My apologies for the slow response to all the kind congratulatory notes! Thank you all very much. (Family came in from out of town - full house!)
Out of curiosity, did you start there in Georgia's Springer Mountain and systematically do a section each year (in order) all the way to Katahdin Mountain? Or did you do random sections at a time based on current weather or some other criterion?
I began the hike in Georgia and hiked consecutively (first step of a hike always started from the last step of the previous hike) to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Then, because the northern end of the trail is seriously more difficult and I wasn't getting any younger, I jumped up to Maine and hiked back to Harpers Ferry, also, consecutive sections. Over the years I had multiple hiking partners accompanying me, mostly family members, but, as it turns out, I solo hiked nearly a third of it.
I only wonder why you didn't take a short detour while in Tennessee to come by for a visit to our humble abode not far from the Mighty Muddy!
Good question - hmm, maybe we need sister trail, Hike the Mississippi River!