(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".

(2/20/12) Amicalola Falls and (2/18/12) Saying Goodbye - Becca's Update

It's hard to believe that we just sent Brett off on the Appalachian Trail--estimated hiking time about six months. Brett has been preparing for this adventure for over a year, and it's finally here. Brett put in a huge amount of time preparing for the trail: reading books, blogs, forums, and equipment reviews; watching documentaries and more YouTube videos than you can count; gathering his equipment and supplies bit by bit (you better believe that the UPS driver knows our house!); packing and repacking all of said equipment; and making adjustments here and there to get everything just right for his needs. And now it has begun.

It will be an adventure for Brett as he faces the elements, pushes his body to the limit, and tests his endurance both physically and mentally on the trail.

It will also be an adventure for his family as we support him from home. We are used to leaning on Brett to take care of everything that breaks or goes wrong. He is our Can-Do-Anything Man around the house and we will miss that. I knew that I would have to keep up with mowing the yard while Brett is gone, but the day before he left Brett mentioned that I would have to clean out the gutters after the oak trees drop their leaves. I jokingly said, "Wait a minute! I never agreed to that!" There is so much that he does around the house that I am not aware of. It will be a good learning experience for me. I am also looking forward to tracking Brett's progress on the map and keeping up a journal (in the form of blog posts). It will be a fun challenge to document the happenings at home for Brett.

The adventure began with a Family Road Trip. We caravaned up to Cumming, Georgia, with Ed's family and stayed in a hotel Friday night. My boys had a blast with Ed's three kids all weekend. On Saturday we drove to Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia, and spent some time at the visitor's center. Brett and Ed weighed their packs and signed the A.T. thru-hiker register. We took photos, let the kids play on the playground a bit, and began the A.T. approach trail. The approach trail begins with 740 steps going up Amicola Falls. The waterfall was beautiful, and I seemed to be the only one who seriously struggled all the way up. It was a beautiful waterfall and park, but I don't think we fully appreciated it all because of the many emotions we were all feeling, anticipating the farewell that was soon to come. We almost lost Ryan and Noah, but our family's matching tie-dyed T-shirts helped us track them down. We continued walking with the men, but soon let them continue the 7-plus-mile approach trail as we made our way back down to the visitor's center where are cars were parked.

We let the kids play some more, then drove to Elijay to pick up some food for the evening. We had heard that there was a severe weather warning beginning at 7:00pm that evening. We decided that it would be best to say good-bye that night and stay in the hotel again, rather than camping at the top of the mountain with all the kids during the thunderstorm.

Having finished the approach trail to the official start of the Appalachian Trail at the summit of Springer Mountain, the guys continued the next mile to the parking lot. They beat us to our rendezvous point, and the weather quickly started deteriorating as it got dark. They had made a fire while waiting for us, and the kids had fun with that while the men raced to finish setting up their tents before the rain came in full force. They ate a quick dinner (while simultaneously setting up camp) and we said quick good-byes.

Kristie and I were anxious to get back down the mountain before the rain turned the 6.5-mile clay road into a dangerous slip-and-slide down the mountain. Brett was anxious to have the good-bye's over with, because he was already starting to get emotional and didn't want to be a blubbering fool in front of everyone. He hugged us all, we said good-bye, and we got back on the road. I got teary as we drove away from the two little tents in the rainy dark with our husbands and fathers. All of a sudden it hit me how vulnerable my big, strong, Can-Do-Anything Man will be on the trail. Todd got teary as well in the car. Of course, it didn't help that Ryan cried the entire drive back to the hotel. Ryan asked me to talk about something to distract him. Talking about the chicken farms and electric fences didn't distract him. And even playing some of his favorite songs, "Axel F", "Don't Worry, Be Happy", and even "Funky Town" did little good.

Some things Ryan said that nearly broke my heart:
"I feel like I'm never going to see Daddy again."
[Even though we've stayed in lots of hotels without Daddy] "This is different because last night Daddy was in this same hotel with us and tonight he's not."
"I don't want Daddy to hike the Appalachian Trail. I just want him to be home with us."
"Saying good-bye to Daddy was the hardest thing I've done in my whole life."

ouch.

I know that it was harder for Ryan because he was overtired from a busy and emotional traveling weekend. The next morning, after a good night's sleep and with the distracting help of some favorite friends, Ryan was feeling better. But back in the car he still missed Daddy. On the way home he said, "Raise your hand if you really miss Daddy."

Todd didn't raise his hand.
Ryan called him on it, and Todd replied that although he missed Daddy, he was "pretty much over it." Apparently Todd takes after the stoic Mitchell side of the family (including a little, his mom--though I certainly raised my hand).

Now that we are home I will attempt to distract myself with the mess and laundry left over from the trip. I will have baseball, homework, housework, piano lessons, chorus practices, and church responsibilities to keep me busy. I have a huge list of projects that I would love to tackle during this time. But right now I just find myself anxious for news. How is my man faring? How is he feeling? Is he cold and miserable and lonely? Or has the excitement of his adventure seeped back in, making the miserable parts only secondary? I can't wait to hear.