Addendum

I completely forgot some unforgettable people we saw at the Gathering, like Boo Boo, and of course, Wingheart, who sent us this photo. Wingheart has a true passion for the AT and just completed what he calls his "11 year anniversary thru-hike" (he did his first thru-hike in 1996). He summited a few days after us, but we saw him pretty frequently along the trail.

I want to point out that this is an unusually large crowd, which is a few miles north of Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. Most shelters were not this full, but I was often the only female hiker. These are all great guys, but I remember wondering if any women were ever going to show up. Anybody know the stats on completion rates of thru-hikes for women?