Time for an update!

It's been awhile since I've updated. He seems to be doing well. That's a great thing but sometimes doesn't bode for exciting updates! :)

I texted with him last on Monday. He and his friends spent the night in Waynesboro, VA Monday night. He was very impressed with Waynesboro in it's "hiker friendliness." He has been really surprised at the lack of it in other trail towns. But a stranger there just invited all five of them to spend the night at his house, ordered them pizza, gave them a place to shower, wash their clothes and sleep! How great is that? Thanking God for the hospitality of strangers and that it's still alive somewhere!

And just as I wrote that, I freaked out that I hadn't actually heard from him since before he spent the night with a complete stranger!! I remembered that I texted him yesterday and never heard back. I texted him, called Jon, couldn't get either. But Jon finally called me back. He said that he received a text from Trand yesterday that said, "I'm on top of a mountain with one bar of service. I've had nothing out here, but I wanted to let you know that I'm on track to still meet you in Glasgow on Friday."

Okay, thank you, Jesus!! And before you think that I'm the worst mom in the world for not worrying until now, can I just tell you that this week has been insanely crazy busy plus the fact that it's not uncommon for him to go a couple of days without texting because of service. In PA, he had service everyday because he was in and out of towns all the time. But in VA, he's been in the Shenendoah's for a very long time. He's definitely enjoying the views of VA much more than PA!! :)

Jon is going up tomorrow evening to see him in Glasgow, VA. Last week he pushed the guys he was with really hard. Haha!! They went 160 miles last week. That's an average of about 23 miles a day. I know one day they did 28. He told me that Firefoot informed him that WOULD NOT be happening again!! ;) Makes me laugh. But from Waynesboro on Monday to Glasgow on Friday was going to be a relatively easy hike and not too long. So I'm sure the guys were happy that Trand had someone meeting him there!  The plan is for them to spend the night there and then take all the guys to find "A Walk in the Woods" at a movie theater somewhere. Although, after looking around the area online, I'm not sure that will happen. The biggest theater we can find only has 3 movies playing!! :) The guys basically want to go see the movie so that they can make fun of it. They kind of all make fun of Bill Bryson, not because he didn't even hike half of the trail, but because he didn't even hike half the trail and then wrote a book about it which has become THE book that everyone associates with the AT. Please don't be offended if you love that book. Just relaying the way these 18-26 year olds are thinking.

After the movie, Jon plans to drive home Saturday, and the boys will get back on the trail. As I said earlier, the roads in VA don't cross the trail every few miles like in PA so it would be another two days before he could pick him up and see him again. He thought about hiking with him, but we couldn't figure out how to leave his car in one place and then get it after hiking a couple of days! My parents had been planning to go this weekend since my dad would have Labor Day off. But we decided it wouldn't really be worth it for them to drive 8 1/2 hours to see him for one night. They were really disappointed though as they had planned a fun trip to see him.

His spirits seem high when I do get to text with him. And when he texts, I drop everything that I'm doing and spend however long that he'll spend with me! I miss him so much, and I'm thankful that he only has about a little more than a month left!! He had hiked 1328 miles as of Monday. Crazy to think. I posted a picture of where he is and how much he's done right before posting this so if you'd like to check, look at that!! The kids are getting so excited!!

Trand on the trail

He has hiked 1328 miles from Mt. Katahdin in Maine. He has about 860 miles to go. I can't find my 2015 book. I'm looking at a 2012, and I know they've added a few miles on the southern part. They just keep adding miles!! Haha!!

And the journey continues....

Halfway!!!

He made it to the halfway point today! Breck was with him, and he took a picture of Trand with the sign for me. But I can't post that one. Thankfully, though, Trand agreed today to let me get some pictures of him. I got a great one of him with the kids this morning!! I'm so happy to have it to frame!! 

We had a great time last night with the "Turtles." They kept trying to tell Trand to slow down so they could hang out more. They said he was way too fast for them. They are only a day behind him, but Trand walks much faster. Today he and Breck caught up to Firefoot and a few others. He will start about a mile behind them tomorrow so he will be with quite a few of them for a little while. He's planning to do his 4 state challenge on Friday and then take a zero this weekend. None of the others were planning to do the 4 state challenge. But they won't do zeros either. So they will probably end up pretty close together afterward. Thankful for cell phones and texting. I'm trying to talk him into slowing his pace. They all think he's nuts for doing 25-30 mile days. He says if he gets down and home a lot sooner then he can pick them all up on the trail when they come through Gatlinburg and show them Knoxville. I'd rather him just enjoy his time with them then we can pick them all up together and he can show them Knoxville that way!! But it's not my choice. 

After we took the "Turtles" to Cracker Barrell last night, they came back and stayed at the hotel. I hadn't planned on that. But it worked out. But oh my gosh--you should've smelled the room. And poor Breck had to sleep in there with all of them. Somehow, he didn't seem to mind. Haha!! I guess that's when smelling like a 12 year old boy comes in handy!! They all took showers, but it was their backpacks that smelled so badly. Wow!! They got free breakfast this morning and we dropped them off on the trail about 12 miles behind where Trand and Breck started. So they are probably only a few miles behind him now. 

The kids had a fun experience with all of them, and I'm pretty sure we were an experience that those guys will never forget!! Haha!! This morning on the way to drop them off Cama-Jane was in her rare form. Oh my. I can't imagine what they thought. 

So we will get up tomorrow and drop Trand off once again to hike the second half of the AT. He is now closer to Springer Mtn., GA than Mt. Katahdin, ME so he's very happy about that. We've had a great visit, and I'll be sad to leave him, but I'm so proud of him and what he's accomplished. All of my kids have now vowed to thru-hike the trail one day. I'll be supporting them all the way!! 

We found him!!

As suspected, he won't let me take a picture!! Won't even let me take one for my own posterity. I think he wants his ending look to be a surprise!! Aaahhh!! If only there was an "eye roll" emoji!! 

We found him around 1 pm. Liza-Hill saw him first as I parked the car. We were at a lake where there were lots of people swimming. She ran to him and tackled him. I wondered if his skinny body could hold her up. Ha!! But he was fine. He's not as skinny as I envisioned, thankfully. I was thinking concentration camp level. Haha!! But no. He just looks like he's about 14!! Except for the facial hair!! 

He stunk so bad!!! Oh my!! The kids were dying in the car!! After he took a shower, he still stinks a little. I think he must have a permanent stench. At least for awhile!! Ha!! Then he called some guys that he knew were right behind him on the trail. He went out and got them. There are three of them, and they call themselves the "Turtles." This is not because of their speed but because they are named after the Teenage Mutant ninja turtles. Individually their trail names are three of the turtles, but I don't know yet what they are. They are all in Trand's hotel room next door taking showers. Then I'm taking them all out to eat. This should be quite an adventure tonight. My little ones can be pretty entertaining. These guys seem to be in their 20's or so. 

So we are about to leave. I'll report later. Haha!! 

I'm going to see my boy!!

I'M SO EXCITED!! The kids and I are leaving tonight to drive to Salem, VA. Then tomorrow we will get up early and go meet him in Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Southern PA! I'm seriously giddy!! We got home from the long drive from Naples on Wed. then drove 3 hours to Greenville yesterday and home this morning. So the kids are not really thrilled with the idea of getting back in the car!! But they are so excited to see him!! We think Breck is going to hike with him Tuesday, but it will be a 20 mile day. Breck is a little intimidated by that. Not that he doesn't think he can do it. Just that he doesn't think he can do it fast enough for Trand!! Maybe the trail has taught him some patience??? We'll see!! But Trand really wants him to hike so hopefully he'll give a little. ;)

We are meeting him at the halfway point of the trail. He says there is supposed to be a museum of some sorts there. I'm not getting my hopes up. I've seen what constitutes as a "museum" in some state parks!! Haha!! But it should be a fun learning adventure either way!

I'm hoping he will let me take some pictures. I doubt he will let me post them. I'm like 99% positive he won't!! But if you live near me, I'll have them on my phone!! I know a lot of people have asked!

I texted with him for quite awhile this afternoon. He seemed to be up. He's still frustrated about how he's not able to eat much. He says that after one big meal he can go a few days without being really hungry. I told him it must be his caveman instincts kicking in!! :) Thousands of years ago, food wasn't as readily available everyday so people's bodies had to store it. No doubt that's what his is doing. Hoping to get a few good meals into him while we are there.

We will meet up with him tomorrow around noon and spend the rest of the day together doing the museum and whatever else. Then he'll stay with us Monday night. Then he and Breck will hike Tuesday and we'll meet up with them and he'll stay with us again Tuesday night. He's really excited about it except he's already lamenting after we leave!! It's going to fly by no doubt, and then he's left with the last 1/2 of the trail to go!! I'm hoping as he's going south there will be more people to volunteer to love on him for a day or so!! He's going to need it.

Cruising through PA

I haven't texted with him too much over the last few days--which is a great thing. Of course it's not that I don't want to hear from him, but it means he's too busy talking and having fun with his friend, Firefoot, to text with me. He did send me a picture of a porcupine in the middle of the night. He said it woke him up about 2am scratching and squeaking around him. Glad it didn't brush up against him. That would've certainly been a rude awakening. 

He's doing great, though, through PA. He did an all nighter the other day just for a challenge. I guess there are all these challenges out there that people come up with to do. He says he has to do all of these for himself--to keep himself in the game. He says Firefoot's only challenge is Springer Mtn. (That's the end of the trail in GA.) But thankfully it appears that FF is needing company as much as Trand because he is trying to do these with him. I think they are going to take it a little easier today after 24 hours of hiking yesterday. 

He has run out of money. :/ Yep. When he started he had no intention of ever sleeping off the trail or eating off the trail. So yeah. I guess we'll be funding the rest of this adventure (along with grandparents, of course!) That's okay. This is exactly what he needs, and we are willing. Thankful he has this life changing opportunity. And with as much weight as he's lost, I want him to eat well as much as possible. He did say he gained 10 lbs. at his last stop. He was there for about two days all together. Makes me feel a bit better. 

We are driving back to Knoxville on Wednesday. We are heading out Sunday afternoon to find him on the trail!! I'm so excited. The kids are beside themselves!!! We will be back in time to start co-op on Thursday.  We probably should be doing more school prep, but this is way more important right now. A little geography lesson on the way!! 

So for now, he's doing well. Thankful for Firefoot. Thankful that God has blessed Trand with good health. Thankful that he's this much closer to home.