Date: 2013-09-27
To: Off Trail/ Back to Normal Life
Miles today: 0.0

This entry has been a long time coming. I'm not sure why I have waited so long to write it, but then again maybe I do. I think I have waited so long because a little part of me doesn't want it to be over. I got off the trail July 24 and went home for a family emergency. I have to admit that I was really happy to be going home, did I want to go home under the circumstances, no. But I did want to be done hiking at that point. I guess I just felt that I had seen everything that the trail had to offer me, sure I was going to miss some of the most beautiful parts of the trail but at the same time I was done. I was over hiking, over being smelly and gross all of the time, just plain over it.So I went home to be with my family. I was home for 3 weeks and I didn't miss the trail one bit. Maybe because of what was happening at home or maybe just because I really didn't miss it. But I made a plan to head back out to the trail. I was going to jump ahead and catch up with some fellow hikers and complete this journey that I had set out to do. So I flew into NYC to see some friends and I was trying to get my head back into the thought of finishing my thru hike when I got a phone call about a tour. If you didn't know I travel with Broadway Musicals for work. I made the decision to take the job and not to continue on the trail.I set out on this journey not knowing what the trail had in store for me and with a drive and a passion that I was certain that I was going to make it to Katahdin. Somewhere along the 1200 miles that I did hike I lost the drive and that passion. Katahdin just didn't seem that important to reach. People always say that's its the journey and not the destination, I always thought yes that is true but that destination of Katahdin sure is important! As I look back on the journey I had, I can't help but think it was pretty epic! Did I complete a thru hike like I started out to? No, but what I did do was walk 1200 miles with some pretty amazing people that I will never forget and through country that was at times gorgeous and almost always challenging whether it was physical or mental. I may have bitched a lot, sorry mom you had to hear it the most, but I did have the time of my life. I think a lot of people hit the trail to try and figure out what they want to do in life or to just simply get away from it all. For me the trail gave me a lot of time to think and a lot of time to figure out my life but in all honesty I am no closer to those answers then I was when I set foot on top of Springer and I'm ok with that. A lot of people have asked me if I am going to go back and finish the trail and yes I do think that one day I will...But at the same time there is a part of me that still wants to be a thru hiker. It has taken a few months of being off of the trail to truly miss it and I have started to get that little voice in my head again that really wants to do a thru hike. I can't say when it will happen or even it it really will but the little voice is there and lets face it I usually do all the stupid and crazy stuff that that little voice tells me to! So who knows...I met so many people along the way that have had a huge impact on my life, so for all of you that I had the pleasure of meeting along the way Thank You from the bottom of my heart, you guys are the ones that made this journey just a little bit more awesome! And to those that I hiked with along the way (Nighten Gale, Burning Daylight, Red Specs, Walmart, St. Croix, Doc, Bo Jangles, Flip, Two Speed, Blue Eyes, Bitter Goat, Amazon, Jolly Rancher, Bon Air, Neema, Ground Hog, Lucky, Gandalf, Dutchie, Hawaii, Mama Goose, All of the Warrior Hikers, Comrade, Pyress, Danger Pants, Bee Line, Hot Wheels, Embassador, Fat Man Walking, Mooch, Dragon Fly, Prairie Dog, Chipmunk, Mama Chip, Tumbleweed, Rambles, Memphis, Miss Janet, Cindy White, Bill Wilcox, and everyone of you that I have forgotten) You guys are the ones that kept me going! I Love that I am beginning to see summit pictures from so many of you and even for those of you that have also gotten off the trial you will forever be the stones that made the foundation of my hike truly epic! Love and miss each of you dearly...To my family and friends back home- Thanks for listening to me bitch (Mom, Dad, and Jen especially), for pulling me through the ups and the downs, and for always supporting when in every single one of my crazy endeavors. Thanks for the cookies (Season) along the way and for all of the phone calls. Thank you Kim and Justin Reiter for taking me into your home for a few days of rest and friendship, Red Blaze (Jamie Miller) for hiking with me and being my rock away from home when I got the news about back home and to my long time friend Ami for going out of your way to make sure I got to the airport to get home. I am blessed that I have each of you in my life and I couldn't ask for a better support system!!!! Love you guys so very much!!It's not the destination, but the journey!! And what a journey it was.....