Journal Entry for Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Post 1 - September 23, 2008 - Back in Arcadia, California.
It is a strange feeling to know that the journey has ended.
Yesterday I travelled by Grayhound to Vancouver where I
said goodbye to Damp Dan at the bus station.
I then travelled to the
airport and said goodbye to Irish who is flying back to
New York. I took a shuttle bus to a motel where I
spent the evening.
Today I flew to LAX where my wife Patty picked me up
at 5:00 PM in the afternoon. I checked my backpack in
as luggage after taping it into a clear plastic bag that was
provided by the airlines. This worked very well - my hiking
poles were inside the main compartment, and the plastic bag
did away with any problems from straps or the hip-belt from
getting hung-up.
It is great to see Patty again and to be home. This hike
would not have been possible without her support. Five
months is a long time to be gone, and the several trips
Patty made to meet me on the trail were wonderful, as
were the phone calls,
emails, and packages.
Home. It is a wierd feeling to stop walking, but it is
definitely good to be home. It may sound funny, but
it was good to see my dogs, Sam and Penny. I think
they missed me. I am
very much looking forward to seeing my children Sarah
and Phillip and the rest of my family.
There really is no place like home.
I want to thank my sister Connie for all the
"care packages" that she sent to me - many hikers
benefited from her generosity and I know they
appreciate her efforts as well.
I also want to thank my cousin Bruce for putting me up and
taking care of me in Sisters. Also I would like to thank
my other family and friends for their kind support.
All-in-all the journy was an excellent adventure. The highlight
without a doubt is all the people that I met along the way:
thru-hikers, section hikers, day hikers, trail angels, and
others.
Not only have I made many good, good friends, but I really
enjoyed the way of life on the trail where everyo
e
is equal.
There may be people that you end up not liking or agreeing
with, but everyone is given a chance. As a rule, you
greet and talk with everyone. Its nothing like day-to-day
non-trail life where you typically bypass and ignore
hundreds of people. This lifestyle is definitely
addicting.
I definitely see another long trail in my future, although it
may have to wait some years until I retire.
I will keep adding "post hike" entries to this journal as
time goes on until I am able to make another thru-hike.
I know that Irish, Jellybean, Brit, and Damp Dan are
planning to do the Continential Divide in the near future,
perhaps 2010. Once I commit to another thru-hike I will
able to start making "pre-hike" entries in a new journal.
I can't wait!
Take care and see you down the trail...
