Another Exciting (Blog-Related) Announcement

Dear readers,

Just a few minutes ago, I typed the final words of my rough-draft PCT memoir. Wow. At 226,109 words (563 pages) long, it’s the biggest writing project I’ve ever tackled, taking about 10 months to complete. 

Thank to you to those of you who’ve been with me so far on the journey. There are still plenty of blog entries ahead, but I’m proud of myself for getting to the end.

I wrote this memoir for several reasons. I wrote it to share with you, my readers. I wrote it to pass on to my children someday. I wrote it as fast as I could to get down the details before they faded from my memory. But most importantly, I wrote it to help me process everything that happened. I don’t think I truly dealt with the trail until I wrote it down— that part of my life was swirling around in my head like a strange dream, and it didn’t feel real until I put it into words. Today, more than ever, I feel the reality of what we accomplished. I’m proud of that accomplishment, and I’m proud of the words I’ve written, however inadequate, to preserve its memory.

It was an incredible journey, and I’m forever grateful that God gave us strength and opportunity to finish, and that Zach’s patience with me never died. I’m grateful for the chance to preserve those memories, and for the chance to share them with hikers and non-hikers alike. 

As always, thanks for reading. I think I’m going to go take a walk to celebrate.

Cheers!

~Lisa “Leftovers”