thanks!
Hey guys, thanks for all your kind words and encouragement. And a big thanks to Warren for his acknowledgement and also his support before and after my trip. I would have posted sooner, but I just joined white blaze and had to work out some of the kinks with the admin (thanks at troll!). I had an amazing time on the Long Trail and loved the challenge of pushing myself to the limits each and everyday I was out there. It is truly an amazing trail with a lot of fun obstacles at the end - especially in the rain. I think I have a record which is great! Warren felt I might have set it for both men and women, but on trail journals it was suggested that a male hiker named Parm hiked it in under 7 days in 03'. That's incredible, and my hat definitely goes off to him! It's always nice to be the first or only person to have accomplished something, but as any endurance hiker knows, it's not about the records. Being a "record holder" would never provide sufficient motivation to overcome sprained ankles, swollen knees, bee stings and electrical storms (all of which are very vivid memories of my Long Trail hike), instead the desire to overcome adversity, enjoy creation, and push mental, physical, and emotional boundaries was what personally made the endeavor rewarding. I did write a quick poem to sum up my experiences on the trail, and I tried to add it as an attachment to this post, but if it does not come through and you would like to read it then I would be more than happy to e-mail it to you. Thanks again for all the kind words. Hope to meet some of you all on the trail in future. best, jp
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