(Sat. 7/21/12 - Fri. 7/27/12) Kittery, ME (Family Visit/Break From the Trail)

I picked up Brett in Gorham, NH, as previously arranged. I got there early and hiked down the trail a little bit. I found a perfect spot by the creek that followed the trail for a bit and sat on a rock with my feet in the water while I waited for Brett to come down the trail. I was so happy to see Brett after so long (four months since Spring Break) that I cried. It took me a while for my eyes and emotions to get back to normal.

Brett has lost 50 pounds on the trail. He is skin and bones compared to what he was before. For the first few days, every time I saw him or put my arms around him it took me by surprise. It took about five days for me to look at him and not immediately think "He's so skinny!"

Brett also has an almost fully gray beard and looks "so old". Brett is fairly proud of his beard. He says it easily identifies him as a northbound thru-hiker, and he is respected by southbound hikers (who haven't been on the trail that long) or section hikers he meets on the way. I think Brett's beard is one small way to measure everything he has done so far.

It was so nice to have time with Brett. Brett's two goals for his time off were to spend time with the family and rest. So we spent most of our time at my parents' house just hanging out rather than going out or sight-seeing. (Being around crowds is the last thing Brett wants right now!) It was good to be together as a family again, although it may have made it a little harder for Brett to get back on the trail. My parents live on the water, and being on the water also made Brett realize how much he missed it.

Brett took care of some gear issues while he was here. He had a new pack shipped because the frame in his old one broke. He had to do some sewing to make minor modifications, just as he did with his previous two packs. He had to replace his hiking shoes, because sole on one of his shoes started separating. He also had to replace his pillow which wasn't holding air like it should. And of course, he unpacked, washed, and aired all of his gear out. Evidence of Brett was seen in many rooms of the house as well as on both the front and back porches.

I'm hoping the first few days on the trail weren't too tough for Brett. I had thought that the White Mountains in New Hampshire were the toughest part of the trail, but Brett said that the first 100 miles of Maine were supposedly the toughest. So Brett has just begun a very difficult section of the trail with new shoes, muscles that need to be worked back in, and a twinge or homesickness after spending so much time with the family. I know that he will get back into the swing of things soon. I am proud of him, and continue to be amazed at what he has done.

Here are a few Brett photos from our time together. First, a photo of Brett and his shadow (i.e. Ryan) hunting for treasure by my parents' house in Kittery, Maine.

The only tourist-y activity we did: stopping by the fisherman's memorial in Gloucester, Mass., on our way back from a trip to REI (new shoes).

Mending a small tear in his shorts.

First, we watched the lobster boats unload their catch from my parents' house. Then we went and bought the fresh, live lobsters (only $4.00 a pound!). Then Brett played with the lobsters. Later, Brett washed and steamed the lobsters (with no help). Finally, we all ate the lobsters (with step-by-step instruction from my parents).

At a rest stop in the White Mountains on the way to dropping Brett back off on the trail (before the emotional good-byes hit). The peak of Mount Washington was covered in clouds. We had rain on the three-hour drive there, but I think most of it had passed by the time we got to the trail.

Following our family tradition, we all wore our "Support Daddy Tie-Dye T-Shirts" on our first day with Brett, on our family outing to REI and Gloucester, and on our last day together.
Only three more weeks 'til Katahdin. We're proud of you, "The Dude".

(6/2_ /12) Great Barrington, MA (Phone Update)

Ugh. I was able to chat with Brett for a while, but I was so busy taking notes of his activities that I never wrote down the date of this phone call.

Brett had pushed himself the day before, hiking 26 miles. He said it was too much and he was hurting because of it. He had blisters from his new shoes. He hiked only a few miles and arrived at a hostel that morning-what they call a Nero day (near zero). His goal was to hike 20 miles the next day.

He was spending the day at the hostel taking care of errands-phone calls, laundry, and a shower. He planned on ordering pizza for dinner.

Brett said he hiked all through Connecticut without really seeing other hikers. He was in kind of a weird bubble. Some hikers were about a day ahead, some about a day behind, but he was really hiking alone.

They had record heat the previous weekend. Brett said the smell has gone up to a whole different level. He sat in a creek pouring water over his head to cool down his core temp. He said to himself, I could handle some rain. Not much later he was stuck in a thunderstorm with hail the size of a cherry or grape, with nowhere to go. It was June and there was an inch of ice on the ground. He from hot to freezing in about 15 minutes. The hail was smooth and round, making it difficult to walk over. Brett said you have to be careful what you wish for. Brett said it was raining again; another grey day.

Brett was in Massachusetts and said that the mosquitoes were the worst he's ever seen. They continued biting even while he was moving.

On the positive side, Brett said there were wild blueberries all over the place. He was out of the range of the wild raspberries, and the huckleberries weren't ripe yet. He passed by a small, out-of-the-way, but busy creamery. I told him folks know how to do ice cream in New England.

Brett was in Great Barrington, MA. He planned to resupply in Lee.

I didn't hear much about it, but Brett was able to have visitors along the way. His friend Nancy and her sister were able to hike with him for a couple of days. Although I think Brett had to significantly slow down his pace, it's worth it to be able to have good company for a little while.