The End: Katahdin's Peak

As Hansel and Gretel climbed their way up Katahdin with Mom and Dad, they discussed how it's kind of stupid that a lame sign is THE thing that signifies the completion of their 2,181 mile adventure.  It seems rather arbitrary to say "you have to get to this sign and then you're done."

"We signed in.  It's not like being on top of the mountain is going to be anything great," they said.  They were kind of poo-pooing it the whole way.  At that point, they were both just so tired and ready to be done with the Trail.  That's not to say it hadn't been the adventure of a life time, they were just ready for it to be over.  With that kind of attitude going up, neither of them were really prepared for the emotions that erupted out of them when that "arbitrary sign" came into view.

"We finally got there and, I have to tell you," Hansel said, "it was NOT an arbitrary end point and this sign was one of the most meaningful things in my life.  I can't even express the emotions that just flew through my body and I can't even explain why this piece of wood with writing on it elicited all these emotions.  [Gretel] and I just gave each other a hug and both of us just cried for like five minutes.  And everyone around us started crying too.  Mom and Dad were crying.  It really was like nothing I have ever experienced before."

It's not every day that a hiker completely the Appalachian Trail, but it's even less likely that a pair of siblings finish the Trail together.  Throughout their journey, people have wondered if Hansel and Gretel were married or dating, and they are always confused when their interactions never really match either of those statuses.  When the on-lookers realize that Hansel and Gretel are in fact brother and sister, the response is always so positive.  It must be refreshing to see that a set of siblings could be such good friends.  Having finished this adventure through the physical, psychological, and emotional hardship, there was something truly magical in the embrace that Hansel and Gretel shared at the top of that mountain.  This really was the moment of a life time.  They had done it!  And they had done it together!

True sibling love

2,181 miles with Froggie and Black Bear (the little animals they are holding)

Mom, Hansel, Gretel and Two Bad pretending to be asleep on the sign.

Not only did Hansel and Gretel climb the mountain, also climbed the sign!

Hansel posing like the cover on the AT Guide Book (click here to view)

Hoooooray!!!!!

Mountainous Tumbles

If you have never hiked the Appalachian Trail before or any trail for that matter, you might be wondering how Hansel and Gretel are finding their way through the woods.  Well, every so often, they pass a trail marker, or a white blaze, much like the one in the picture below, assuring them that they are still on the path.  This has been working very well so far, and aside from the one time when Gretel went South instead of North on the trail, they have not gotten lost yet.  Today, however, they were not so lucky. 

White Blaze... you can see Gretel in the background 

Somehow, they managed to take a very wrong turn and ended up falling off the trail… literally… and practically tumbled down the side of the mountain!  Once their downward momentum slowed, they had a choice to make: Attempt to climb back up the mountain to the trail, or bushwack (bushwacking means to trudge through uncut, unmarked woods making your own messy path as you go and hope you end up somewhere convenient without getting poison ivy) their way back to where the trail picks up at the bottom of the mountain.  They decided to bushwack.   

They ended up finding another trail that led them to a road at the base of the mountain.  They were both exhausted and a little traumatized by their mountainous fall, not to mention completely clueless about where they were.   Gretel wondered if someone would help them if she worked up some tears.  

“I really just feel like crying right now, so maybe that could get us something.  Lemonade?  A seat on someone’s couch?”  She was feeling pretty desperate. 

Just then, they spotted an Appalachian Trail sign with a house right next to it.   As they approached, a person came out of the house and greeted them. 

“So, you here to here to stay at the hostel?”  The person asked.  I guess no tears were necessary.  Not knowing where they actually were, Hansel and Gretel inquired about their location.  Apparently, they had walked right to the front steps of a hostel that had just reopened and was so new, it hadn’t even made it into the AT Guide Book yet.  What luck!  They had made it to Catawba, found a hostel, and now could relax until tomorrow when they would meet Dad!  The Death March is over!

Until next time, happy trails!




And here are a few pictures of the trail friends Hansel and Gretel have spotted along the way:

Mooooo!

Box Turtle