Completed my 16 year quest

[kolokolo]

Congratulations! I am about fifteen years and 1599 miles into my section hiking, so I thank you for the inspiration! I hope to finish myself someday soon.

[Alligator]

Congratulations and I hope your ankle is better since you started.

[Slugg]

Congratulations from an aspiring section hiker! Good stuff.

[Kaptainkriz]

Congrats!

[doodles]

Congrats. An accomplishment you will cherish and remember for the rest of your life.

[Daybreak]

Congratulations. You are now a "2000-miler". What's next? Perhaps a reverse direction hike? AT extensions?
Shorter trails? Longer trails? More remote trails?

[JPritch]

Awesome accomplishment! Sticking to something that long shows incredible grit. Congratulations!

[MapleHiker]

Sounds just as interesting and rich as any thru hike. Congratulations!

[gjbu]

Congratulations

[sore ankle]

Thank you for all of your kind words and congratulations. Here are some responses to the questions:
Seatbelt--All of my transportation was by car.
Illabelle--One hiking buddy joined me just south of Monson, intending to hike the rest of the way. Unfortunately, he had to get off the trail at Abol Bridge due to blisters and toenail problems (he is losing two toenails).
Peakbagger--I summited at 9:30 am. The clouds rolled in while I was on The Tableland and it was pretty foggy when I reached the terminus sign. I stayed at the summit for about a half hour, during which time the sun came out and the views improved significantly. I came down on the Abol Trail and had good views from there.
JNI64 and Daybreak--I don't see myself attempting a Triple Crown or anything like that, but I have been looking at the Sheltowee Trace and the Mountains to Sea Trail. Maybe the Buckeye Trail or portions of it. Definitely the Knobstone Trail and Tecumseh Trail here in Indiana.

Alligator--My ankle healed long ago. It hurt on one of our early sections and my son gave me the trail name "Old Chief Sore Ankle." I went by "Sore Ankle" for several years, then as I got deeper into my fifties I used the other half of the name, "Old Chief." I just never changed it here on WB.
Section hiking was definitely the way to go for me, with family responsibilities for much of the last 16 years. The advantages were a) no open ended time commitments; b) the ability to pick where I wanted to go next; c) the ability to pick the time of year I went (most of my southern hikes were in May, while I did the New England states mainly in July and August); d) the blessing of having hiking companions who were able to work hikes into their schedules; and e) I was never on the trail so long that hiking began to feel like a job, although the final section began to feel that way after about 20 days of hiking. The disadvantages were a) all of the driving involved; b) having to get into shape every year (this was good for me physically, but a pain nonetheless); c) having to adhere pretty closely to a hiking schedule every time out--this limited my flexibility as I had to cover X miles in Y days; and d) having to return home before I felt like I had gotten my "hiking legs"--I felt like I finally got them during the 25 hiking days of the last section.
I found it interesting that, in talking to thru hikers over the years, they generally seemed to believe that section hiking would be more difficult than thru hiking, while section hikers thought thru hiking would be more difficult. From my perspective, I think thru hiking would be more difficult from the psychological and emotional side, while section hiking may be more difficult physically (although the nutritional and calorie requirements of a thru hike present daunting challenges on the physical side that section hikers can avoid unless they are doing long sections). I was consistently encouraged by the mutual respect that thru hikers and section hikers showed for one another. There seems to be a common understanding that every hiker deserves respect and support for being out on the trail.
One thing that helped me through New Hampshire and Maine was the realization that the AT in much of those states is less a trail and more an obstacle course that uses various combinations of rocks, roots, and mud to challenge hikers. Also, as I got older I developed a "granny gear" to make climbs. Earlier I would try to maintain my pace while climbing, which usually resulted in a lot of huffing and puffing and rest breaks. "Slow and steady" became my motto as I got older and maybe a little wiser. During ascents I would look up to see whether I could see the sky through the trees, and in New England I would check the height of the trees which gets shorter as tree line is approached. Another trick I used on myself was to try to make at least 100 steps at a time between breathers. Lone Wolf's wise words ("It's just walking") came to mind countless times.

Thanks again for all the kind words. If you think my experience can help you, please PM me.

[Alligator]

I'm just kidding with you...if you should happen to want to change it just shoot me or ATTroll a pm. You have certainly earned whatever name you choose to go by!

[hobbs]

Congratulations and Great answers to help the rest of us and Give us the Faith to follow through...

[Night Train]

Busco strong, pal. Accolades and big respect. Did you treat yourself to ice cream at the Magic Wand?

[sore ankle]

Night Train--I had a Deer Tracks double dip cone at the store at Abol Bridge, along with a root beer. Had a steak dinner in Millinocket on 8/6 after climbing up and down Katahdin. But no Magic Wand when I got home.

[Seesfar]

I’m 67 years old and living in Az. I have dreamed of hiking the trail… doing what I can and I realize the clock is ticking.
Thank You for telling your story. You never realize that what may not seem significant to you may be immensely significant to a reader.
Thanks Again

[hopetofinish]

Congrats!! Tremendous achievement!! Keep hiking!

[u.w.]

Huge HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to YOU sore ankle!!!!
Way to Go!!!!

willin'

[hokieav8r]

What a great accomplishment! Congratulations! Love to hear em!