Finito!

As most of you already know, we have just rapped up our AT thru hike on September 1st. We appreciate all the support and confidence from everyone throughout this trip; we really couldn't have done it without you. We were picked up by Steve and Nancy Mandt and are slowly making our way home. We have put together a list of casualties from our trip purely for your entertainment....8 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of trekking poles, 20 pounds of body weight, 3 Backpacks, 4 shirts, 4 pants/ shorts, 10 pairs of socks, 10 square feet of mole skin, 2 sleeping pads, 20 shed pounds of backpack weight, 1 sleeping bag, 5 toenails, 1 marriage.....just kidding!!!

Okay, I have commandeered the keyboard from Jess because this list is getting depressing. While both of us were entirely ready to get this trip over with, we both also correctly assumed that we would instantly miss the lifestyle and mindset that accompanied the journey. For several days we have tried to grasp and communicate what we have learned and experienced, but both of us have concluded that this is an impossible task. While we remain the same people, some intangible change has definitely occurred. First of all, we realize what we can do without, which, in today's society is entirely necessary. We have had to endure quite a bit of depravity from the comforts of a normal life, and the nearly monastic experience has brought with it a sense of change. The most notable change that occurred was directly related to our pace. Travelling across America at three miles per hour versus flying through the countryside in a car, allows you to actually get a feel for the culture and people that you meet along the way. We were fortunate enough to meet an incredible array of people that truly restored our faith in humanity. With the anxiety and stress that accompanies modern life at lightning speed, it isn't hard to become disillusioned with the inherent goodness in people. While in New York City, we could feel the jackrabbit pulse of the population, leading us to completely understand why everyone thinks "New Yorkers are assholes." It's not just that particular city; look at yourself in a traffic jam on a hot afternoon. You're in a hurry and all of the sudden, someone cuts you off and delays you by a mere two seconds. It is undeniable that a sense of rage instantly blooms within you, and a bout of cursing and swearing against all those stupid people will inevitably follow. I am so guilty of this on a daily basis that it isn't even funny. It is so easy to get worn down and pass sweeping judgement on humanity as a whole. It's only when you are standing on the side of a mountain road, dreaming of cheeseburgers and pizza, covered in grime and shivering due to the unexpected downpour that has suddenly enveloped you, leaving you looking like a half-drowned sewer rat, that someone in a truck will pull over and let you believe in people again. Not only will they drive you to town, but they might invite you into their home to clean up and share your stories with them. We have also realized that, as generic and hallmarkish as this may sound, we are fully capable of attaining any goal, however distant and difficult, that we seek. Choosing to hike 2000 miles is really no different than going to college, or starting a new job, or even deciding to lose weight. At times, all of these goals really suck. There is temporary pain and suffering, and while you are working towards them, they seem unattainable and never ending. The mind, however, is a funny thing, and memories are slowly disassembled and reformed. Most of the time, all that is remembered are the good times and the sense of accomplishment and achievement that accompanies reaching the finish line victorious. I told you earlier that this would be difficult to put into words, and after re-reading this, I realize that I have utterly failed to get my point across. Most of this may seem like ranting and babble, but after an hour and a half in front of the laptop, this is the best I can do. Maybe it's time to change gears and simply tell one more story. On our last night, we left the tent in the pack and laid our sleeping bags on the sandy banks of the Penobscot River. Looming above us was the nearly mile high massif that is Katahdin, accompanied by a spread of stars that I didn't dare begin to count. Throughout the night, the haunting calls of the loons were carried across the black water. By four in the morning, I had completely given up on sleeping, and we set off into the North woods of Baxter State Park. By nine we had reached the base of the mountain and exchanged our heavy packs for daypacks at the ranger station, where we discovered that we were the one hundred sixty third and fourth hikers out of the thousands that began to reach Katahdin. Shortly thereafter, we began climbing, and several miles later, we broke treeline in an intense wind and began slowly bouldering and climbing up the razors edge of a ridge that lead us to the summit. By eleven, we were standing next to the weather-beaten summit sign, posing and taking pictures with enormous smiles plastered on our faces. For the next hour we perched on a rock near the summit, looking down on hundreds of lakes that appeared like a mirror shattered and strewn across the landscape. As if this wasn't enough, whenever a section hiker made it to the lofty heights, completely spent and out of breath, they asked where we had hiked from. When they discovered that we had come from Georgia, and had just reached the end of a truly incredible journey, the response was always the same. They always had a mixed sense of awe at the sheer distance, but also a sense of inspiration that they too could set out and accomplish the same feat if only they so desired. I will not lie, that is the single greatest feeling in the world. We are excited to make it home, and we can't wait to see you all and share our pictures and stories. Hopefully, although I guarantee nothing, we will be able to better vocalize and epitamize the experience, and share a little bit of the fire that has been lit within us.

The Final Push

As most of you are probably aware, we are rapidly bearing down on our destination, and we expect to summit Mount Katahdin on September first. We are currently in Monson, ME and are setting out tomorrow into the famous hundred mile wilderness. Following the wilderness, we will be in Baxter State Park for our final day and a half before reaching Katahdin. Over the last week or so, we have been enveloped in the pristine and beautiful landscape of the North woods. Most nights we've caught amazing sunsets over remote mountain glacial ponds and gone to sleep to the haunting calls of the resident loons. We've seen several moose and forrests that are vastly different from everything we're used to. One of the most striking details about the trail in Maine is that we summit many mountains with stunning 360 degree views of nothing but untamed wilds. No towns, no roads, no lights, just trees, mountains, and hundreds of lakes and rivers; this is truly how the trail should be. Most places in the southern and mid-Atlantic states were never quite remote, and you could easily be in a town within a day's walk. Convenient as it may have been, you never felt like you were alone and independent. Jess and I are both very excited to get home and move on with our "normal lives," but we also realize how much we will miss this when it is over. Maybe not having to pack up a wet tent in a driving rain, eat our thousandth pop tart, and hike twenty miles through mud holes, over boulders, and up near vertical rock faces, but we will miss getting to walk along waterfalls on a pristine mountain stream, seeing black bears and moose forage in the dense undergrowth, and seeing stars unimpeded by the lights of a booming metropolis. We're still trying to piece together exactly what, if anything, we've learned out here about both ourselves, and our world, but we realize that we are certainly better off for this experience. Only a few mountains, bogs, and rivers stand between us and our goal, but we are gradually realizing that we are going to complete this undertaking and will be back home, driving cars, worrying about bills, and applying for jobs sooner, rather than later. Keep us in your thoughts over the next week, and we can't wait to see you all and share our pictures and memories when we get home.

The rain in Maine falls mainly.. on us!!

We are finally in Maine! Although it seems like an accomplishment, it is very difficult, and we still have a long way to go. We are doing half the miles we used to do in a day yet exerting 5 times the effort. We are tired and ready to finish this trip. Our spirits were lifted a bit when our friend Tyler came to visit; hopefully he wasn't damaged too much by the terrain. We are in Andover, ME for the night trying to dry out again. The forecast for today was supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny, so we must have imagined the thunderstorm on top of Baldplate Mountain. We've already seen our first moose, and the treeline is dropping lower and lower on each mountain as we continue pressing northward. Luckily, we had good weather through Mahoosuc notch, which is a cliffed in valley strewn with enormous boulders that we had to climb over, around, through and under. We both thought that scramble was fun, but the climbs are what really take it out of us. No more switchbacks, no more packed dirt paths; now we get either flat, slick rock at an eighty degree angle or knee deep mud holes filled with water. This is beginning to look more like an obstacle course than a trail, but the end is near. We have had a total of two days without rain since we arrived in Dalton, Massachusetts, and we are quite accustomed to the smell of mildew on all of our gear. Oh well, onward and upward for now. Hope all is well for everyone at home. We love and miss you all.

Stomp and Shuffles.

New Hampshire

After spending two nights at Meg's house, we were a little reluctant to get back on the trail. We had a great time... showers, laundry, a comfortable bed, and good company. We hiked out of town a little too late and got caught in a storm, thus cutting our would be 17 mile day a bit short ( i.e. the first available shelter). It has cleared up, leaving me cold and wet inside my sleeping bag, too tired for a second attempt. Four more days until Jon and I's Anniversary we are hoping to make it to North Woodstock for a relaxing hotel room. After our day off, we plan on beginning our ascent into the white mountains and later, the presidential range. We hope all is well at home, and we love and miss you all.
PS. Don't expect a blog August 4th.

Love,
Stomp and Shuffles

Vermud

Welcome to Vermont! If you don't drown on the trail, we hope you'll come back and visit us again. We've been in Vermont for about 60 miles so far, and the state has been beautiful, but it has rained the entire time. Not a nice sprinkle, not a spring shower, not even a downpour, but a ridiculous deluge. We have stopped in Manchester Center and are drying out, and hopefully the trail will too. I've got to run, but I'll post again from the hotel room tonight.

Massachusetts

After less than a week in Connecticuit, we crossed the border into our eleventh state and passed the 1500 mile mark. The Berkshires are amazingly beautiful, and we are glad to be surrounded by real mountains again. Tonight we dipped off the trail into the town of Great Berrington for a shower, thai food, and several of the Berkshire Brewing Companies finest. The trail is rocky and steep, and when compounded by the lack of tread on my third pair of boots, makes for a slippery day. After tumbling head over hills into the last valley, I'll be visiting the outfitter tomorrow for some shoe shopping. Between the two of us, we usually have mediocre morale, and as long as we don't both share a bad day, we'll be done by the end of August. New York was an excellent excursion, but it made for a difficult return to trail life. The last few nights have been noticably cooler, and subtle variations in the flora and fauna remind us that we are slowly inching towards our destination. As much as hiking every day, all day gets under my skin sometimes, I have to admit that I will miss being utterly free...especially in a year from now when my boss waddles up to my desk on Friday afternoon and asks if I can come in on Saturday. We hope all is well on the home front, and we love and miss you all.

On the road again!

After a longer than anticiated trip to New York City, it is time to hit the trail again. We had a wonderful time staying with our friends Anne and Lamar who showed us the ins and outs of the city. It is strange to be around so many people all the time, but it has been fun as well as frustrating. We were also treated to a night (which stretched into a morning) out on the town in Manhatten's upper east side with Jon's friend, Ben Klier. We are a bit reluctant to get back on the trail after almost a week off, especially since all of our friends on the trail are more than likely very far ahead. We want to wish Keenie Weenie Jelly Beany (as Jon says) a Happy Birthday. Hope all is well with everyone. Take care.
Stomp and Shuffles