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I understand a SOBO of 2016 is in the 4th state already, after seeing snow in April.
Made it to Bergton, VA, about a third of the way thru. No injuries, having a ball. Taking a much-needed weekend off!!
My southbound GET adventure in a nutshell: http://highlandretreat.org/a-stranger-strolled-in-to-highland/
My southbound GET adventure in a nutshell: http://highlandretreat.org/a-stranger-strolled-in-to-highland/
I hear it got a bit more interesting after that...
I hear it got a bit more interesting after that...
Just a bit . . . !
I am currently in Crossville, TN. Forward is progress!
I'm rounding the final turn: the Pinhoti Trail.
Heflin, AL, 106 miles remain to Flagg Mtn., the southern terminus of the GET.
Heflin, AL, 106 miles remain to Flagg Mtn., the southern terminus of the GET.
Yay! ++++1
Score!
http://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/new-hampshire-resident-kathy-finch-making-history-with-great-eastern/article_508a3a00-8b5e-11e6-833f-5b4762dba2bc.html
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
―Edgar Albert Guest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GETHiking/?fref=nf
73 de kf1wv
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
―Edgar Albert Guest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GETHiking/?fref=nf
73 de kf1wv
I think this is exciting news! - but hidden behind a Facebook wall if one is not on the big blue site.
Congrats. Overall impressions of the hike?
I think this is exciting news! - but hidden behind a Facebook wall if one is not on the big blue site.
Word will GET out; it will take time. Thanx for your ongoing support, Peter! 73
Congrats. Overall impressions of the hike?
The coolest long-distance trek I've ever done. Bar none. Hell of an adventure.
Kathy demonstrates a thru-hike doesn't have to be a self absorbed self concerning affair. She displays appreciation and character of heart. There's a sense she deeply connected to something more than just achieving a goal on a To Do list.
Touched me with gladness as she shared this:
“I appreciate the land itself....
“I hope that by completing the hike, I will inspire and help educate others who want to do the same thing,”
“It’s like going to church everyday, this journey has been my worship -- and I know the good Lord and my parents are watching over me,” she said.
Finch added that she “doesn’t want her journey to come to an end.”
Her favorite part of the nearly 2,000-mile journey is not the accomplishment itself -- but instead, it has been......
“striking up conversations with small-town strangers.”
“The whole experience has been a very serendipitous journey,”
“Everyone has a few crazy, mixed up dreams inside their heads. Most of them will fall by the wasteside, but don’t ignore them.” Finch said. “When you die, your inbox is not going to be empty, but be sure to not have any regrets, and never stop being a kid at heart.”
"Everyone has a few crazy, mixed up dreams inside their heads. Most of them will fall by the wasteside [sic], but don’t ignore them.” Finch said. “When you die, your inbox is not going to be empty, but be sure to not have any regrets, and never stop being a kid at heart.”
Laci the journalist nailed it, Dogwood.
jmitchell
10-18-2016, 20:56
Great job, first southbound thru hiker on a trail that is just beginning.
Gotta love backpacking. Gotta love people like Kathy who brings it together showing us how it can be done. ....ohh, first time ever anyone has ever SOBO thru-hiked the GET.....ohh, she soloed....ohh, she's 63 yrs, a female on that unfinished LD trail....ohhh, with a great display of character and grace....ohhh, without all the public displays of ego....ohh, showing some humbleness.
Waterville Valley, NH, has produced some stellar athletes over the years and not just of the skiing variety.
Waterville Valley resident Kathy Finch is a skier; but her real passion is backpacking.
Kathy has hiked extensively in the Waterville Valley region. She’s also hit the big-name, long-distance hiking routes like the Appalachian Trail and the Ice Age Trail. But she was still searching for the perfect backpacking adventure along the Appalachian Mountains.
She found it in the Great Eastern Trail (GET), the newest long-distance hiking trail in the U.S. The roughly 1,800-mile-long trail passes through nine states from New York to Alabama. Although much of the GET trail network was already in place, a huge amount of volunteer effort helped augment and support the creation of additional and connecting trails.
Kathy started her journey on the GET in Corning, NY, last April. She just recently finished her journey in early October when she reached Flagg Mountain in Alabama.
Kathy didn’t set out on this journey to get her name in any record books. But, along the way she did just that. She is only the third person to hike the GET in its entirety AND she’s the first person to make the journey from north to south.
“A Serendipitous Journey” New Hampshire Resident Kathy Finch Making History with Great Eastern Trail Hike (http://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/new-hampshire-resident-kathy-finch-making-history-with-great-eastern/article_508a3a00-8b5e-11e6-833f-5b4762dba2bc.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share)
(http://bit.ly/2eEiHqa)A Stranger Strolled in to Highland (http://highlandretreat.org/a-stranger-strolled-in-to-highland/)
366753667636677
(Source: http://www.wvnh.com/kathy-makes-hiking-history/)
http://www.dadeplanet.com/single-post/2016/10/26/The-Highways-the-Byways-and-the-Dade-Public-Library-Pioneering-Great-Eastern-Trail-Hiker-Stops-in-Trenton-for-a-Chat
For those curious about what's out there along the length of the GET, here's the first installment: https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/album.php?albumid=132
Supposedly someone did SOBO this year (2020) but have not seen a journal.