other thru-hikers that shared the last 6 months with me, may God bless you with His presence through Jesus Christ as He continues to meet your needs.    I found strength in God¢s Word. Scriptures like:      Philippians 4:13 (KJV), ¢I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth Me.¢      Philippians 4:19 (KJV),   ¢But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.¢        1 Peter 5:7 (NIV),   ¢Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.¢        Colossians 1: 15-17,   ¢15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.¢         Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV),   ¢Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.¢I will be putting more pictures on this site in the next couple of days.