Jim sent his final update today from his nearly six month, 2,171 mile long hike through the entire Appalachian Trail. In the final episode, he helps a 62-year-old Irish priest rescue an unprepared day hiker with a twisted knee, explains the trail protocols for getting food from other hikers without asking for it, rhapsodizes over hiking boots… and makes it to the top of Katahdin.
Jim closes with the closest thing to a benediction I’ve ever heard him utter:
If you have already or are currently living a dream, my hat is off to you; I understand now. If you have a dream, do your best to make it happen. Life is short, and you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot. Even if I had ducked off the Trail at the first road crossing in Georgia, I would have been happier knowing I tried than if I had never tried at all.
I plan to update the Mothman Chronicles page over the next few days with a few extra features to make the experience of reading Jim’s story from beginning to end a little easier. Maybe before my next update, Jim will finally explain why they called him Mothman.