Mel took us all back to the trail after breakfast. We had such a wonderful weekend back home. She made sure everything was perfect and took great care of us all. Thanks Mel!!
Had a great hike today. We had an elevation gain of 3,000ft over 10 miles.
Wesser Bald observation tower
Day 157 - 23.1 miles
Cold and rainy day but still a great hike.
This was Wayah Bald and it had a beautiful stone tower. "Wayah" is a Native American word for wolf.
We stayed at a nice shelter and made a huge fire that night.
Day 158 - 32.9 miles
Long day today. Hiked from 6:40am till 7 pm. I had switched back to trail runners and had rolled my ankle several times during the day. I was hurting. I was shooting for Dicks Creek Gap today. I had already completed 48 miles of GA this year from Dicks Creek to Woody Gap. I decided to skip this section instead of doing it over again. This would also put me 48 miles ahead of my hiking partners Matt and Liam. I was sad that I wouldn't finish with them but I was hurting and needed a break. Melanie and Cyrus picked me up at Dicks Creek and took me home for a rest day. This would also allow me the ability to plan my summit of Springer Mt so my family could be there when I finish.
Day 159 - Zero day/ rest
Day 160 - Mehdi took me to Woody Gap and I started hiking about 2 pm. Only one more day on the trail I wanted to savor every second of daylight I had left.
Then.... It started to rain and got really foggy. It was kind of spooky.
I ended up hiking for 2 hours in the dark and made it to the shelter. I met another hiker who had thru-hiked the AT in 2012. We traded stories and had a good night.
It was a restless night knowing that tomorrow would be my last day on the AT and that I would be meeting my family on Springer Mt at noon tomorrow. I thought about my journey and all amazing people I had met. I was told before I started hiking that I would be changed when I got back. Well, they were right.
Day 161 - 8.1 miles
Had a leisurely hike knowing that I only had to do 8 miles before noon. I took a side trail to Long Creek Falls. I sat by the falls and closed my eyes. It was a beautiful time to reflect and relax.
I made it to the summit and everyone was waiting for me, Melanie, Anita, Ed, Mehdi and Brenda. Mel was waving the checkered flag for me.
Thanks to everyone for all your support!! Thanks to everyone following this blog, everyone who donated and everyone that cheered me on. Thank you!
Special thanks to my amazing wife who has supported my every move these last 161days. I couldn't have done it with out you baby.
2,185.3 miles total
0.0 miles left
