Hello dear ones. I have returned from hiking the Appalachian Trail. For the last six months I have been outside climbing mountains, fording rivers, drinking from streams, eating from one small pot, and sleeping on the ground.
In Georgia, I watched so intimately as the bare brown of March's late winter delicately blossomed into spring. As the weeks passed, the terrain changed and the weather warmed, and I hiked ever northward into the heat of the summer. In August in Vermont, I noticed a dryness to the leaves, an ashen green with a hint of gold, and then watched as Autumn crept upon the Maine landscape.
Never have I given so wholly and sincerely of myself. I truly lived outside in the elements and wondered at the mystery of life all around. When I reached the magnificent summit of Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, I was overwhelmed with joy - I had achieved my dream.
Upon completing the trail, after brief travels on Martha's Vineyard and Boston, I returned to my family in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I have thoroughly enjoyed being home, relishing in the luxuries of dry cotton and fresh food. Being domestic has a whole new wonder. I love hand washing my mother's antique silver spoons, sweeping the wood floors, pruning the geraniums, and baking cookies from scratch.
Slowly, I am making the transition back to my design and letterpress business. There is an extra sun room in my parents' house that I have been fortunate enough to turn into a design studio - more on that later. For now, I wanted to say hello after six months of adventure and share some photos:
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| Georgia in March (photo by Luke Costlow) |
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| Overlooking a winter vista in North Carolina, (photo by Luke Costlow) |
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| Pink Lady Slippers - the coming of Spring! (photo by Luke Costlow) |
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| McAfee Knob in Virginia |
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| Lush green summer trail - Virginia in May |
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| Rhododendrons in bloom, Virginia |
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| I loved the abundance of ferns, Virginia |
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| Sunset on Cold Mountain, Virginia |
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| Shenandoahs, Virginia |
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| Halfway point - Harper's Ferry, West Virginia |
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| My first campfire, Pennsylvania |
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| Campsite overlook, Pennsylvania |
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| Sunset in New Jersey |
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| Rattlesnake in New York |
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| Nap-time tree in New York |
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| Campsite in Connecticut |
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| Morning view of clouds, Connecticut |
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| Overlook in Massachusetts |
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| Sunset over the river in Massachusetts |
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| Campsite by a river, Vermont |
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| Late July in Vermont, view from Killington Peak |
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Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire
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| Presidential Range, New Hampshire |
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| Presidential Range, New Hampshire |
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| Crossing the border into Maine |
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| Hitchhiking in Maine |
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| Fording rivers, Maine |
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| Sunlight through the trees, Maine |
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| Bigelow Mountains, Maine |
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| Autumn creeping into the landscape, Maine |
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| Whitecap Mountain, view of Katahdin, Maine |
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| Beach in Maine |
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| View of Katahdin from Abol Bridge, Maine |
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| Mt. Katadin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail |
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| Flooded with joy |
