This was the day I was to have my list finish and wedding hike and party, but the day did not start off well at all. When I opened the door to start loading our truck, it was misty, and the sky looked bleak. Then, the phone rang, and Bridget O'Sullivan asked if the hike was still on, as I asked her to lead the non-hikers up. I replied, "Yes!" After having breakfast at Lloyd's with the leaders, Bobcat and Joe Young, and others, and upon leaving Lloyd's, it looked even worse outside. Reaching the carpool point, people even had their umbrellas out at this time. We all signed in, 41 of us. A friend of mine had a ham radio with him and stated that it was clear above 4000 feet. And lo and behold, he was right.
The hike went great with Bobcat leading us on our hard 1-1/2 mile and 500 feet of gain. Even the non-hikers made it, but I had to push my sister up the hill, when Bobcat took a short-cut. Bobcat let Karen and me lead up to the peak; so after 3-1/2 years, I had made the magic number of 270.
After the sign in, we all gathered around the table and toasted the bride and groom, as this was also a wedding hike, the fourth one this year, as far as I know. Then, a toast to finishing the list. I thought it was only right to thank the people who made this day possible: Minor White, John Southworth and Charlie Knapke, for all their private hikes. Then I present Stag Brown with a tee-shirt that read, "Voted the Most Unique Leader," as he is indeed just that. He presented me with the list completion certificate. I next presented Bobcat, Joe Young and Mike Baldwin with tee-shirts that read, "32 Peaks in 24 Hours," thanking them for the great trips we'd been on. Karen then presented me with a tee-shirt written in old English that read, "List Finisher on Pacifico, 270." Charlie Knapke presented me with my list completion pin. Since this was also a wedding hike, my daughters, Jeanni and Jennifer, read a few verses from Corinthians 13.
Looking back over the last 3-1/2 years, the H.P.S. has meant so much to me - the great people I have had the privilege to hike with, the fun car camps, the hard backpacks, but most of all, meeting the woman of my dreams. I thank all of you for the great adventure.
