Trail Logs for October 1 through November 4, 2001

October 1  9:30 PM.  Goddard Shelter, Green Mountains, Vermont. I'm back on the AT!  It's been six months and there have been many trials and tribulations, but I'm here right when I wanted to be.  Many, many thanks to Cindy "Mrs. Gorp" Miller for rescuing me in Bennington.  My pack is indeed lost.  Cindy drove 45 miles to bring me all her thruhiking gear, including a Feathered Friends sleeping bag, Nomad tent, Leki poles, some Golite clothing, a Pepsi can stove, a titanium pot and a lot more.  Some of this stuff is better than mine!  Hopefully, my pack will eventually arrive in Bennington, but I'm all set for now.

I'm sharing the shelter with Brynn, a fellow Californian.  She's hiking the Long Trail and it's been great to have a nice long conversation with a fellow hiker.  The CDT was wonderful but lonely.  The AT promises to be much more social. October 2  9:15 PM.  The warming hut atop Bromley Mount, Vermont. 33 miles today.  I didn't expect to be able to go that far, but the hills aren't bothering me after tromping across Colorado and the well marked trail allows me to spend all my time hiking, not route finding.  The weather has been nice.  Above freezing at night.  Warm enough during the day to make me sweat going uphill.  There were some clouds today, but no threat of rain so far.  The leaves are falling from some trees but not even turning color yet on most.  Perhaps the best is yet to come. October 3  10:00 PM.  Clarendon Shelter, Vermont.  30.2 miles today, but it took until well past dark.  The steep rocky climb down to VT 103 and up to this shelter was a real adventure, but finding my way up the "stairs" was easier than following the trail in more open areas.       I saw my first AT moose today!  It was just north of Peru Mountain in the Peru Mountain Wilderness.  It ran off when it heard me coming.  The leaves are starting to turn yellow and red in some areas.  It's beautiful but not spectacular like the aspens were in Colorado.  But there's still time for the colors to brighten.

October 4  7:30 PM.  Stony Brook Shelter, Vermont. 26 miles and a resupply stop at The Inn at the Long Trail today.  There are lots of hikers around but no AT thruhikers.  Southbounders long ago left this area and so far the nearest northbounder seems to be about 3 weeks ahead.  I may not see any NOBO's in my vicinity this year!  I could even be the last NOBO on the AT this year although it's impossible to know if there's someone behind me.  October 5  9:30 PM.  Happy Hill Shelter, Vermont. 30 miles today but I'm still six miles from the Gathering in Hanover, which is starting tonight.  The Gathering is a meeting of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association.  I had hoped to be there tonight, but tomorrow will have to do. The surprise today was meeting Michelle Morris of Backpacker Magazine on the trail. We had arranged to meet at the Gathering but she decided to hike out to meet me early.  So we've been talking all evening.  It'll be an honor to be mentioned in the magazine.  I also saw three northbounders today who flip-flopped to Katahdin and are now heading south.  These are the first NOBO's I've seen on the trail this year.  I remember two of their trail names:  Mounty (from Canada) and One-Way. October 7  9:00 PM.  Fire warden's cabin on Smarts Mountain, New Hampshire. I had a great time at The Gathering in Hanover this weekend.  I figured ALDHA was too big an organization to have a family feel to it, but I was wrong.  The common love of hiking there really brings people together.  I met hundreds of people there.  Many had read my journals or otherwise followed my progress.  They made me feel like I was a really special honored guest.  Dozens of people were there who I've met on the trail this year.  Way too many to try and list names, but here goes anyway:  Sage, Toolbox, Karen Berger, Dee Karen Souza, Sloe Toe, Sly, Fiddlehead, Pieps, Jim & Ginny Owen, Mrs. Gorp, Lesya, Joe Sobinovsky, Weathercarrot. This morning at 8 AM I gave a talk in Cook Auditorium.  I had no prepared presentation, but I answered questions from the perhaps 200 people in attendance.  It was wonderful to see so many people in one place who cared so much about my grand adventure, and the ovation at the end of my talk brought a tear to my eye.  It appears that I have sparked many imaginations and touched many hearts on my journey.  I could hope for no more.

I got back on the trail this morning at 11 AM.  Han Solo from thru-hiker.com joined me to collect material for an online article he's going to write.  I saw him as far as Trapper John's Shelter, but he did not arrive here.  Since it got quite dark before I arrived, I assume he stopped early and camped.  It's a cold night and it's been snowing a bit, so I hope he's warm and safe out there.  At trailside today I found a little trail magic with my name on it!  Dee & Karen left me a card and some goodies as a nice surprise.  I had just been telling Han Solo a story about another time that had happened to me and suddenly here it was again!  Much appreciated. October 8  9:00 PM.  Glencliff, NH. I'm staying the night at the hostel across the street from the post office.  Big John, Shirt, Packrat and the rest of the crew have been very hospitable, including loaning me a balaclava and calling the Postmaster to get my box on Columbus Day.  (Who knew?)   Since the weather has been marginal all day, snowing and a little windy, I'm not heading out of town until morning.  Mt. Moosilauke is coming up next and it's got an above tree line section.  That's not to be messed with in bad weather.  It's probably not as bad as Mt. Washington, which had 27 degrees below zero wind chill today!  I have no desire to mess with that kind of cold.  I'd be a Popsicle in no time.  But the forecast is for improving conditions.  Just 20 miles today.

October 9  7:00 PM.  Kinsman Lake Shelter, NH. I lost my data book today so I don't know how far I hiked, but it's in the very low 20's.  This was a much warmer day than yesterday and clear, so the snow was melting fast.  Unfortunately that meant the snow was dripping and plopping out of the trees all day and I got quite wet and cold.  I finally got warmed up by putting on lots of clothes and sitting in the sun for a bit.  The highlights today were the first above tree line section on Mt. Musalake and the very steep treacherous descent down Beaver Brook Trail.  With the snow and ice today it was especially bad but I took my time to be safe.  Parts of it are 45-degree rock faces with wooden steps anchored to the rock.  A fall there would be injurious.  After that stretch I climbed Wolf Mountain and the Kinsman ridge.  From all peaks today Mt. Lafayette was visible and getting closer.  It's quite high and imposing.  I'm really looking forward to being there tomorrow, if the weather is good.  October 11  6:30 AM.  AMC Galehead Hut, NH. These huts are nice.  They have a staff, lodging and meals for $60. per day.  As a thruhiker I can "work for stay", which I chose to do.  Very reasonable.  The trail through the Franconia Ridge area was spectacular, and the weather was nice.  Windy, but not too cold.  The grade on the trails here is living up to its reputation.  As a westerner I was not convinced by the stories, but they're true.  In fact it's worse (better?) than I had been told.  The "trail" is often a class 3 rock climb with handholds necessary.  Even in the best-maintained areas the trail is a steep stairway of rocks.  With all the ice that's still out there, it's quite treacherous.  I've fallen 3-4 times per day, so I go extremely carefully in areas where that would cause injury.  Yesterday I fell and banged a knee, broke a trekking pole and damaged my rain pants.  No damage to my knee, thank God.  18 miles today.             October 11  8:15 PM.  The "Dungeon" at The Lake of the Clouds Hut, one mile from Mt. Washington, NH. This is quite a spot.  It's above tree line and the views are outstanding.  The hut is closed, but the dungeon is always open and sleeps six.  It's small but would be very cozy in bad weather.  Today was a beautiful day though, with very little wind above tree line.  There's still some snow on the ground and lots of melt puddles, but that's a lot better than it could be.  Since the icy layer on the trail is almost gone, hiking is getting much faster.  I hiked 25 miles today.

October 12  7:30 PM.  Saddle between Wildcat Peak D and Wildcat Peak E, NH.  After months of waiting and hand-wringing, today was the day to go over Mt. Washington and the rest of the Presidential traverse.  Just last weekend it was 27 degrees below zero up there with the wind chill, but today it was nearly calm with temperatures in the 40's at 8 AM!  It was a very nice day.  One local said this could be a day in August, not October.  Even as warm as it has been, there is still some snow on the trail and a lot of melt water puddles, so the going was wet.  And the trail continues to have rock climbing sections and many rock scrambles.  This made for slow going today  just 18 miles  but this is easily the most scenic part of the AT I've been on. Since this is the highest range in the entire northeast, the views are limited only by the haze and there was not too much of that today.  It was an awesome day and my knees are sore to prove it.  October 13  7:00 PM.  Gorham, NH. The logistics of this trip are not getting any easier.  All the resupply boxes for New England were mailed back in March, but my inability to finish the AT then caused problems.  Most, but not all the boxes came back eventually, but now some of the maps are missing.  That's not a disaster on the AT where the white blazes make navigation simple, but in snowy conditions I feel better having a map.  So I came into Gorham this afternoon hoping to get through town quickly.  But there were two resupply boxes waiting for me, neither of which had any maps!  Presumably one of the boxes has been here all year!  So I found a Delorme map that will serve my purposes.  But by then it was close to dark and I decided to spend the night at the Hikers Paradise Hostel.  The weather continues to be unseasonably hot.  I hope it lasts a couple more weeks.  There's less than 300 miles to go!  18 miles today. October 14  6:30 PM.  Full Goose Shelter, Mahoosuc Mountains, Maine. Maine at last!  It was a bigger thrill crossing the border than I thought is would be.  This is the 22nd and LAST state of my epic journey, so the crossing was really special.  There are still 276.5 miles left, but it's coming to an end soon!  If the weather stays good it should be a wonderful finish. I hiked 21.4 miles today but decided to camp early.  It's been a drippy, somewhat rainy day and this is the last shelter for quite a ways.  Also, the famous Mahoosuc Notch is just a couple miles away and that's not a good place to be in the dark.  So I'm sharing this shelter with Alli and Wendy, a couple very nice local girls who are out for a "weekend" trip Sunday and Monday.

October 15  11:30 PM.  Andover Guest House, Andover, ME.   It was a long day.  It started raining hard just as I was ready to leave the shelter this morning so I wanted to see if it would end.  I didn't.  So, at 8 AM I started out toward Mahoosuc Notch.  It took me 1 hour, 40 minutes to "walk" the 0.9 miles through the notch.  It's a narrow canyon full of boulders, some of which have to be crawled under.  In the pouring rain it was all very slippery.  Fortunately it wasn't too cold, but I was soaked to the skin and a little cold by the end.  But the trail out of the notch is very steep, and I soon warmed up. I met my first true northbounder today!  "Badfoot" was at Speck Pond Shelter.  He had tried to get through the notch late yesterday and taken 2.5 hours [or 7.5?] to get through.  He couldn't make it to the shelter that night and camped out in the rain with no shelter!  Brrrr!  So he's staying there tonight as well, hoping to be dry again tomorrow.  Now I know why I shouldn't feel badly about wasting part of a day when I can't reach the next shelter in bad weather.  This is not the kind of country you can easily set up a tarp in.  Many places are just too rocky.  It pays to be careful. The terrain is finally getting a little easier.  After logging just 5 miles by 1 PM, I added another 15 by 8:15 PM.  The night hike was difficult due to lots of leaves on the ground covering the trail, but I made it okay.  October 16  6:30 PM.  Bemis Mountain Lean-to, 237.7 miles from Katahdin. 18.8 miles today, and an early stop as the next shelter is 8.3 miles further and it's supposed to rain tonight.  Today I was interviewed by Steve Minich of WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine.  He and a cameraman met me at South Arm Road about noon.  We did a few shots walking along the trail and crossing the creek there, and then did a short interview.  It was another new experience for me, and kind of fun.  The shelters in this area are spaced about 10 miles apart.  That leaves me the option of 20 or 30-mile days, but I can't do 30's here even with reasonable amounts of night hiking.  I may have to camp out if the weather allows it.

October 17  9:30 PM.  Poplar Ridge Lean-to, Maine. Today I bit the bullet and passed two shelters to get here.  It totaled almost 29 miles, and I had to move fast all day, but I made it with only an hour of flashlight hiking.  Now I don't have to worry about running out of food before I get to Stratton.  I lost ¼ pound of trail mix to mice last night.  They were everywhere and could reach every hanging point no matter how well protected.  I was up every few hours moving my pack to a new spot so they wouldn't be crunching my food for a bit.  Then they'd find the new spot. Saddleback Mountain was quite a sight this evening.  The sun was low in the cloudy sky and it was snowing a bit.  Beautiful, but too dark for a good photograph. October 19  7:45 PM.  Stratton, ME. I made it into town last night.  Although it was a cold day and it continued to snow a little bit, it was a good day to hike and the trail was easier than it's been in a while. Mt. Katahdin, the end of my journey, is getting closer and I can feel it.  Although I've not seen it yet, supposedly it's been visible from some of the mountaintops.  The weather worsens as the mountain nears.  Which will come first, heavy snow or the successful completion of my journey?  This last storm has stripped most of the leaves off the hardwood trees.  It now looks and feels much like Georgia did in January.  I have now come full circle, hiking in all seasons this year.  What a thrill!

October 19  7:00 PM.  West Carry Pond Lean-to, Maine.  (165.2 miles to Katahdin.) 22.6 miles today after leaving Stratton.  The highlight was Avery Peak in the Bigelow Mountains.  It was impressive enough from on top, but the view of Avery Peak and Flagstaff Lake from Little Bigelow was outstanding.  And for the first time, today I saw Mt. Katahdin to the northeast!  It's still a long way away, but the end is in sight!  The weather today was beautiful.  Sunny, clear and in the 50's.  Almost all the snow from the last storm melted today.  October 20  10:00 PM.  Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to, ME.  (136.5 miles to K.) It's a full shelter tonight.  Five flip-flop northbounders are here.  They had to move some to make room for me.  They saw Fiddlehead & Pieps earlier today and think they may have camped at Moxie Pond.  If so, I passed them just after dark on my way here. I waited an hour and a half for a canoe ride across the Kennebec River at noon today.  It would have been a tough dangerous ford and I was none too warm from the light rain this morning.  Still, by night hiking I made 28 miles today. My fellow campers tonight are:  Yahtzee, Gnome, Shepherd, Eggman, Beerstyck, Jonah.  October 21  8:50 AM.  Moxie Bald, ME. This is a historic occasion.  I'm here with Fiddlehead, Pieps and Shirt.  The meeting of the first two groups to do the Calendar Triple Crown has occurred! 10-21-01          Wow!  Here we are atop of Moxie Bald.  To have walked so far, so fast, so long, plus to meet you (Brian R.) on top of a mountain is a truly warm-spirited moment.  Congratulations Brian!  -- Piep    10-21-01          Congrats!  Can't believe how fast you've covered the miles.  And to meet you on Moxie Bald with 360-degree views on a beautiful day.  Keep that adventurous spirit alive.   Shirt 10-21-01          Brian  So glad to be at such a beautiful place for this long-awaited occasion.  Congrats on being first, fastest, and TRIPLE CROWNER!  -- Fiddlehead

October 21  8:00 PM.  The Shaws, Monson, ME. This is the last resupply point of my trek.  It's hard to believe it's coming to an end, but it is.  My timing is still working well.  The meeting earlier today on Moxie Bald was excellent, and I hitched into Monson just as it started raining.  I am scheduled to climb Katahdin on the 27th according to my Dad's schedule on the web site.  Because of that, there are people who are counting on that day.  It now looks like I could finish on the 26th, but I'll probably "dog it" a little if necessary so that I'm not early  at least if the weather holds up.  I don't want anyone to feel like I sneaked in before they had a chance to walk with me up Katahdin.  October 22  5:45 PM.  Cloud Pond Lean-to, the "Hundred Miles" Wilderness, ME.  (95.4 miles to K.)          19 miles today with a pack full of food.  But when it's gone, I should be done!  It's hard to believe. Breakfast at Shaws this morning was huge.  I ate the "Number 4", also known as the "4x4".  It is four eggs, four sausages, four slices of bacon, four pieces of French toast and a big pile of fried potatoes.  It was almost more than I could eat, but I managed ;-).  I certainly didn't eat as much on the trail today as I usually do! October 23  6:30 PM.  Carl A. Newhall Lean-to, the "Hundred Miles" Wilderness, ME.  (78.6 miles to K.) It's raining right now and has been for the last hour or two.  It sure gets dark early now.  I thought I'd get here in the daylight, but it was deep twilight by 6 PM when I arrived.  I feel the end of the trail coming.  Its name is Katahdin.  But to me Katahdin has become more than a physical place.  It's the end of a spiritual journey for me as well.  I've talked about the changes I've gone through this year, how I'm much more open, fearless and personal.  These things are spiritual gifts and I now feel like a pilgrim approaching a sacred holy mountain.  I understand how a Moslem on Hajj feels approaching Mecca or how a Christian or Jew feels nearing Jerusalem.  But the important journey is not the physical one, but the inner one.  That's a journey that I've been on for much longer than 7,400 miles, and one that will have greater impact on my soul than the physical one.

October 24  8:30 PM.  Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to, the "Hundred Miles" Wilderness, ME.  (48.3 miles to K.)  Today was a great day to hike.  After a few sprinkles early, it was warm and sunny.  The pond and bog-rich Maine countryside was beautifully covered with hardwoods, some still in fall colors, but most of the leaves are now on the ground.  It was a 30.3-mile day and I completed it within the 11 or so hours of useful daylight that are available this time of year.  The imminent finish is bringing about a burst of media interest.  At least three different groups are planning to meet me on summit day:  The New York Times, Associated Press and the National Geographic Channel.  It should be a unique experience.  I hope to have fun through it all.  October 25  8:00 PM.  Hurd Brook Lean-to, the "Hundred Miles" Wilderness, ME.  (18.6 miles to K.)  29.7 miles today, much of it in the rain, but I'm in the last open shelter on the AT.  These shelters are sure nice on days like this.  I can get out of the wet and cook dinner, sleep, etc. without getting all my stuff wet.  And it poured late this afternoon.  Sage, who met me on the trail today, and I were soaked to the skin.  My t-shirt is hanging in the shelter because it's just too cold and wet to try to wear it until it dries.  If I'm warm in the morning, I might wear it then.  This storm is fairly warm for this time of year, but still it's cold enough that it may be snowing on Katahdin.  That could be bad news for my summit attempt, but I'll just have to wait and see what the conditions are.  October 26  Pamola Motor Lodge, Mollinocket, ME. 13 miles today, and lots of interviews.  The weather was much better than expected and it was a perfect morning for hiking, and for National Geographic Channel to shoot some footage of me near Abol Bridge.  Katahdin finally showed up big as can be and with NO SNOW!  Last night's storm was warm enough to rain all the way up there!  Yahoo!  Today was declared a class 4 (no climbing) day because the park people believed the rain froze into black ice overnight.  But the sun shone enough today that I believe any such ice probably melted today.  We'll see tomorrow.  There's just five miles left out of 7,400!  I also interviewed with the New York Times folks this evening at dinner.  Blaine had read much of my journal, so he knew most of the background information already.  He asked good, insightful questions and the photographer took a few pictures afterwards, including some of my trail-worn feet!            Tomorrow's the big day.  There's a 40-percent chance of rain and there's a snowstorm that's predicted to just miss us.  It should be a climbable day, but it may be one of the last of the year.  I appear to have hiked fast enough to get here in summer-like conditions and I'm really happy about that.  All the long days are paying off.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

October 27 - 7:30 PM.  Pamola Motor Lodge, Millinocket, ME.  Today was the day!  The 300th day of the year was a class 3 Katahdin day, meaning we could climb the mountain.  So, at 7:20 AM, eight of us went up the last 5-mile trail.  It was a 4,000-foot climb, but we made it in just over 3 hours.  My brother Greg, Sage, the National Geographic Channel, the New York Times, Associated Press and the San Jose Mercury were there.  It was a hectic but fun experience and certainly a unique one for me.  So much of my hike has been solo, but the completion was full of people.  The Browns met me in the parking lot but didn't summit.  Three Air Force guys heard about me that day and thought the whole trip must have been cool.  I was so preoccupied I barely had a chance to figure out how I felt, even though that was the gist of every question I was asked.  But as I neared the summit and the big Katahdin sign appeared out of the mist amid a snow flurry, I stopped to let everyone else summit first and get in position to see me summit.  It was the first quiet moment I'd had and it was the one moment on the mountain that felt like some of the special solitary moments during the year.  Just me, the mountain and God.  My gratitude for the great weather and good health all year came through.  Then came the summit moment.  I walked the last few steps and wiped the rime ice off the sign and read the words, "Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail".  A feeling of great accomplishment and pride filled me and I raised my arms in the classic summit photo pose.  Then I asked my brother Greg to pose with me, and a tear came to my eye.  His presence there in my moment of triumph made it much more personal and special.  I'm really glad he could make it.  There were other photos, a phone call and even a moment alone on the mountain after everyone else headed down, but that minute with my one and only brother was the special one. So now I'm back in Millinocket reflecting on the day and making sure my long inner journey is complete, too.  It is.  I've matured a lot this year.  I've passed a major milestone on the road toward perfecting my soul.  I connect with people now in ways I never could before, and with ease.  I know myself and have inner peace, which allows me to feel the turmoil in those around me.  I can judge the state of the world, or I can shrug it all off and move on in spite of the turmoil around me.  I have a tremendously deep understanding and respect for the wilderness and am completely at home there.  Even when the weather is bad I can find a silver lining and thrive physically and spiritually.  Today I achieved my dream, something even I had doubts I could do.  It's an accomplishment I'll be proud of forever.  I'll always be known as the guy who first completed the Triple Crown in one year.  I have done well.

October 29  9:00 AM.  Bangor, Maine. I didn't plan to continue my journal past Katahdin, but I'm still "on the road", and it seems fitting it document my reentry into so-called "real life".  Yesterday Sage and I drove out to Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine and, what else?, hiked.  The Precipice and Beehive Trails totaled less than five miles, but were really tough and fun.  Much of these trails are best described as non-technical rock climbs.  The views out over the Atlantic Ocean on this clear, sunny day were as beautiful as any I've seen this year.  The colors in Maine just seem to be brighter than those in other areas.  The sky and the ocean are bluer and the trees still had a decent amount of fall leaves on them.  The big change for me was the lack of time pressure.  We sat on a prominent rocky ledge on the Beehive overlooking a sandy beach and miles of ocean for over an hour!  I seldom sat for much more than 10 minutes during my whole hike.  Today is Monday and the stories written about the completion of my hike are in the newspapers this morning.  I bought copies of the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Bangor Daily News.  All have articles about my trek, and two have printed a Katahdin summit photo.  It looks even colder than it was, with ice in my beard and all over the sign and ground.  I'd say my summit picture is one of the "coolest" I've seen!  Ho, Ho.  It's certainly appropriate given the lateness of my finish and will, hopefully serve to warn future AT thruhikers of the importance of finishing early in the year.

October 30  3:30 PM.  On the road in New Hampshire. The adjustment continues.  Last night Sage and I camped out in the Pleasant Pond Shelter near the Kennebec Crossing.  It was nice to be back on the AT for a bit and sleep in a shelter.  I slept better there than I have anywhere for a while.  I picked up a box of food in Millinocket that I had forwarded from Stratton, so we have plenty to eat.  Today has been mostly a travel day, although we went for a 3-hour hike in the White Mountains.  It's a cold and windy day, but sunny, so we chose an easy trail at lower elevation.  My right Achilles tendon got sore on the hike.  Surely it was under no more strain today than recently, so I suspect my body is shifting into repair mode and my pain threshold is way down.  In essence, my body realizes the "crisis" is over and is insisting on a rest period.  I've been sleeping more hours lately, too.  It's just part of the post hike adjustment period.  This too shall pass.   October 31  5:00 PM.  On the road in Vermont. Today has the kind of weather that makes me very glad I'm off the trail, a snow-sleet-rain mix.  Yuck!  I spent last night at the home of Toolbox, a friend of Sage and mine who has hiked the AT, and hiked the PCT the same year Sage and I did in '97.  With temperatures in the teens, it was a good night to be indoors. Today I returned the gear I borrowed from Mrs. Gorp and sent some of it out to be repaired and cleaned.  While at her home, my father called, looking for me!  It turns out that he has been trying to get hold of me for several days and that my calls to him have come at times when he and my Mom were out.  I now have a big list of calls to return as well as a LOT of messages of congratulations.  Thank you to all who have taken the time to send me your best wishes.  I appreciate all the personal contact. The latest list of media groups who are contacting me for interviews are:  Time Magazine for Kids, U.S. News & World Report, Radio Lebanon of Oregon, People Magazine, KZOK Seattle, National Public Radio, and the British Broadcasting Company's "Up All Night" program.  Wow!  I continue to be amazed by all the attention.

November 2  3:30 PM.  Shamrock's home in northern Vermont. I continue to visit thru-hikers with Sage.  Shamrock hiked the PCT in '97 and I met him in Seiad Valley.  He is currently a Green Mountain Club caretaker on Mt. Mansfield, the high point of Vermont.  I have been giving interviews by phone periodically and talking over my experiences with Sage and Shamrock, so my mind has been busy processing some of the myriad thoughts and experiences from the trail.  This has been helping me close the internal journey which has been so important to me.  I feel that I have achieved a major milestone in the perfection of my soul this year and it has been a great help to talk about the philosophy, spiritual gifts and insight and enlightenment that I have gained.  They have experienced some of the same growth and happiness on their hikes and in their lives, so it's a "safe" place to give voice to this new awareness while it solidifies in my being.  The wilderness has been the vehicle that allowed me to strengthen my spiritual connection to the universe and I hope to carry that peace with me as I reenter the more chaotic world that I call home.  November 4  9:00 AM.  At my parents' home in Los Altos, CA.  I'm home.  This will be the last journal entry because I now feel that my journey, external and internal, is nearly complete.  Flying on an airplane and coming into the major metropolitan area that is the Bay Area has been easier than I thought.  I suppose it's the first step, from isolation to having a few people around, that's hardest.  I really enjoyed seeing my Mom & Dad, and my friends Kris, David and Nancy at the San Jose airport!  Mom had a big sign reading, "Welcome Home Flyin' Brian!" that really caught my eye.  Even though it was well past midnight for me (EST) and I had just given yet another interview, this time for the San Francisco Chronicle, I was eager to stay up talking to my family and friends.  No doubt we will have many more conversations in the days to come.  I've been isolated for so long, I've got a lot of catching up to do.  I certainly look forward to doing so. I continue to talk to the media, as interest in my story has not yet waned to the point where my phone has stopped ringing.  I'll be talking to People Magazine, KZOK Seattle, and the San Francisco Chronicle over the next few days.  Perhaps there will be a few others yet to come, but I think I'm near the end of the interview circuit.  We'll see.  I am also about to begin the process of writing a book about my experiences this year.  I've got a lot of memories to process and capture, but these journal notes will make the process much easier.  I really hope I can write a book that will give readers a feeling of what it was like to be me this year.  If I can do that, I'll have yet another reason to be proud of this great adventure I've been on.

Along Nesowadnehunk Stream, just SW of Mt. Katahdin, Maine.