I bumped into Helen about a hundred miles south of Mt. Hood last year. Korean American lady who I thought was about 65 years old or so. She wasn't very fast, but was lovely to talk to, so we hiked together for awhile. She had completed the CA section of the trail several years ago and was now completing OR. I asked her what got her back on trail and she said, "Oh well, most of my friends have passed on and it was just time I completed the trail." At that I asked if she minded telling me how old she was and she said, "That's fine, I'm 80 years old." I then told her she was my hero. She was beautiful, she was dealing with loss, she was slow, but she was back on trail, doing what she loved. No reason not to section hike this beautiful trail of ours over time, and at your pace, and let yourself feel good about what you did this year, and how good it's going to feel next time you step onto it again. You've got a friend for life, and it isn't going anywhere without you.
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