It has been a while since I made an update, no excuses I have just been busy. I was however threatened over the weekend (Aunt Ginny) that I had better update the blog or else...Love you too! :)
So I am sure you are all wondering...where is she??? I spoke to her last night and she will be in Delaware Water Gap, PA tomorrow, which is .2 miles away from New Jersey. That's right New Jersey. She will be close enough for everyone to go visit before we know it.
It has been a while so let me back up a little. All the AT hikers are required to check in when they begin their hike, when mom checked in down in GA there were about 2500 people who had checked in before her. The next check point is in Harpers Ferry, WV. I guess if you make to Harpers Ferry your success rate for completing the hike sky rockets because most people don't even make it that far. Mom was a proud number 506 when she checked in at Harpers Ferry. That means at least 2000 people in front of her could not make it.
She continued on from there through MD and into PA. The PA hiking has been miserable overall and that is putting it nicely. She said that there are so many rocks that you CAN NOT look around at the scenery she has to watch her feet and the ground at all times. This was expected, but it doesn't make it any easier when you are walking through it. She of course wants to enjoy her surroundings, PA has not allowed for that and I know she is looking forward to crossing the state line. They are stopping tomorrow to go into town for food and to go to the movies...all she could talk about last night was buying herself a jumbo size popcorn and eating the whole damn thing herself.
A few good stories from the past few weeks...
She did a 25 mile day last week. About 20 miles in to the 25 miles she could see a sign off in the distance to the side of the trail. As she approached and read the sign she couldn't help from falling down not due to rocks, but from laughter as the sign read "Pennsylvania apologizes for all the friggin' rocks..." that got her through the last 5 miles that day.
About 2 weeks ago my phone rang and the person on the other end of the phone was claiming to be Mom, but I really don't know who it was. This person was staying in a hostel upstairs from a bar, had actually been in the bar, and had been shooting pool all night long. Who was that?? Any guesses because I don't know.
That is it for now. We are projecting she will be in CT/MA by the end of the month. A bunch of us are going to go camping and meet her on the trail. She and her fellow hikers are going to come back and camp with us for a night or two. I hope to get some pictures and perhaps she can make an entry herself. I encourage all of you to meet her somewhere and walk for a mile, or two, or 100 feet if that is the distance you can go. To have the opportunity to share this with her is something that none of us should pass up.
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She is now in the hands of all you New Englanders. Legg and I have had withdrawls from seeing her each week. Beleive it or not it has been hard, real hard to give up our weekly visits. I know ya'll will meet her at different places and be the bright spot in her day. I am proud of her. Don't forget to call or put posts up here, telling me the news of your visit with her. It is a grand adventure to just spend time with her and the other hikers and hear all the stories etc. of their days. Me, I did just a bit more than 100 feet, OK maybe a bit more than that at Fontana Dam while waiting for her to come off trail. But let me tell you all this: I went thru Wal Mart with her while she was here for a few days and I could not keep up with her. That gal can walk at a brisk pace, I had to jog to keep up with her!!!! So good luck to any that walk the trail with her.
ReplyDeleteMeme
Ms. Donna .... I wanna see you !!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are headed to the Berkshires . . . you have my number . . . I do not know how to reach you --- come stay a few days! I am moving Aug 13 to New Haven . . . want to see you before you head on up to Maine!
xo,
jm
Aloha Donna,
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you! Yahoo! I've been catching up on your journey (still behind in reading all of it) and really enjoying your photos too. I don't know that I'll meet up with you in the Berkshires, I wouldn't know how to begin to figure out where oh where you might be. But my heart and spirit is with you.
Theresa