THANK YOU to everyone who has been following us on our Appalachian Trail adventure! Yesterday we finally reached the summit of Mt. Katahdin on a beautiful, crystal clear day. We couldn't have dreamed of better weather for our last day. It has meant so much to us to know of everyone who has been thinking of us and following our blog and our trip. Above are just a few pictures from the end of the journey. We will post more when we get home and have all of our friends pictures too. We'll see everyone soon!

Last post from Mom

We leave tomorrow to head towards Maine to pick up the girls. We will arrive Sunday and hope to be able to spend a couple of days hiking with them and taking some "good" food to them on the trail. They will summit Katahdin next Wednesday. They are excited to see us, and in some ways to be finishing the hike. In other ways it is sad and causes some anxiety.

Their group has expanded from five to fifteen. Apparently some of the people they have been leap frogging along the way all ended up in Monson together, and are planning to finish up the hike as a group. They seem happy about that, and warned us we will need food for more than five!

They asked me (and this is from Steve and me too) to thank everyone for their support, words of encouragement, goody boxes... All the messages I have passed along to them from all of you have meant so much to them. They feel like they couldn't have accomplished this without all of our support, and the kindness of remarkable trail angels along the way.

This will probably be the last posting from me. Hopefully when they get home they will add their own thoughts.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that they saw a moose last week!!

Kindness of Strangers

Jennifer and Sarah and friends were in Stratton, Maine this morning resupplying and picking up mail. Tuesday they will pick up their last care package from home and then be entering the "100 mile wilderness".

Throughout this endeavor they have been so blessed by the kindness of people who live and/or work near the trail, and also by the kindness of total strangers. This past Tuesday was just another example of the generosity the hikers have received. A couple from Oklahoma, on extended vacation in New England, saw Jennifer and Sarah sitting in front of the grocery store in Rangeley. They struck up a conversation and ended up taking all five of "the group" out for pizza, and then got a hotel room for them! After breakfast the next morning Amy and Steve drove the group back to the trail. Thank you so much Amy and Steve, from parents who have been so heartened by all the many kindnesses shown to these young folks. We appreciate it so much.

Nearing the End

Hello all! We actually have internet access for once. We are in Rangeley, Maine. That's right, Maine! the last state the trail goes through!! None of us can believe that we are actually here. We have spent the last five months telling people that we are heading to Maine. Now when people ask us where we are heading we have to specify and say Mt. Katahdin. The journey has continued to be amazing. It's amazing because of the people we meet, the sights we see, and the absolute freedom of the lifestyle out here. Complete strangers have been incredibly nice to us. In the White Mountains we met a couple and their 3 year old daughter at Galehead Hut and told them that we were trying to get Crawford Notch the next day. When we got down to the road they were waiting and shuttled 5 of us to the general store and then drove on into town to get groceries for us while we did showers and laundry. We also saw ice and snow in August on top of Franconia Ridge while going over Mt. Lafayette. We saw a moose just yesterday evening standing on top of a bald rocky mountain. We stop when we find something beautiful and interesting or just get hungry enough. We sleep whenever we find a good water source or a convenient lean-to. We get up when the sun comes up. It's completely different from the lifestyle we were living and it's going to be a shock to us in a few weeks when we come home. On the other hand, we miss our family and friends so much that we find ourselves getting jittery just thinking about coming home. Hopefully we'll have internet access again before the end of the trip but if not, we love everyone and thank everyone for supporting us so much.

In Maine!

Sarah asked me to update everyone. They haven't had access to a computer lately and may not have a chance again for the rest of the hike. They are in Maine now - the last state of the hike. They are all well, and feeling excited, but at the same time sad, that their hike is nearing the end. Squeegie left them last Wednesday. She hiked on ahead to a hostel where her Dad was going to meet her. They then drove north, skipping about 200 miles of the trail. Squeegie and her Dad are hiking the last 100 miles together this week and she will get to finish at Katahdin. She starts college in a couple of weeks. Greaser (remember he hiked with Squeegie and the group until Hot Springs) joined them for a week. Doc, who had been with the group quite a bit until the Roan Highlands, wants to meet them in Rangeley and hike the rest of the way with them. We talked to Sarah today and she thinks they will summit Katahdin on September 2. We'll keep you posted.

Another brush with Mother Nature

We just spoke with the girls. They are at the top of Mt. Washington this morning. Can't see a thing as it is all socked in. The usual weather whenever they hit a high peak! A couple of days ago they were going to be hiking along Franconia Ridge. As they started out the weather forecast was for a beautiful, sunny day. They were all in their shorts enjoying the great weather. As they hiked out onto the ridgeline it began to cloud up and get windy. The next thing they knew they were hiking in sleet and hail, and gale force winds. The wind was so strong it was knocking them over. It sleeted for about 15 to 20 minutes, then rain and wind. They were on an exposed ridgeline for a good ways, so it was quite frightening. Sarah said in some ways it was more scary than the blizzard in April, but she says "I guess we are tougher people now".

Their feet are feeling better. The camera has broken. Jennifer is going to try to save the photos off of it, so keep checking for a new photo update.

Less than 400 miles

I was hoping the girls would be able to post some of their photos, but apparently they haven't had access to a computer. So this posting is just to let everyone know they are fine (other than feet that are really hurting). They have less than 400 miles left to go, and are now in the White Mountains which they say are just beautiful. Sometimes the trail goes above treeline.

Their friend Greaser who started the hike with Squeegie and got off the trail at Hot Springs (had to go back to work) is hiking with them for a week. They were all really happy to see him. The group used to be called Greaser's Gang before he left and they became the Babes in Boots and Bubbas.

That's all for now. Keep checking for those photos (I know I am).