Madeline (Maddy to me)
From toddler to grandmother
Little League baseball mom
Some more trail photos
On July 6, 2005, Madeline flew to Maine from Florida, climbed to the top of Mt. Katahdin, and then began a southbound hike of the Appalachian Trail. Through the hundred mile wilderness, over the White Mountains, the entire family supported her and worried for her every step of the way. I (mom) was keeper of the pictures and anchor for updates to her group of 50 “Trail Angels” who had expressed interest. Knees and hips suffered and she carried two epi-pens because of her allergy to bee stings. Maddy had packed all of her own supply boxes and shipped them to various drops along the Trail. Maine’s mountains presented an awesome obstacle course. I wrote 47 pages of AT Trail journal while she was hiking.
On October 31, Maddy took a bus from Rutland, VT, to Boston, MA, where she caught a flight to Jacksonville. Almost up until the day before, she was making plans to hike as far as New York, but with snow, ice and so much rain, she finally realized it was time to come in for the winter. On top of that, hunting season had opened, which made for an even more hazardous hike. She vows she’ll return one day and finish the trek to Springer Mountain, GA.
In 2003, Maddy graduated 3rd in her class from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Police Academy (N.E. Florida Criminal Justice Training Center). She and her daughter, Heather, were in the same graduating class. Neither became police officers. In Maddy's case, rotator cuff surgery interfered with her immediate career goals.
A deer story ...
July, 2010 - Maddy called on her way to a meat processing plant south of Denver. She was hiking when she heard the crash. Coming up from the ravine right behind her place, a 5 pt. buck was fatally hit. Maddy called 911, laid claim to the “road kill,” obtained a permit for it and decided to take it herself to help feed hungry families and save some of the meat for her family too. Initially, four people lifted it into her Jeep after she ran home for it. She got a man at a gas station to help her hoist the deer (in back of her Jeep) while she put bags of ice under him. Actually, she hoisted while the man put the ice in. When she first asked him to help, he thought she was crazy … until he saw the deer. I told her she certainly has a way of making her life interesting. Scott is jealous as hell. She called me again on her way back. They skinned the deer while she was there and were amazed at how well she handled it. All the meat was good and the deer died so quickly from just a blow to the chest that none of the cuts were tainted. The plant serves Whole Foods and they also donate to feed the poor. Her meat will be ready in two weeks for a total cost of $95 not including the shower curtain she pulled down to lay in the back of the Jeep, the gas to drive there and the cost of the road kill permit (actually, that was free). She plans to contact the unfortunate Comcast employee who hit it and see if he wants any of the meat. I told her I have two words for her … Good Job!
On October 31, Maddy took a bus from Rutland, VT, to Boston, MA, where she caught a flight to Jacksonville. Almost up until the day before, she was making plans to hike as far as New York, but with snow, ice and so much rain, she finally realized it was time to come in for the winter. On top of that, hunting season had opened, which made for an even more hazardous hike. She vows she’ll return one day and finish the trek to Springer Mountain, GA.
In 2003, Maddy graduated 3rd in her class from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Police Academy (N.E. Florida Criminal Justice Training Center). She and her daughter, Heather, were in the same graduating class. Neither became police officers. In Maddy's case, rotator cuff surgery interfered with her immediate career goals.
A deer story ...
July, 2010 - Maddy called on her way to a meat processing plant south of Denver. She was hiking when she heard the crash. Coming up from the ravine right behind her place, a 5 pt. buck was fatally hit. Maddy called 911, laid claim to the “road kill,” obtained a permit for it and decided to take it herself to help feed hungry families and save some of the meat for her family too. Initially, four people lifted it into her Jeep after she ran home for it. She got a man at a gas station to help her hoist the deer (in back of her Jeep) while she put bags of ice under him. Actually, she hoisted while the man put the ice in. When she first asked him to help, he thought she was crazy … until he saw the deer. I told her she certainly has a way of making her life interesting. Scott is jealous as hell. She called me again on her way back. They skinned the deer while she was there and were amazed at how well she handled it. All the meat was good and the deer died so quickly from just a blow to the chest that none of the cuts were tainted. The plant serves Whole Foods and they also donate to feed the poor. Her meat will be ready in two weeks for a total cost of $95 not including the shower curtain she pulled down to lay in the back of the Jeep, the gas to drive there and the cost of the road kill permit (actually, that was free). She plans to contact the unfortunate Comcast employee who hit it and see if he wants any of the meat. I told her I have two words for her … Good Job!
Adoring Grandma at 2009 picnic
A 2009 mother/son hike on Gray's Peak Trail