DAY 22 - 7/14/06
Laura Woodward to Canada!
Weather: Sunny and HOT
Animals: Same 'ol
We set the alarm for an early start, which for us is around 6 am. We sped along the trail, but when we had only posted 4.3 miles by 9:30 we realized we would have to boogie to make it to the meeting point by 1:00 PM. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like boogeying, it was the last day on the LT and I felt like savoring it a bit. I started to miss it a bit in the midst of my excitement over finishing. I kept having this awful fantasy that I would fall and break something just a few miles shy of the border, and have to come back and hike later to finish. At Shooting Star Shelter, there was a SOBO on his second day, from Ohio but originally from North Carolina. Poor guy had packed in too much and planned to hike back some to the road and drop off some excess gear (which included an extra pair of blue jeans) at the post office. He was a sweet guy though, with a soft voice. I felt really bad that his pack was so HUGE but I didn't say anything to him about it. I guess everyone figures out their own hike and there's no "right" way to do it. The pace was almost doubled after the shelter, and on a brief stop on Burnt Mt. we spotted a few ravens flying the thermals and calling with a "Whonk! Whonk!" Very cool. The last road crossing brought a bit of a surprise. Steve's grandfather, two hours early! He took our packs, and we got to slack-pack the last 3 miles to the border. We really took off, and when we finally reached the marker, I was elated, I did a jig on the rock for a few brief seconds. Well, it probably looked more like drunken stumbling, my feet were heavy, swollen, and sore. But we finally were done!
I'm amazed I did it. I never thought we'd finish it, we're infamous for cutting out when injuries loom. But there were no major mishaps, only 3 days of miserable rain in 3 weeks. I know that the LT is not as long as some but it has its share of highs and lows. It was truly amazing. Reflections to follow.
Weather: Sunny and HOT
Animals: Same 'ol
We set the alarm for an early start, which for us is around 6 am. We sped along the trail, but when we had only posted 4.3 miles by 9:30 we realized we would have to boogie to make it to the meeting point by 1:00 PM. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like boogeying, it was the last day on the LT and I felt like savoring it a bit. I started to miss it a bit in the midst of my excitement over finishing. I kept having this awful fantasy that I would fall and break something just a few miles shy of the border, and have to come back and hike later to finish. At Shooting Star Shelter, there was a SOBO on his second day, from Ohio but originally from North Carolina. Poor guy had packed in too much and planned to hike back some to the road and drop off some excess gear (which included an extra pair of blue jeans) at the post office. He was a sweet guy though, with a soft voice. I felt really bad that his pack was so HUGE but I didn't say anything to him about it. I guess everyone figures out their own hike and there's no "right" way to do it. The pace was almost doubled after the shelter, and on a brief stop on Burnt Mt. we spotted a few ravens flying the thermals and calling with a "Whonk! Whonk!" Very cool. The last road crossing brought a bit of a surprise. Steve's grandfather, two hours early! He took our packs, and we got to slack-pack the last 3 miles to the border. We really took off, and when we finally reached the marker, I was elated, I did a jig on the rock for a few brief seconds. Well, it probably looked more like drunken stumbling, my feet were heavy, swollen, and sore. But we finally were done!
I'm amazed I did it. I never thought we'd finish it, we're infamous for cutting out when injuries loom. But there were no major mishaps, only 3 days of miserable rain in 3 weeks. I know that the LT is not as long as some but it has its share of highs and lows. It was truly amazing. Reflections to follow.