Headed Home!

Hello folks!

Dad is headed back home from Maine. He sustained a knee injury and cannot continue the long-mileage required through the 100 mile wilderness.  One of his fellow hikers sustained a knee injury as well so they headed back out.  I have attached a photo at the beginning-- 100 miles from Mt. Katahdin.  He will finish soon! :)

Round #2

Hello folks! Dad left this morning for Rutland, VT via Amtrak. He will take that through New York and into Vermont... from there he will hike about 30 miles of Vermont and then two states left: New Hampshire and Maine. These sections are tough and we are all praying he will enjoy the end of the AT :)

1500 miles and five months hiking....

He's home!

Dad arrived home today from DC and we are sooooo excited to see him!

He is planning to finish his last two states (New Hampshire and Maine) next summer with "Farmer", his hiking buddy from Boston.  

I can't wait for you to hear all his stories!!  :)

Washington DC

As I had mentioned in previous posts, Dad has always wanted to visit the Vietnam Memorial. 

Friday, he left the mountains of New England and took Greyhound/Peter Pan bus lines into DC via New York City.  NYC was quite the experience, as Dad has been in the mountains for months!  DC was the same as well: navigating the train, etc.  

Here are some photos from DC:

Vietnam Memorial (note the reflection...)

Capital

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Never Forgotten.

Headed..... South!

Dad is currently a little north of Springfield, Mass. and headed back this way! Temperatures are unseasonably cold and he and his hiking buddy ("farmer" from Boston) are going to trek New Hampshire to Maine next year :)  He is headed to DC to check out the Vietnam Wall and will head to Georgia Saturday.  We can't wait to see him!!

He says temperatures have started to fall where he is hiking.  During the day, its in the 70's but the nights are slipping into the 40's.

He sent the following and said the trail through the Christmas Trees reminded him of the Christmas Tree lot on the farm at home :)

Warrior Hike info (that I have mentioned in previous posts):
 http://www.wcax.com/story/23139979/veterans-walk-off-the-war

Also, how cool are the Bromley Mountain ski slopes during "fall"?!

He enjoyed his time with "fahmah" and his wife Mary and friend Clip, who he was able to visit with the past couple of days. :) Those folks mean a lot to Dad......

* We are sooooo incredibly proud of him... 63 years old (birthday on the trail!), hiking from Georgia to Vermont.  There are no words, we are so honored he is ours :) So very blessed.

Appalachian Trail

Christmas trees along the trail

More Christmas trees

Crossing Big Branch

"Little Rock" lake

Headed into Rutland, Vermont... ski area..

Rock Statue, people add to it each year.

Vermont ski area

ski slopes

Rock statues... Dad says THIS is what rocks are for :)

ski slopes

Another ski area

"tabletop" Christmas tree

Bridge over a wet area

Proud.

Bennington, Vermont and lots of photos to prove it! Be sure to read the captions :)

Moose are ahead on trail...

Blueberry farm

Vermont

These cats used to be in the mountains...

Hardware store in Cheshire, Mass.

Veterans Area

Part of the World Trade Centers from 9/11...

Cheshire, Mass. hardware store

Over 1200 blueberry bushes...

Inside store in Cheshire, Mass.   His saying :)

Massachusetts

 Checking in with some photos.... (most from Barrington, Mass.)

Email from Dad with photo below...
"This is the owner of the place I am staying tonight( Sunday) it's a u pick blueberry farm between becket and dalton MA. He lets hikers put up tents and also has small place to stay inside a building. I got here about 3:00 and was the about to rain which it did later. I helped him with a few things."

Hostel owner

Catholic Church