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Tuesday, November 26th - Remembering Summit Fever
On Oct 16, we woke up at 3AM, just
like we had 111 days before at the base of Mt. Kathadin. October 16,
2001 would be a memorable day - it would be the day we finished the
Appalachian Trail.
We built a fire (something we avoided
most of the journey to preserve nature's resources) to celebrate this
great day. We set off, still infected with a serious bout of Summit
Fever.
Summit Fever afflicts most AT hikers
as they near their destination. We first learned about it as we met
Northbounders in the 100-mile wilderness in Maine. They would come
around the corner with a fire in their eyes and a determination in their
stride that just screamed, "Get out of my way, I am about to finish the
AT!"
Now we had that same fire and
determination burning in us. Nothing was going to stop us: not the
incessant rain; not the up and down mountains; not the monotonous food.
We were on a mission.
Fortunately, the day before (Oct 15)
we met two wonderful human beings: Doug and Evelyn. These day hikers
were astounded after hearing our tale of walking 2100 miles. They
offered to pick us up at Springer Mountain, take us to their home, and
then drop us off by the rapid transit to the Atlanta airport. It was
destiny perhaps, but trail magic blessed us the whole way: from the very
first hitchhike by Dave in Maine to the first step off the trail.
Everywhere we went we felt like
superheroes. Everyone who learned about our journey during those last
miles congratulated us to no end. We felt blessed. Families told their
children, "Those two people have walked from Maine to get here!" They
looked at us with awe and admiration. They took our pictures, and we
never felt so wonderful. We were superstars in this little part of the
world.
Springer Mountain itself was a
cakewalk. The easily graded trail reminded us of Blood Mountain and
before we knew it, we turned a corner and there it was: the famous
plaque marking the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
We celebrated as if we had won the
lottery! Yet it wasn't luck that got us here, it was a lot of hard work.
As George from Pennsylvania put it, "You couldn't have paid me to work
that hard." And yet he (and we) did it for free. It was because of all
the blood, sweat, and tears that it made standing on top of Springer
Mountain so great.
It's hard to say that we conquered the
Appalachian Trail. Yes, we were part of the elite 10% who complete the
whole trail. Yes, we completed it faster than 99% of those who did walk
it. But the AT will never be conquered. It will be there long after we
are gone. No, we didn't conquer it, but we did conquer ourselves.
Epilogue
After celebrating on
Springer, we met two wonderful women who took our pictures and
celebrated with us. They offered to take us back to their lodge and feed
us, but we told them that Doug and Evelyn had already invited us!
Imagine that, double trail magic!
The ladies drove us down
Springer, saving us the 8-mile walk down to Amicolola State Park. Later,
Doug and Evelyn picked us up there. They took us to their beautiful home
and Evelyn made the most perfect salmon dinner you can imagine. It was
marinated in teriyaki sauce for two days and the side dishes were
equally extravagant. The dessert was delicious: ice cream with
raspberries, toasted almonds, caramel and chocolate. YUMMY!
The next day we took off
to the airport to fly to New Mexico for a weeklong vacation. Many
thought that the AT was a vacation. But after spending a few weeks (or
even a couple of days), you learn that this ain't no vacation. It's hard
work. So we looked forward to New Mexico to help us relax and transition
back to the real world.
We eventually returned to
San Francisco before Halloween and were swamped immediately. The world
had changed: the job market was in the toilet, but the housing market
was better than ever for buyers and renters. Then again, it's hard to
buy when you're homeless and jobless.
Nevertheless, our friends
and family helped us readjust. After a month of job searching, we have
come up empty, but we know that January will bring good fortune on us.
After all, the spirit of the AT is still with us, and will be always.
Final Thoughts -
December 1, 2001
We hiked the Appalachian
Trail during an interesting time. Sept 11, 2001 marked a major change to
our global society. We felt the shock waves even on the AT,
demonstrating how interconnected we have all become; even the AT
couldn't shelter us from this world changing event.
The way Americans rallied
together was a pleasure to witness even from our isolation on the trail.
We were so happy to see that the Trail Magic that we encountered was not
limited to the trail, although it was sad that a tragedy had to happen
for the rest of the world to show that it was capable of the same
selfless acts of generosity that happen everyday on the AT.
Many have asked us when
we will hike the PCT and CDT. Someday, but not next summer like we
originally thought. A thru-hike is an amazing experience, and should be
carefully placed in the river of one's life. They are like high bridges
along the river. They are parts where we get off the rapids, and observe
the whole river from above.
Because they're such
treasured moments, we want to save the PCT and CDT for a time in our
lives when we will get the most out of it. In other words, when we hit a
point of transition or when we're stuck in a rut. They're great when
you're at a point where you're not sure what to do next. It's also a
great way to detoxify your mind, clear everything out, and regain
perspective. Since we just got a good dose of that, we feel it's best to
wait until we do it again.
We believe that all
humans should use something like a thru-hike every 5-10 years. It
doesn't have to be a thru-hike. It could be a six month sabbatical in
Asia; or a three month break in the Caribbean; or backpacking through
Europe for 10 months. It doesn't really matter what you do, except that
you get away to experience something you've never experienced before,
and do it for at least one month.
It's not healthy to do
the same thing all the time for 40 years. We all could use a break; and
not just a two week vacation, but a two month vacation. The more time
off, the better. Many say they can't afford it, but that's rarely the
reason. The thru-hike didn't cost that much (less than $5,000 for Lisa
and Francis). That's less than most couples spend on a two-week vacation
in Greece or a cruise.
You can always come up
with excuses as to why you can't do what you've always dreamed. People
do this all their lives, and then, near the end of their lives, they are
filled with regret. We don't want to suffer this fate, and we hope our
journey has inspired all of you to do the same.
We want to give a special
thanks to all our sponsors, especially to GoLite and Canon. All our
sponsors were incredibly generous, but GoLite and Canon went to
extraordinary levels of support. We will get a great chance to thank our
sponsors at the two-hour clinics we will give at six REI locations in
the Spring; REI expects that over 200 people will attend. Francis's mom,
Lucia, also deserves special thanks for handling all the resupplies; she
was marvelous.
Francis has so many
thoughts and lessons from the journey that he has started writing a
book. It is a self-help book that will draw seven critical lessons from
the AT and how to apply them in everyday life. It is not a book for just
AT hikers, it is a book for all humans. With any luck, and he is Mr. Magoo after all, it should be published
at some point. The title will be
The Ultimate Pilgrimage.
We will leave the patient
and faithful reader with a few wise words from people who have hiked the
trail before us.
"We also came out here
to learn about ourselves. The biggest prize in long-distance hiking is
the gift of time. Time to look. Time to think. Time to feel. All those
hours you spend with your thoughts. You don't solve all of your
problems, but you come to understand and accept yourself."
- Cindy Ross from Journey on the Crest, 1987
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