Good morning, Everyone! Kevin here one last time... Things have been crazy since returning home (lots of honey-dos, dont ya know!) but now that things have settled down into a fairly normal routine, I wanted to make a final post to let each and every one of you know how much Hunter and I appreciated all of your love, prayers, and support while we were out on the Trail. It was a long 6 months! My morale was at its lowest after tearing my Achilles. I knew my hike was over and words can’t describe how crushing that was. Four years of planning. But I didn’t have time to worry about all that -- I had to figure out keep supporting Hunter so he could finish. That’s when three Trail Angels showed up. Dr. Cole Wheeler from back home volunteered to drive my vehicle over 800 miles to me so we could continue on the Trail (how cool was that?). And then we ran into Big Bear and Do Little at the Microtel Inn in Franklin, NC. Problem solved. As you all know, Big Bear ended up hiking all the way to Maine with Hunter. I told him many times out on the trail, but I’ll say it again here -- Thank you, Big Bear. Knowing you were always with him on the Trail gave this dad a piece of mind that would have been impossible otherwise. I’ll always be indebted to you for that. To all the other hikers we met along the way -- Opus, Chispa, Cowboy, Grampy, Viking, Trigger, Shellback, Chrysalis, Upside Down Monkey, Turbo, PoHo, and Ground Score just to name a very few -- thank you. You made the hike even more enjoyable. It was an honor and a privilege to have shared the Trail with each of you. Then there were the many, many trail angels along the way. It would be impossible to name them all, but we do want to mention a special few. My deepest thanks to Mama Goose and Miss Janet who did everything they could to keep me on the Trail when my foot started acting up. Then there was Phillica Fowler and her awesome kids, Bryanna, Bradley, and Bryce who showed up at a road crossing with a ton of pizza, salad, snacks, and dessert in Pennsylvania. Finally to Fidget and Mamie in Damascus, VA, Brian and Rita Snyder in Sugar Grove, VA, Jerry and Sherri Thomas in Marion, VA, and Steve and Gretchen Lorton, in Lebanon, NH. These folks opened up their homes and hearts to hiking strangers and did everything they could to make our lives easier on the trail. At home, we’ve first got to thank our family -- an awesome wife and mom, Vickey, who I know worried every day about her “trail guys”. Ashley and Tyler, two incredible kids (I can still call them kids, even if they are 25 and 22 years old) who were there every day, helping their mom keep things going on the home front. And of course, the rest of the clan who was there, pulling and praying for us ever step of the way -- Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws and outlaws...thank you all for your love and support along the way! A huge thanks to Troy and Marieke Yocum, founders of the Active Heroes charity and Hike for Heroes. We know you all took a huge gamble letting two total strangers hike and represent your great charity. It was an honor for us to carry the Hike for Heroes banner along the Trail, telling everyone we met about the great work you all are doing to prevent veteran suicide. And lastly, thanks to all of you who shared our experience through Facebook (all 280,000 of you!) for following along on our adventure. Posting to FB took on a life of its own that we never anticipated, and we so appreciated all the constant words of encouragement along the way. We were moved to tears more times than you can imagine from messages you sent. What will remain in our memories long after the incredible wilderness views we experienced are all of you. In this day and age, it’s easy to miss seeing the good things in life. If you want to really see what life is about, go hike/drive/live on the Appalachian Trail for 6 months. Your faith in humanity will be quickly restored. Every stereotype you’ve heard will be shattered out there. People are amazing, kind, generous, and loving. One gentleman I met out there said he spends 9-10 months every year on the trail. When I asked him why, he said “because the best people in the world are out here.” I couldn’t agree more. Finally, this -- when Hunter and I finally stood on top of Mount Katahdin, it was overwhelming. Everything that had happened over the previous 6 months came flooding back and I don’t mind telling you, we both cried up there. We had endured aches and pains, bumps and bruises, a few million mosquito bites, homesickness, illness, a dog bite, freezing nights and sweltering days for the privilege of standing there. But you know what really made the moment special? It was knowing that you all were right there with us. I’ll wrap this up now, but not before sharing with you a link to a slideshow of the hike. After all, you’re the ones who made this all possible. Enjoy! https://wevideo/hub/#media/ci/265784225 -- Kevin
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:20:32 +0000
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