Ryan arrived home last evening. I have added the pictures of the last week in Maine to Katahdin and the drive home. I had the pleasure of meeting Kipper and Chimp on their way through Cincinnati to their destination of Knoxville and Jacksonville Florida.
It was difficult to watch the parting of this group. They obviously shared an experience few have. None of them were ready for it to end. They looked like a band of homeless Mennonites. I truly enjoyed getting to spend their last time together with them.
Once he wakes up Ryan will take over the blog and provide some thoughts on the trip.
I will be adding the videos as soon as possible.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Congratulations, Ryan! 10/1/2011
I received a call from Ryan at 10:10 this morning from the peak of Mt Katahdin. He was exited and emotional. He summited with 6 other hikers. He only spoke for a moment and promised to call back when they got off the mountain. I’ll post his comments when he does.
Congratulations, Ryan, you’ve accomplished something few have. You’ve gambled everything you’ve done up to this point in your life on a dream. It was a roll of the dice where the odds were dictated not by the house but by you. You can now say you’ve completed the entire 2,181 miles of the Appalachian trail, not almost, not nearly, but completely. One thing is clear; regardless of your reason or motivation you have won a great victory of the spirit and mastery of the will.
No matter what you do with the rest of your life you will have this one 6 month period as testament to your conviction, strength, and commitment. It’s hard to imagine any tribulation that would come close to the effort required to conquer this feat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)