Date: 2007-09-04
From: Mt Katahdin - Baxter Peak

To: Sanford, NC
Miles today: 0.0

The week after Katahdin.Day 1 - WednesdayI started to feel the impact of completing the trail as I wrote my journal entry last night. The next morning most of us went to breakfast. Then the hikers started to disappear. By 9:00 AM only John Knee Mud and I were still in Millinocket. We walked up to a second hand store, but didn't find anything to buy. We walked up the hill toward the grocery store. We had seen police cars, ambulances, and volunteer fire department vehicles racing by. All cars were being diverted from going up the hill. We were stopped and told we couldn't go up the hill, but not given a reason. I later learned there was a bomb threat called into the Hanniford Grocery Store. The call was made from Portugal. It was a scam to get people to wire transfer ransom money. Welcome back to life off the trail.I went back to the Appalachian Trail Caf© to use the computer to access the internet and figure out how to get home. John Knee Mud went back to the AT Lodge to wait for his friend to pick him up.I tried Amtrak first. It would take 4 transfers with hours between changes. It would take about 2 days to get back to NC. I tried Enterprise rent-a-car. It would cost me at least $350 with gas and over mileage fees. I ended up selecting a US Airways flight out of Bangor, ME. It will cost $300 and I will be home by 7 PM on Thursday.Blue and Squeeks had called the AT Lodge and left a message for me. Their diesel Jetta wouldn't start when they got back to Gorham, NH. They had taken it to a GM dealer by time I reached them by phone. It was a leaking fuel injection pump. This is the same issue I fixed on my Jetta 2 weeks before I started my hike. I told them where to get a seal kit and instructions for the repair. I talked to the GM mechanic couple times the next day to make sure he understood the procedure and he was able to get the car running again. I thought it was interesting how I started and ended this journey working on VW diesel engines.Rodeo Clown, Trashbag, and Batman showed up at the Appalachian Trail Caf© after summiting Katahdin on Wednesday. I talked to them for a few minutes. They headed out to Portland, ME. I was the only hiker at the AT Lodge Wednesday night. Day 2 - ThursdayThursday morning I went to the caf© for breakfast and Paul shuttled me over to Medway to catch a bus to Bangor. I am glad I took the day in Millinocket to start my transition back to "normal" life. It gave me time to think about things. I ran in to Rockman at the Bangor Airport on Thursday and talked to him for about an hour before my flight.I looked out the window during my flight and thought about the many hours, days, weeks, and months it had taken me to hike from Georgia to Maine and now it was like doing a high speed rewind as the plane flew across the territory so much faster. I transferred planes at Laguardia, NY. I was glad the gates were close together, so I didn't have to walk through a crowded airport.My friend Jess met me at the airport with my Jetta. We talked for a while and then I drove 2 hours to Sanford. It was a bit strange driving after 6 months. As I left the airport I felt like I was going about 50 or 60 mph, but when I looked down I was only going 25 mph. I had heard of this before and thought it unusual. I had been in cars for rides in or out of towns and on a bus earlier and not had this feeling. I think the difference is that my reaction times to things had become much slower. When I was a passenger this didn't matter, but behind the wheel it did. Day 3 - FridayMy friend Jimmy took me to Wilmington, NC on Labor Day weekend. He was meeting some friends down there. I was reluctant to go because I was not ready for a crowded beach. It ended up being wonderful. We met Rick in Sanford and drove down to Wilmington and met Noel and Erin in Wilmington. We waited for the tide to come in around 10 PM and then paddled out to an island in kayaks through the sound. The island was about 6 miles long and only a couple hundred feet wide. We pulled the kayaks up on the island and walked to the ocean side. We were the only ones there. It was great. The water was warm and full of phosflourescents. I am not sure what these are, but when you wave your arms under water they light up like little specs of glitter or fireflies. We camped on the beach. It was good to be back home in my tent.Day 4 - Saturday I went swimming again the next morning and walked up and down the beach collecting plastic bottles and other trash that had washed up on the beach. Jimmy and I left around 11 AM and headed back to Sanford. It felt good to be out there away from buildings, machines, and crowds. I think I will head out to Raven Rock State Park to take a hike when I feel I need a break from "normal" life. I just stayed inside and relaxed once I got home.Day 5 - SundayI went out to Piedmont Biofuels Co-op on Sunday. I met with some old friends, new interns, and new co-op members. There is a lot going on out there. I went to a potluck dinner out at the oil seed property. There were about 10 people there.Day 6 - MondayI am trying to ease my transition. My feet and knees are still sore especially at the start of the day. It is difficult to go down stairs until I walk around for a while to loosen up my joints. Hopefully this will decrease in the next couple weeks. I am staring to regain some feeling in my feet.I am getting better at driving. I find myself unorganized and forgetting things. I drove to the grocery store this morning and got to the cashier and realized I had left my wallet at home. When I was on the trail everything was organized and always with me. Now I have to stop and look around and think about what I need. I am sure all of this will become normal again in a few days. While at the grocery store a display caught my attention. They had Lipton Sides 10 for $10. I resisted the urge to buy 10, but I did stop to check the selection.I stayed at home and relaxed the rest of the day.Day 7 - TuesdayWow, I haven't hiked in 7 days!I haven't had a chance to go back through my journal or other journals yet. I hope to do this over the next week. My home internet is working about as well as my cell phone the past month. Today I finally got motivated to do some things. I drove to Fayetteville and bought a new laptop for $500. No more expensive computers for me. The cheap ones work just as well and last just as long. (Some advice I heard from Wanda in Vermont). They were out of stock so it will be shipped in a couple days.I started unpacking and cleaning my hiking gear. I started to sort through the stacks of mail I went to the grocery store again. I am starting to get adjusted back to life out of the woods. I think I will go take a hike tomorrow at Raven Rock. My biggest challenge now is fighting the urge to keep eating like I did in town stops along the trail. Food is everywhere and my body wants it, but I know I am not burning the calories anymore and if I give in my weight will soar. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the reading the story as much as I enjoyed living and writing the story. More pics and gear info when I get my new computer.