Kevin's AT Thru Hike

8/26 – I woke up a bit before 7:00am and quietly packed up my items because Gonzo and Cardi were still sleeping. As I was leaving, I quietly thanked them for letting me crash on their floor. I’m still laughing at how that night played out. Sometimes no plan is the best plan.

I was 1.5 miles away from the downtown area, so I decided to run back. I stopped along the way for breakfast at a grocery store (banana and a yogurt parfait). I also got some snacks because I wasn’t sure what my travel plans were going to be for the day. It felt a lot like I was resupplying to get back on trail.

I met Genie, Splitzy, Birthday, and Stretch at the hostel because we had made plans to go out for breakfast. We headed over to the laundromat and got laundry going. As laundry was underway, we got breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe.

I was still unsure how I was going to get back to St Louis. The combination of shuttles and busses required to get to a major city was nothing short of a headache. Then I heard Stretch say that her dad was coming to pick her up to drive her back to New York. I asked her if I could get a ride to a major city along the way with an airport (I was thinking Bangor or Portland). She said sure, and showed me the route that she was going to take to get back home. The route just so happened to go past Bridgeport Connecticut, where Connor lives. I asked Connor what his plans were for the weekend. He said Porchfest, which is a neighborhood wide music festival that he plays in. That was all too good to be true. Almost immediately, Bridgeport Connecticut became the next stop in my journey home.

I hung around the hostel for a little while, then said my goodbyes to Genie, Splitzy, and Birthday. They sure were some great hiking partners. The trip wouldn’t have been the same without them.

Stretch’s Dad, Tim, picked us up just before 1:00pm, and we began our 8 hour drive down to Bridgeport. At about 9:00pm, they dropped me off at Connor’s house, and I said my goodbyes to Stretch.

The timing of my arrival was incredibly coincidental. Connor was participating in a fantasy draft with Conor, Davy, Jackson, DGold, DBrown, Brandon, Calfo, and Mark. I had a warm welcome and congratulatory words from a bunch of good friends that I haven’t talked to in far too long.

8/27- I started my morning off drinking some coffee in the kitchen with Jim. Connor and Angie joined us shortly, and made up some breakfast smoothies. Then Josh cooked up an egg scramble.

The energy levels quickly picked up. Everyone was getting ready for Porch Fest. There were people everywhere. I met a lot of Connor’s friends, and also walked around the neighborhood to catch a few other bands. I also caught up on blogging throughout theday.

Connors family, Tony, Anne, Sarah, Ryan, and Mary Beth, all came out to enjoy the fest. When I met Mary Beth, she excitedly told me that she just became a grandparent for the 2nd time (which would be Connor’s first cousin, once removed). She was very excited to receive an apple hat!

It was a wild day. Porch Fest ended relatively early, so I relaxed for a while in the front yard. Steve joined me in the grass and we hung out for a while.

Connor’s band was playing another show at a local spot, so I headed over at 7:00pm to get a table. I had dinner with Anne, Tony, Marybeth, and Angie. Tony kindly treated Angie and me to dinner. I stuck around for a lot of Connor’s show, but I was wiped out, so went home early.

I walked back to Connor’s house, and I realized I was locked out. I laid in the grass again for a while, but then got restless, so decided to go for a walk. Just as I was about to leave, Steve happened to walk by. I explained that I was locked out, and he convinced me that we’d be able to get in if we were determined enough. He helped me non-destructively open a window and I slithered into the house.

I was sleeping in the basement (which has an exterior entrance through a cellar type door), when I heard someone fumbling with the door. I figured it was Connor brining in music equipment, so I opened the door. I was surprised to find two strangers. They were surprised to see me. They told me that they knew Jim. I figured I couldn’t give them a hard time for entering the house through the cellar when I entered the house through a window. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I didn’t stop them from coming in and went back to bed. Angie texted me shortly after, she was also locked out. I let her in, and warned her that 2 mysterious people might still be in the house. She confirmed they belonged, so I went Back to bed.

8/28 – Today felt like my first true day of rest. I brewed some coffee, then ate an egg with toast and pico that Josh had made up. I found a comfy spot on the couch and watched a bunch of TV… all day. Jessie came over with breakfast sandwiches, and I split one with Josh. Between all the lounging, I went on 2 short walks. For dinner, Josh made a cheese board and grilled up some sausages. It was all food that he had planned on cooking yesterday, but never got around to it. I then watched more tv before going to sleep.

8/29 – I packed up and left Connors house at 7:30am, which is when Connor was leaving for work. I went for a couple mile walk to the Long Island Sound, then grabbed a bite to eat at a good local breakfast spot. I then got on a train that took me down to New York City. I got off the train in Harlem, then walked the 6+ miles to LaGuardia Airport.

As I was walking, I got a few emails that said the flight was delayed. Bottom line, I showed up over 5 hours early for my flight. I went to the ticketing counter, and asked if I could get on an earlier flight. They got me on a flight that left 3 hours earlier.

I decided not to check my backpack, so all of my items were carryon. As expected, my bag was set aside. I had to wait a while before TSA was convinced that my trekking pole was not a weapon. I was surprised that neither my serrated metal trowel or metal tent stakes received any attention.

Anyway, I got through and boarded the plane. The plane ride to St Louis reminded me of the ending of Lord of the Rings. It was an epic journey that ended with a flight back home.