It’s been a week since I got off the trail. The transition back to living in a house with Karen instead of sleeping in a tent alone in a different place each night was easy. I’m enjoying coffee with breakfast and again after lunch. Having showers and clean clothes is great. The neglected household duties are almost done.
Two carryover things from the trip have surprised me, my knees and feet still hurt from the brief time in the White Mountains, and going to buy groceries fascinates me. This past week I went to Publix and Walmart and had to check out their selections of tuna (I never thought I’d eat tuna again), Ore Ida instant potatoes, Knorr pasta and rice sides, and a few other things. In a moment of weakness I bought 3 of the Walmart fifty cent pies and a bag of the snack size peanut butter Snickers bars. I hope this doesn’t become a habit. I did lose around 5 pounds while on the trail and can tell my upper body strength declined while my lower body strength increased, not surprising really.
Regarding the hike, it’s still hard to believe it really happened and it’s over. I was gone 8 weeks, hiked around 50 days excluding zeros and a travel day, and covered 650 miles in PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT and NH. I met and spent time with many section and thru hikers, and was the recipient of a lot of kind acts from complete strangers (a.k.a. trail magic) which included water, soft drinks, snacks, steak, ice cream, and dessert, to folks giving me rides and allowing me into their homes to shower and do laundry, and even stay for a couple of nights. Acquaintances from prior hikes provided support and offers of assistance at critical times during the hike. Fellow hikers helped when I was hurt, wasn’t sure what to do, and when it was time to come home. I even learned the art of resupplying on the trail.
I am satisfied and extremely grateful for how the hike ended. I didn’t finish the trail, but that cloud has a silver lining since it means there’s more trail to hike. And now, having had a small taste of the White’s, I’m starting to prepare for what many call the toughest but most beautiful sections of the trail, the rest of the White Mountains and ME.
In closing, my only real regret about being off the trail is that it is life in its simplest form, focused on the basic necessities, food, water and where you’ll spend the night, but it’s also full of action and adventure. It strips away many of life’s distractions and time wasters and provides time to focus on the beauty of creation and the creator and sustainer of life, God. It also showed me time and time again that man plans, but God directs, and for that I am extremely grateful. For I am still…
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it.
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Prone to Wander