We decided to make a 5 day, 2400 mile drive home so that we could catch up with our daughter Andrea who is 1600 miles into her goal to backpack the entire the entire 2200 mile Appalachian trail.
After arriving home to weeds as tall as me, Sandy and I spent 3 full days cleaning up our landscaping. In the end we filled eleven 37 gallon trash bags and 2 Garbage cans with weeds and landscape trimmings. Needless to say our lawn guy is fired. It is always interesting what you find when you arrive home unannounced.
We then took off in our toad to Vermont to pickup the hikers. Sandy had rented a 2100 sq/ft home on VRBO so that we could spoil Andrea and three of her fellow hiking friends.
We picked them up at an opening in the trail close to Cavendish Vermont. The four of them has hiked 21 miles and exited the woods/trail after dark. I drove them back to the house where they spent two nights relaxing, showering, watching TV, and being fed numerous calories by Sandy in preparation for the final segment (600 miles) of their adventure. Only 17% of the hikers that start the Appalachian Trail actually complete it.
Based on what I saw from Andrea and the other three hikers, they will finish.
Sandy and I will be home for 6 weeks, then we are off on a 15 day cruise through the Panama Canal starting in Miami and ending in Los Angeles.
Then we will be home for approximately 2 weeks before heading out to Arizona for the winter
