The feet hurt as soon as they touched the floor this morning. I hobbled to my clothes for the day and got ready. The more my feet moved, the better they felt, and the more hope I acquired for getting through the day. I was exhausted after not getting in until late, but excited for it to be my last day on the trail.
My husband dropped me off at the same spot he picked me up. For the last time, I was starting in the dark with headlamp ablaze. As I entered the woods, I thought about the conversation I had the night before with my father about hunting season and my potential for being shot. Luckily, it was only bow season and water fowl rifle season. I figured the bow hunters had to have precision aim, and I wasn't going to be near water fowl without being near a roadway as well. So, I felt pretty safe, but I was still in orange.
Again, my trail media was once again mixed between trails, boardwalks, roads, and highways. I enjoyed walking through the woods where I found lines attached to trees as part of tapping for maple syrup. It reminded me of collecting sap when I was younger to help my grandpa's sister's husband make syrup, and growing up with the homemade syrup. I had received a jar in July while staying at my mom's because we ran into the son, who continues to make small batches for friends and family. I miss homemade syrup.
Anyway, I eventually made it to Middleville, MI, where I had made plans with my in-laws the night before to meet for lunch. I made it in before anyone else, found myself a pavilion with picnic tables, and proceeded to take off my socks and shoes before laying on the bench to rest a bit. Eventually, my family arrived, we got take out from a nearby location, and enjoyed our food under the pavilion. With everyone present, we wandered along the cement path about a mile before my husband and his dad returned to the car, while my mother-in-law (the Awesome MIL from the AT) continued on for about 6-7miles.
It is always fun hiking with MIL as she absorbs nature, and reminds me to take it all in. We didn't chat as much as we did on the AT, but I still enjoyed her company. It helped me make it through the middle part of the day, and keep going to the finish line. The men met up with us to whisk MIL away, but we planned on meeting up at the finish line and then meeting friends of mine at a brewery.
So, alone I took off to finish what 3 days prior I had taken on as a challenge. I wandered through backroads along swamps, reminding me of my childhood joy of walking through those swamps. For the last 4-5 miles, I had to force my brain not to think about the pain that was ever increasing in my feet. I had just completed 115 miles after all. The pain did cause me to look at my watch more often and made the end feel extra long. As I turned the last corner on the map before my end, I gave a little cheer. I was going to make it, and what an adventure it had been.
Nearing the next county, I found my husband and his parents navigating the terminus and trying to find a safe place to park the car while I completed my walk. My husband walked the last 100 steps or so, as his parents welcomed me in to the finish. I was ready to collapse, but happy to be done. What an accomplishment.
I got in the car after switching into my sandals, and we headed off to Thornapple Brewing Company for dinner. My friends, who used to grow hops in southern Michigan met us there. It was a great celebration of my accomplishment.
Once home at my in-laws' place, I pulled out my certificates and patches, and made sure to take a photo commemorating the accomplishment. My feet looked solid, but also had red blotches that made me a little concerned. They hurt, but that was purely from exhaustion after the 4 days and 120 miles. I rubbed them down and asked them to take care of me in a day or 2 as I had signed up for the 5k at Kalamazoo College's Homecoming weekend. They did carry me the distance, although not very fast as my leg muscles also had been overworked, and I forgot to ask them for extra support.
With this completed, I had no other plans for the trail this year. So, I packed away my stuff and readied myself for the winter months and trying to figure out what has been causing my nausea/vomiting and emotional variations, as I had not had either during the past few days nor while doing the triple crown of Michigan. Maybe anxiety has a part in both? Doing day hikes with a safe place to stay and lots of support made doing incredible things easier. This lead me to thinking maybe I need to adventure with the safety of an automobile vs camping out in the woods alone. So, I started looking at road trip adventures for 2022, especially after the trip home from Michigan where we were able to cross off 2-3 more states for my mom.
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