day twenty (april 10) bittersweet....

the big boys decided that it's time to come home.  i started to write 'admit defeat' but that would only be partially true.  in hindsight, it's easier to see that maybe the goal was unrealistic from the beginning.  i do know they made it three weeks longer than i would have :)

so, why did they reach this decision?  from what i can tell there were many factors that played into the final 'yip, we're done.'   the missing family is obviously the underlying factor, but it went deeper than that.  i think they both thought it would be more of a solitary adventure, and it was anything but that.  there were probably 30 - 40 tents at night gathered at the different stops.  and it seems that hiking the AT has become the hip, chic thing to do among a largely young group.  which is fine and i wish i would have thought of it when i was young :)  but with it, came nightly partying.  and, don't get me wrong, no judgment here.  it's just that it put the big boys into their tents way earlier than they would have liked.  i asked greg one night how they could be carrying alcohol in their packs up and down the mountains?  he said that not only are they carrying a liquor stash but even glass bongs. that takes some seriously careful packing.  oh, and guitars.  thirty years ago, i would have been the ring leader most likely.... but when the big boys are 60, Believers, and doing this for fitness more than fun, it just wasn't an endearing combination.  and secondly, it was sleeping on the hard, rocky, unforgiving ground.  i am pretty sure i remember writing about the ground...ummm, lots of times :)

while they don't like feeling that they may have disappointed some, the feeling that now is the time to stop was even stronger.  they so appreciate the prayers, comments, and encouragement!  whenever you undertake an adventure (adoption comes to mind....), it is such a good feeling knowing that others are standing in the gap for you -- rooting for you in the stands!  that's what you guys felt like to them.  so to wind this adventure up, here's what i am personally thankful for...

1.  the big boys' friendship is stronger than ever
2.  care bear and i have a stronger friendship too
3.  greg's and toby's cardiovascular fitness is greatly improved
4.  they both have a desire to continue getting in shape and have a good platform to build from
5.  they met a lot of interesting people with interesting stories
6.  God spared them from getting sick or injured in the midst of many conditions that could have been painful or life-altering
7.  the lessons they learned probably won't totally be seen until some time passes.  God is good at not wasting one thing.  especially on an adventure like this...

day sixteen (april 6)

what i wouldn't give to have first hand captions instead of my interpretations of what i think these pictures represent ... but i am happy to at least have pictures :)  i do know a few things -- check out the kid with the artificial limb!  that is impressive!  and the last picture is a german guy and his dog 'fritz'.  another 'that is impressive!'  moose, our yellow lab, looks exactly like fritz but i am thinking moose might not have what it takes to hike the AT.  he might surprise me, but hiking would interfere with sleeping.  that could be a problem.

the rain storms have been ridiculously unrelenting.  i know some of these pictures are older because the big boys aren't wet.  but the two pictures (one of smurf, one of toby) in the rain gear?  well, those expressions say it all.  think grumble, murmur, grunt.

as you can see, there's still quite a few folks out doing the crazy.  lots of younger people who make it to shelter earlier in the day than the big boys.  that's okay; they prefer tent life to shelter life. except in the storms.  a little protection would be nice.

right now, they are in franklin, north carolina in a hotel room trying to get all their wet stuff dry. tomorrow is their first actual zero day.  my bad.  last time i reported a zero day, come to find out it was a nero day -- stay in hotel to shower and wash clothes but you walk your miles.  who knew nero was something other than a roman emperor?

yesterday (weds.) was probably the most harrowing day yet.  they climbed mount albert at 5,200 elevation.  the picture below was taken off the web as greg said the thought of stopping for a picture was the furthest thing from their minds.  it was a wild and crazy storm and it's mostly boulder climbing. wet boulder climbing.  with lightning.  and if you look carefully in the background, you can see a fire tower.  uh no, they didn't climb it once they reached the top.  but two much younger kids did.  N-U-T-S.  so super glad their mothers weren't there.

day fourteen (april 4)

can you guess which is my favorite picture?  yip.  hiker smurf.  he got left in the kitchen sink window and it looks like he caught up with papa smurf somehow :)  well they've been on the trail for two weeks now.  a couple of times i didn't know if they'd get to this point.  the rain and storms have just made for some really really not fun days.  you're wet, the trail is wet, your pack is wet.  we've thanked the Lord many times for safety thus far and for in the storms specifically.  today was a clear and warm day and they were especially grateful.  temperatures are dropping, as they are here the next two days.  they've taken one zero day and plan for another one this thursday.  they are averaging 8 miles a day which isn't too bad considering the elevation changes.  they toppled over the 100 mile mark today.  great job boys!!!!

my sister emailed me this:  "Have you seen this perspective of the AT?  It shows the elevation changes.... aaauuuggghhhh.  overall 430,718 feet uphill and 429, 252 descending.  http://www.postholer.com/elevation/Appalachian-Trail/3

yip, they've seen this.  they are carrying several little maps showing each section with corresponding elevations in all its glory.

p.s. boys.  stay away from them chunky gals, you hear?

day twelve (april 2)

well, i got behind and now i can't tell you much about the pictures..... do they speak for themselves? okay, not so much.  i do know the one of greg shows THEY MADE IT TO NORTH CAROLINA! WOOT!  that's a big accomplishment because the big boys' big adventure is a butt kicker.  from what i gather, it's a combination of climbing mountains with sleeping on the hard, rocky, unforgiving ground. greg lamented friday night how he went from flying business class and staying in five star hotels to primitive living...  not really how he went from there to here, but why?!!!  LOL!  so, for the sake of keeping it real, the goal has been revised.  from hiking the 2,178 miles to making it through another day :)  they came into hiawassee on saturday where they scored a hotel room.  they washed clothes for the second time, ate good food, and slept in a bed.  a gloriously wonderful bed! that's the picture where toby is opening their food box that was waiting at the post office.  i have talked to smurf a couple of times and he usually laughs a good portion of it because he realizes the craziness of the stories he shares (we always do when it is after the fact, amen?).  he called from atop a mountain one night when it was 40 degrees with 20 mile an hour winds and cried thanking me for a text picture of the kids at beef cake burgers (his normal go to spot with them).  note to self:  no kid pics from special places.

they now have nine days before they will see a town again.  please say a prayer if you're reading this because storms are coming and there ain't nothing to do but keep on putting one foot in front of the other.