Half Time Report

It's halftime here on "Trekking Macon."  No, we don't have Madonna to play while our hikers get ready for the second half, but we do have a YouTube video of what is arguably the best Super Bowl halftime show ever.



Gentle readers, Macon arrived at Harpers Ferry West (by God) Virginia Saturday.  She spoke at length with her mother Sunday morning and the following is an assessment of her psyche and her mother's psyche.  Daystar is good.  I am confident that she will complete the trail barring any injury or accident along the second half of the trail.  I know that she has fully embraced the experience and is almost slowing to savor each day and each experience.  It has been answered parent-prayer that she has run into so many nice people along the trail whose generosity toward hikers is matched only by the enthusiasm of the hikers.  Daystar is fortunate to have fallen in with other hikers who share the desire to complete the trek and have personalities that are so compatible.  I know that Daystar no longer remembers the schedule and regimen that Macon had planned so meticulously for completing the hike.  Macon has grown into Daystar, and I believe her group has experienced a similar transformation.  I remember Macon telling me that Warren (Doyle) was insistent that the trail will not compromise, it will not discriminate, it will not change; that is up to you, the hiker.  It has happened.

Daystar and Bebop

As for the Frizz, she is tired, but she is excited.  When we know that Daystar is approaching an area with cell service, she eagerly awaits the updates.  The Frizz loves hearing the stories and the adventures.  I think it stirs ancient memories of being a camp counselor and she likes that.  We are having to physically let go as the drive time is almost to double digits in hours to reach Daystar.  Thankfully, Gribley's parents were at Harpers Ferry to take the hikers to a restaurant and look after them.  It is good to let other people lend a hand and share the excitement of the vicarious hike.  So as Daystar and her crew head above the Mason-Dixon line, we bid them good luck and safe travels. 

 

Now is the time to begin the transition from planning to closure on this trek.  While there remains another thousand (1000+) miles to be hiked, we can not help but let our thoughts wander toward New Hampshire and ultimately Maine.  Right now we can only imagine what adventures await our crew of hikers.  As a parent and part of the support team, this trek has opened my eyes to an entire sub-culture that exists as part of the Trail "experience" and I am grateful to thus far having been part of it. This culture derives its identity from the Trail, and it is composed of hikers, former hikers, folks planning to hike, and all the supporters who share the joy of the adventure that is the Appalachian Trail.  I've observed generosity, simplicity, anonymity, magic, idealism, reality, weather in the raw, a common dream, humor, and shared experiences.

When the end of the trek is near, the tentative plan is for the Frizz to meet her sister in Atlanta.  The two of them will fly stand-by to Maine, rent a car and meet the gang at Katahdin then fly back stand-by.  I don't see the group finishing much earlier than mid-to-late August. 
But what really remains are the bits and pieces that are untold at this point and will be remembered and shared sometime into the future by not only Daystar, but Bebop, and the Frizz as well. 

So as they head out this week, it is time to kick-off the second half of the trek.