10-27-06
Start: About 1/4 mile from the big finish!
Destination: The Pacific Ocean!
Elevation: Sea level
Miles: 1/4 mile
Weather: Warm, sunny, breezy, perfect!
(Watch the finish at www.ourhike.com!)
What a day! Mom and I woke up, got ready, packed our backpacks up for the last time on this trip, and headed out. Adam and Dad dropped us off at our ending point from yesterday, which happens to be only a quarter-mile from our exact finish point.
Mom and I stood for a bit, waiting for just the right moment to step out onto the sand toward the beach. Our stomachs weren't full of butterflies any more - they were full of knots. We were nervous, not having any idea what to expect, but we were so excited, too. We were mostly anxious - the anxiety was making our stomachs go crazy. Finally, we stepped out onto the sand and started walking toward the small gathering of people at our finish point. It was slow-going through the sand, but it felt good to be moving. I even accidentally bumped mom's stick, causing her to drop it. That made us laugh.
So we got to the banner that had the ADT logo and another that read "Our Hike for AA&MDSIF." We actually took a minute to take off our shoes so we could feel the sand between our toes, then took our backpacks off. Then mom and I went arm-in-arm and stepped our toes into the salty Pacific Ocean - FINALLY! :)
But we didn't only dip our toes in... we completely jumped in. It felt great! Actually it wasn't as cold as Lake Superior in May. Crazy! It was quite refreshing and felt really great!
We had a small gathering of family, friends, and patients. It was very simple, very nice, and we felt very comfortable. So we did it. We made it all the way across America on foot. The first mother-daughter team to cross the country on foot, too!
We are feeling proud. We are feeling thankful to all who participated and supported us. And we are hoping that the transition back home isn't too overbearing. We will have to keep everyone updated on how that all goes!
Yeah! We made it! Thank you, readers, for following our journey and helping us get here, too! :)
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