I made it back home. The last day of hiking was only 7 miles. It was pretty easy, except for the last 3 miles, which were a wide gravel road that followed the river into Harper’s Ferry. It was psychologically hard because it was long, straight, and featureless. We talked to pass the time. It feels good to be home. It feels even better to have accomplished this task. Brady and Tony did a quick calculation and figured we did about 2% of the Appalachian Trail. Woo hoo!
I had to take pictures with my phone in order to post from it while hiking, but I also took pictures with my regular camera. Here are lots of them:
The scenery was always beautiful, but I was often looking down at my feet so I wouldn’t stumble. I loved the forest plants:
The trail was always marked with a white hash mark painted on trees and rocks. I only got one picture, and it is blurry because I was moving:
We did pass our cameras to each other every once in a while to get proof that we were actually there:
I liked the big scenic views, but my favorite stuff was small. Here’s a pretty orange flower:
But by far the most colorful things in the forest were the fungi. I didn’t get a picture of some of the most spectacular ones because I was so tired, but here is a bright orange-yellow kind:
There were some cool historical sites along the way. This is the first monument ever built in honor of George Washington. It’s called the Washington Monument.
The scenic viewpoints were amazing. We ate lunch at this one. It was a great opportunity to give our feet some air:
There was another group of three guys hiking the same route we were. We kept leap-frogging with them. At this particular spot, we rested at the same time. Two of the guys were wearing kilts. Kilts!
Our last night we stayed in a shelter instead of our tents. It was really nice. We shared it with the kilt guys. They were great conversationalists and even offered to share cigars with us. I declined.
The shelter had a loft – a second floor. Brady, Tony, and I slept there, while the kilt guys slept downstairs.
The shelter had a moldering privy. I had to document it for Lauren, because it’s kind of gadgety and kind of tree-huggery. It’s built up on a platform:
After you use it, you throw some wood shavings in the hole. The whole pile slowly composts. The whole shed smelled like freshly cut lumber. It was amazing!
Brady’s family was waiting for him at the end of our trail in Harper’s Ferry. They took our end-of-trail picture:
And by popular demand: here is a picture of Brady’s foot. He wrapped his toes with blister pads to help hold them together, but we’re pretty sure he’s going to lose a toenail.
And I don’t have a unicorn chaser, Lloyd, but here’s a picture of my facial hair. I haven’t gone four days without shaving in a long, long time.
First thoughts:
1. Praise God!
2. Yippee for all of you for finishing and reaching your goal despite exhaustion.
3. How do I get in on the “…and I slept for — hours that first night home!” pool?
Second thoughts:
1. I bet the moldering privy smelled better than the boys’ washroom at you know which middle school.
2. Of course one should see the feet of the individual(s) using the privy – so they know to wait their turn, if nothing else…or to look for other poor souls (soles?) about to lose toenails…
3. The particular Washington Monument of which you took a picture was always mentioned in my husband’s home because it was so near where everyone lived then (compared with the one in downtown B’more or in DC at least). I was always confused by its shape, though. Was someone saying Washington was really a rotund guy?
4. What were Max’s reflections on all this when you finally reached your own door?
Now, no matter where you are led to serve God next, Brad, you’ll be able to start any conversation with, “…and in the hotest part of the summer of 2012, I — ” and it won’t be folklore. Congratulations, sir! I’d tip my hat to all of you if I wore one.
Maybe there should be a big barrel full of wood shavings in the MS boys bathroom from now on. Hehe….
Next time I go to PetCo or PetSmart, I’ll look for those bags of cedar shavings they pack for gerbils and hamsters – think that’d do it?
Thank you!!! What wonderful pictures!! In no particular order:
* Nice beard.
* Poor Brady. 🙁
* I am jealous that you got to use a composting toilet! Of course, this one had a big hole underneath, right, not just going in a bucket. (That’s what I’ve seen on my tiny house websites.) I haven’t heard the poop shovel story yet. I’ll have to call you sometime.
* Thank you for the picture of the inside of the Ed Garvey loft! I was nosing around online and couldn’t find a decent one. So. Cool!
* I’d love a list of all the food you took along, but you certainly don’t really have to do that for me.
* Kilts are genius. I am pro-skirt wearing in the summer because it’s not wearing pants. Big breeze-catchers, those skirts.
Congratulations!!
Oh Lauren, my questions are endless too!
The composting toilet was on a platform because the entire area under it was the catch spot for the waste and wood shavings. The lattice you see in the picture lets air get to the compost pile. There really was absolutely no bad smell at all.
I took two store-bought dehydrated dinners, then a bunch of snack-type stuff. I am so sick of granola. I don’t think I’ll eat it for a year. My best two lunches were tuna and crackers, and a big package of beef jerky. Brady and Tony ate LOTS of peanut butter. They are sick of it.
I can’t say it enough…..I am so FASCINATED with your tenacity in this endeavor!
Three giant CHEERS to you all!! I believe you all could take on a triatholan next!
Sorry about your poor feet Brady! May they heal quickly!
And LOVE LOVE LOVE all the pictures!
Now the million dollar question: Would you do it again?
I forgot to write at the end of the post:
I loved the hiking every day. It was hard, but I loved it. I did not like the camping part very much. If I could hike this trail, and each night take a shower and sleep in an air-conditioned bed, I might be able to do the whole Appalachian Trail. Or maybe 4% of it instead of just 2%. 🙂
And btw: The ending photo looks like a starting out photo. You guys look great!
And Brad, you can totally pull off the gruffy look.