GA2ME00 - My Thruhike

Summary

Celebration After 2167.7 Miles

My Appalachian Trail Thruhike…….

……it was the journey, not the destination that made the experience so memorable. I will not forget the distinct differences from South to North, the changing seasons, the many wildflowers, the blueberries, and all those wonderful forests. I will never forget the small trail towns; great hostels, slipping & sliding through ice, day after day of rain, the eerie and enchanting misty days, and at times, the hot blazing sun. I can never forget the mountain peaks, whether shrouded in clouds or the few that I actually had a clear view from. Those beautiful views of distant mountains, that I could see, are etched in my memory bank permanently. I cannot forget the wind blowing so hard that it almost knocked me down on several mountain tops, especially on Mt Washington. I’ll never forget the clouds and their shadows continually moving across mountain peaks and valleys.
There are so many more memories in the recesses of my mind – Springer Mountain, Franconia Ridge, Sugarloaf Summit, the ponies and goats, the balds, the gaps, the notches, the lakes and ponds, and especially the final climactic climb up Mount Katahdin. For me, however, some of the best memories include some of the most incredible people I have ever met; the friendly town people, the proprietors of the hostels, B & Bs and places where I stayed, those generous trail angels and the thruhikers themselves:Hiking the AT has been the grand experience of a lifetime. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to be part of the trail.
Thank you to everyone who supported me and made it a reality, family and friends from home, friends from REI, and many others along the way. Thanks for family and friends that came and shared their time hiking with me. Thanks to the ATC and all those many Trail Clubs and volunteers that maintain the trail and shelters. Every one of you went out of your way to make sure I had everything I needed. You are the ones responsible for the joy and strength of my experience. And, in actuality, that is what the Appalachian Trail is all about.
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