Togetherness

My brother Brady was out visiting for a week before heading up to Skagway, AK for a summer of guiding cruise ship tourists on hikes and river rafting. I tired him out with trips to music stores, thrift stores, REI, restaurants, the gym, a honky tonk dive, the farmers' market, and string band class. I think I've made a pretty good case for Seattle as a great place to live. It would be nice to have another family member here!

Since Brady was here, I decided we might as well go ahead and have an Easter dinner! We're not a religious family, but Easter was always a time to have a good meal together. I meant to make the super delicious Kahlua ham I've made twice for Christmas, but I got to the liquor store too late to get Kahlua. We had to settle for the regular honey glaze that comes with the ham. And now we will eat ham for the next month. Good protein!





















Spring has slowly been warming up Seattle. As long as the sun can break through the clouds, we get a little warmth. When the sun hides, we go back to shivering. Bijou has been following the sunbeams around the house, which JoJo loves since one sunbeam goes right through her zone. JoJo loves the company!

Brady Is An Official Through Hiker!

My little tiny brother Brady made it to the end of the Appalachian Trail! He started in Springfield, GA on April 8, and made it to the top of Mt. Katahdin on October 17. That's 2175 miles folks. On foot.

CONGRATULATIONS BRADY!

Brady's next task is cheering the Red Sox to another World Series Victory.

Brad-O-Meter: Nature Boy

My brother Brady is still on the Appalachian Trail! A few mishaps have befallen his friends, and they've had to drop out and rejoin, but so far Brady has remained pure and steadfast in his continuous trek. His worst mishap has been poison ivy, while others have contracted Lyme disease or sprained their ankles. My Dad and Stepmom, Becky, hiked with him in early July, so I got an update on him when I went home to Maine to visit at the end of July. He had safely passed the halfway point.

Last week I finally heard from the boy himself, and he's heading up into New England. Mt. Katahdin is almost in sight! He checked in from Wingdale, NY, which is about 1440 miles along the trail. 2/3 done!

Since it's been so long since my last Brady reporting, he's gone through several sections of the map!

I think the trail has been good for him. He started off as a squeaky clean Harvard grad who imagined having lots of time to read at camp. Instead he's found great friends, drank beer on cliffs, and generally transformed. Way to go!

Brad-O-Meter: Front Royal

Brady has just zipped through the Shenandoah National Park with little wings on his feet and has just checked in at Front Royal. He's almost to the top of Virginia, and has now covered about 955 miles.

Shenandoah sounded like a literal walk in the park: fat tourists, tame bears, and deer who wouldn't budge off the trail. Actually, you could probably interchange all three descriptors and nouns to describe the park.

deer................fat
bears .............won't budge
tourists .........tame

Brad-O-Meter: Waynesboro, VA

Several days ago Brady checked in from Waynesboro, VA at the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park. That's about 850 miles, or 40% of the way to Mt. Katahdin.

He's met up with a bunch of pals, eaten enormous amounts of food at the Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba, and was almost hit by lightning. A two-tour Iraq Sergeant almost threw him to the ground when the booming started, but thought better of it, and they ran to safety. I'm not worrying about my leetle-tiny brother out there with so many friends to stuff him full of food and throw him to the ground when he needs it.

I've sent him another goody package for his next stop in Linden, Virginia

Brad-O-Meter: Pearisburg Plus 50

My brother Brady has checked in again on his trek up the Appalachian Trail. He's made it to Pearisburg, VA which he says is 640 miles on his way, but which the Appalachian Trail Distance Calculator says is 622.1. I'll split the difference for the Brad-O-Meter. Oh, and then he hiked a certain 50 mile segment twice just to hang with some buds. That's dedication! Or maybe he'd just lost his mind after hitching a ride back to Damascus for Trail Days AKA Trail Daze. It looks kind of like a combination of Folklife and the Fremont Fair with camping. I don't see Brady in any of the online photos, but then he could be so trail-grimed that I wouldn't recognize him anyway.

In my tracking of his progress on the maps, he's made it off the GA to NC map, and is now working his way up the NC to VA map.

Brad-O-Meter: the Road to Damascus, VA

My brother Brady has made it to Damascus, Virginia on the Appalachian Trail. The last day on the trail to Damascus he and his buddies hiked 39 miles. I don't know why they couldn't have gone a full 40 -- what a bunch of wussies! After 460 miles of hiking, he's still enjoying the walk:
"Another thing I can't complain about is the absolutely beautiful scenery over the past few weeks. From the high southern balds--rolling mountains capped by sprawling meadows and peppered with black boulders--, to the refreshing ravines and gorges that play host to roaring waterfalls, to the undulating open countryside from which a given vista might include the gray remains of an old farm in the foreground with the pastoral and idyllic Appalachian hamlet lying in the valley below, my surroundings continually impress me with their beauty."

I sent him some tasty trail food from REI, so hopefully he picked that up in Damascus and will enjoy some new food.

Brad-O-Meter: Gatlinburg, TN

Brady has made it to Gatlinburg, TN on the Appalachian Trail:
"I've made it about 200 miles now, I saw a bear today, and watched sunrise from the very highest point on the AT (6,600 or so feet), asked anyone I could if they new how the red sox are doing, and have generally been eating and sleeping well."

He's met a number of interesting folks, as is only natural. I don't think you are likely to run into your average stay-at-home folks out on the AT, all stinky in a shelter.

I need to go to REI, get him some goodies, and send them on to a mail drop.

Brad-O-Meter

My brother Brady has begun hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I've decided to set up a Brad-O-Meter to track his progress. The yellow line on the maps shows how far he's gone.

The AT is approximately 2,175 miles long. That will be a lot of walking. I envy him! I wish I had the time to take off a summer or even a week or two to go with him. I've got my vacation time already parcelled out in other ways this year, so no luck for me. Oh well...

He started last weekend at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and he just checked in from Hiawassee, GA and Dicks Creek Gap. He has hiked the most evil amount of 66.6 miles. Ooooooh! Scary!

















His buddy Jim has posted photos of Brady starting out on Facebook.