Si I've decided: I will be heading back up to New Hampshire on
Thursday to try to complete this darned hike.

I wish I could say that I am excited to be heading back to the trail,
but it's not quite true. I certainly am not yet ready to give up my
life as a thru-hiker. It is, after all, a pretty sweet way to live.
You hike. You camp. You see new places and meet new people every day.
You eat as much of everything as you can possibly get your hands on.
You breathe fresh air. You exercise your body. You have time to le
your mind wander where it may.

But my hike should be finished by now, or at least close to being
finished. The people I hiked with way back at the beginning of my
thru-hike have all either completed their hike, or have gotten off the
trail. It is no longer summer. The cool weather of fall is arriving in
New England. It is 65 degrees here in Quincy this morning. The days
are shortening rapidly. It is strange being here at home now, since I
left here last March when winter was just winding down. It feels like
I somehow missed summer.

This is wonderful weather for hiking of course. If the weather holds
fair I will be treated to the full glory of New England's autumn. But
in a big way it feels like this is going to be a lonely hike. That is
strange, since I have by choice hiked most of the trail alone, but it
feels lonely I guess because everyone I know is done, or at least well
ahead of me.

Anyway, this will be my last shot at finishing my thru-hike this year,
so here's hoping my knees are up to the task!

—
~~~~~
Monkeywrench
Allen F. Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com