Date: 2017-10-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

10/19My family hosted a wonderful welcome back party for me this evening at the Rolla Public House Brewing Company. A large number of my friends and family attended, including my brother, Mark, and my sister-in-law, Lynn, and my sister, Marjorie, and my brother-in-law, Paul. My niece, Jessie, and my nephew, Nate, also attended. Of course, Sandy, Stephen, and Becky were there. Lisa, Christy, Landon, and Maylei were also there, and it's exciting to be able to spend time with them again. I was blown away by the number of friends who stopped by to share the evening. Stephen put together a PowerPoint presentation with nearly 350 of the photos from my journal that continually played during the party. There was lots of food, including twelve-feet of sub sandwiches, vegetables, and fruit. I contributed a backpackers' gourmet section which included miniature granola bars, nutty buddy bars, and peanut butter crackers. Perhaps (and only perhaps) the favorite food item was the mini Spam burrito tray that Sandy and I put together, which consisted of tiny tortillas, tiny Spam squares, and tiny cheese pieces. There was also a cake with my summit photo done in icing. The Public House pulled out all the stops to help make the event a success, and our server, Sabrina, was the best. I brought my gear from the trip and answered any questions about it. I also brought a mock-up of my summit card, which I will soon have printed to send to the people and places who helped make my thru hike a success. My friend, Jennifer, gave me an old Cub Scout promise plaque. Randy, a good friend and member of my homebrew group, surprised me with a beautiful, framed wood cutting of a locomotive which will soon be hanging in my railroad room. An unbelievably talented artist with wood (as well as a brewer who has won national awards), I have long admired Randy's artwork, and I now have an original to display. Thank you, Randy! My model railroad friend, Brad, also stopped by. While I was gone, Brad had "borrowed" several of my incomplete hopper cars and returned them to me tonight as beautiful, complete models ready to earn their keep on the railroad. Making serious progress on the railroad is one of my next big projects. Thank you, Brad! I was so pleased and humbled by the number of people who came by to welcome me home. Josh, a new employee at the Pub, stopped by to tell me that he thru hiked the AT in 2011 and completed the PCT in 2016. I'll definitely be chatting with him in the future. We stayed late at the pub and got home after eleven o'clock. Over the objections of many, I stuck to my plan and shaved off the beard. With Becky's help (she insisted on helping) it took about thirty minutes, and I am again sporting my "baby face." The mop of hair goes tomorrow. I have had numerous requests to talk about my trip to various groups, and my friends seemed pleased that I now have some new stories for them to hear. By having my friends fill me in on the last six months of their lives, it is obvious that Tengo was spot on when we discussed the amount of change and growth that our families and friends have experienced during our absence. Becky has her new radio program and will be performing an aerial silks routine next month. The homebrew club, with Stephen as president, is hosting our first national contest. My granddaughter, Rose, is beginning to talk and can "go bananas" when her mom or dad ask her to, and they will soon be moving to Copenhagen, where my son has accepted a position at the University there. Sandy took over the entire operation of our household while I was away. In some ways it almost seems like the world was changing and growing while I took a six-month hiatus from all of it to simply take a long walk in the woods. I do know I am glad to be home and am very excited about joining back in with family and friends on new adventures, while maintaining contact with my new Appalachian Trail friends. It seems to me we are all on journeys, and each one starts with a single step. I wish everyone reading this Happy Journeys and want to thank all of you for sharing in mine.