I’m not a very emotional guy, but this hike has effected me in deep ways. I have cried more in the past months than I have in years.

As I approached Tuolumne Meadows I stopped to talk to some day hikers about thru-hiking. As I explained how I had hiked all these miles and my son and partner were waiting for me around the corner I got all choked up and I told them I couldn’t talk any more and had to move on. Then when I finally found Justin and Stephanie I cried again. Not big crocodile tears but deep heartfelt ones of joy at seeing them after such a high-pressure, stressful, and difficult journey. I felt I could finally relax. I had pushed myself to my limits to get to them on that date.

Then seeing Kathy, my sweetheart and life’s partner, after Justin and I pushed and completed our hike to Echo Lake I cried again. I have missed her so. A few minutes later I tried to explain my compass charm to an onlooker and couldn’t get the words out. I tried to say that Kathy gave it to me so I would find my way back to her after this journey.

At the PCT midpoint I cried at getting that far and how hard it had been to do that. At the California – Oregon border I cried again because 1700 miles were behind me and I had completed a significant milestone.

Maybe it’s because I have done things that I never thought I could do. Each challenge I have accepted, solved and moved forward. I have not given up. From hiking in freezing 50-60 MPH winds to carrying a 40-45 pound pack to climbing high passes to negotiating my way across miles-long snow fields to crossing rushing frigid rivers this journey is the hardest thing I have ever done. Through all this it has made my emotions much closer to the surface.

Update: At the end I shed a tear or two also.