We're back! On November 29th, 2000, we finished our thru-hike in a light drizzle atop Springer Mountain. We laughed, we shouted for joy, we shot what victory photos we were able to, given the conditions, and we hightailed it back down to the access road, with more than a little bit of ambivalence about leaving the trail. There we met Portugee, a fellow hiker and all-around great guy who had offered us a ride from Springer to Atlanta. We stopped on the way for a Mexican lunch with champagne courtesy of Portugee, and a shower, and before we knew it we were winging our way back home on Delta flight 698 to Boston. The high technology that suddenly surrounded us was surreal and yet strangely familiar. When the pilot announced our descent into Logan, I was struck by the shortness of the flight. Plane trips had always seemed interminably boring before. Before long, we had disembarked and were joyously regreeting Mom -- Lily was asleep at home. As we drove the familiar roads of our home town, we were constantly looking for signs of changes in the six months we were gone, and were slightly disappointed to find none. Perhaps we should be glad. Anyhow, it's now about a month since we got back, and we're both adjusting fairly well. Dad went back to work two days later, and I did a whole lot of nothing for a week before going on a trip to Ithaca and Amherst to visit my friends at school and taunt them about finals.
Details, details The journal is essentially done. Dad industriously typed in the last of his journals, up to the end of the trip. Unfortunately, I won't be typing in the rest of mine. Sorry. If you want to hear the rest of my stories, I'd love to talk to you though... check the updated contact us page for a plethora of options. Most of our pictures are up now. Rolls 32-34 and 42 are still pending, but they should go up within a few weeks. I'm contemplating adding a "Best Of" section for the pictures. I'll post a note on the front page (here, that is) if I do that. Also updated: the gear page now has a list of the exact gear we were carrying in our packs when we reached Springer. Thanks for reading, it's been fun! News 5-14-01: I finally got around to uploading the missing Roll 42. I never even thought about the significance of the number, but I suppose it's fitting given Mr. Adams' sad passing. Also we're going to Trail Days this weekend! We're both very excited, we can't wait to see all our friends again.

If you're feeling nostalgic, you can view the old front page.

Last modified Monday May 14, 2001