Someone asked me yesterday how “post-trail” life was going. It was a fair question, but tough to answer because we aren’t technically “post” trail. We are still “mid-trail” in our hearts and minds. Emily and I have talked a lot lately about how we feel about our decision to get off the AT 35 days ago and return in the spring to finish. While we still agree we made the right decision, the trail calls to us daily and our unfinished business weighs on us. We have had to watch as a few of our trail friends who made it through the storm have trudged on and are less than a week away from summitting Springer. I am incredibly happy for their accomplishment, but I can’t help but wonder how they managed to get through what we couldn’t. What could we have done differently? I know this isn’t a productive line of thought, so hopefully we will use the answers we come up with to ensure we knock out the last 800 miles in a few months!
As far as “mid-trail” life, Emily and I are both back to work. I started a job in a general ICU in Manchester, NH. So far the New England winter hasn’t hit yet, but I have my skis and snowshoes with me for when it does! Bear is loving the cooler weather since his full winter coat has grown in. Emily is in Houston, TX working in a Surgical Trauma ICU. She is enjoying sunnier weather and time with her pup Chille who wasn’t able to come on the trail with us. We both hope to complete these assignments and then see how the trail conditions are in hopes that we can get back sooner rather than later. We will keep you updated on when we will be back!
Thrutrailchicks 