Through Thru-Hiking.......

On the way to the top. Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine.



The end of the trail.


"No phone, no pool, no pets, no worries and best of all not a single regret.  I've been a lot of places and seen many things but the heart of my adventure will always be the friends I've made along the way"
-Silas (Pepper)-

The climb to the summit of Katahdin was one huge, horrible, terrible, awful, rock scramble. At least that was my opinion.  Silas seemed to take it in stride as if he had been doing this sort of thing for the last several months. 

"Are you sure this is the trail"?

Silas always seemed to be ahead and waiting on the rest of us.

There are a lot of great pictures of Silas along with Jake and Maria.  Rest assured I was in the background.......... way back. My assigned task on the ascent was to pick up anything they dropped along the climb and watch for bears sneaking up from the rear.

Here is a nice shot of me! It was a beautiful day to climb.

Silas and Jake enjoy a celebratory cigar at the top!

Just a great pic.

Just some photographic evidence that I was on the Mountain!

I was .2 miles from the top before we had to begin our descent. My heart and mind were willing but my legs and the clock said no.

My loyal family taking a nap while patiently waiting for me at the summit.

Yes, that white blaze painted on the rocks is the trail...

Going down must surly be easier...... actually no.

A Mom kiss for luck! 

We look fresh and rested before we set out bright and early. We would have taken a picture at the end of the climb but

it was DARK!!!

The view from the top of Katahdin.

This marks the end of a great trek for Silas along the Appalachian Trail.

 167 days, 2190 miles, 14 states.

Silas has met some interesting folks and made a few great friends.

It has been fun for us as his family to follow his adventure and cheer him along.  Some of us got to join him on the trail for a few miles and it was a joy to walk with him a bit.  Although I wasn't able to reach the summit of Katahdin with Silas it was a thrill to make part of the climb with him. As I sat on the windy slope just below the top and watched Silas, Jake and Maria celebrating together in the distance, a deep sense of contentment filled me.  Watching your children reach greater heights than you are able to reach is a good thing. 

I love being with my family. God has blessed me greatly with a loving and patient wife, five kind and courageous children, and a new daughter (Jake's wife Maria) who is willing to venture forth and conquer mountains along with the rest of the Schroeder's.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it.......

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them!

-Psalm 127-

I am a Happy Man.