搜三秋

My backpack weighs 31 pounds, and it barely fit into the trunk of Jen and Steve’s Honda. I don’t think they believed I was actually going through with this until I called and asked for a ride up the mountain. Jen gave me that look, that pitying, tight-lipped smile, but she helped Steve and I load up my things, and then they bought me lunch before dropping me off at the trailhead. Jen cried, and Steve gave me a can of pepper spray and an awkward side hug.

我的背包重31磅，珍和史蒂夫的本田后备箱几乎装不下。我不认为他们之前相信我真的要做这件事，直到我打电话给他们说要搭车上山。珍给了我那种眼神，那种怜悯的、嘴唇紧闭着的微笑，但是史蒂夫和我装东西时她也在一旁帮忙，然后他们给我买了午餐，然后把我送到了小径的起点。珍哭了，史蒂夫给了我一罐胡椒喷雾和一个尴尬的侧面拥抱。

So here goes nothing. I’m at Springer Mountain, Georgia, with zero miles down and only 2,190 miles to go.

好吧，就从这开始了。我现在在佐治亚州的斯普林格山，脚下是零英里，前面只剩 2，190 英里。

See you on the other side.

我们终点见。

Mile 8

I can feel my heartbeat in my feet, but I made it to the first campsite. I’m exhausted, but in that good I-did-a-hard-thing kind of way. I had trouble setting up my tent—broke a nail just getting it out of the bag—but there was another group at the campsite and some nice college kid saw me struggling, jogged over to help, and then had the whole thing up in under a minute. He looked at me funny, and I’m sure he was wondering what I was doing all the way out here instead of lounging on my sofa with a glass of chardonnay and an Oprah’s book club novel, but he didn’t pry.

走路时我能感觉到我的心跳，但我到达了第一个露营地。我已经筋疲力尽了，但是心里感觉是那种干了一件大事的喜悦。我在搭帐篷时遇到了麻烦——刚从袋子里拿出来就弄断了一颗钉子——但露营地里还有另一群人，一些友善的大学生看到我的囧样，跑过来帮忙，然后在不到一分钟的时间内就把整个事情搞定了。他好笑地看着我，我敢肯定他在好奇我干嘛大老远跑这来，而不是躺在沙发上，喝着霞多丽，读着奥普拉读书俱乐部的小说，但他什么也没说。

Mile 19

Well, I pooped in the woods today. You would have laughed at me as I hunted for the perfect spot, then deposited and buried my own waste like some dainty, purebred housecat.

好吧，我今天在树林里拉粑粑了。你也许会大声笑我吧，找了个完美的位置，放下我的废弃物，然后像一只精致的，纯种的家猫那样埋起来。

I laughed at myself too.

我自个也笑了。

Mile 49

I’m already behind schedule. I wasted hours repacking my bag yesterday to redistribute the weight, as one hiker told me it would be less strain on my back to move the heavier items to the center. So I took everything out and repacked it as tightly as I could, which took forever. The hiker hovered nearby the entire time, obnoxiously commentating on all my belongings, and when he finally left, I sat down to write, only to find I’d somehow buried my journal. So, I unpacked my whole bag again, rummaging through my gear like a madwoman, just to then see the journal had been sitting on a rock next to me the whole time.

我已经落后于计划了。昨天我浪费了几个小时重新打包，重新分配重量，因为一位徒步旅行者告诉我，将较重的物品移到中心会减轻背部的压力。所以我把所有东西都拿出来，尽可能紧地重新包装，这花了很长时间。这整个过程他一直陪着，讨厌地评论我所有的东西，当他终于离开时，我坐下来写作，却发现我的日记不知道塞哪了。于是，我再次打开整个包，像个疯女人一样翻找，然后，看到日记本一直躺在我旁边的一块石头上。

Even in the cold spring air, I was red-faced and sweating.

春天的气温很冷，但我的脸红彤彤的，还在出汗

Mile 65

My feet are killing me, but I think I’ve finally broken in these fresh-out-of-the-box hiking boots.

我的脚疼死了，我心想总算把这双刚开箱的登山靴撑大了。

I fell asleep last night listening to the crickets and thinking about you.

昨晚，一边听着蟋蟀的叫声，一边心里想着你，然后睡着了。

Mile 87

I met an interesting hiker today who said this was his second thru hike. He looked at least 10 years older than me and called himself “Pinetree.” All skin and bones with a long scraggly beard, he looked like a castaway stranded in the woods, though I got the sense he liked the solitude. He’d jutted out his bearded chin at me and said, “Nobo?”

我今天遇到了一个有趣的徒步旅行者，他说这是他的第二次徒步穿越旅行。他看起来至少比我大10岁，自称“松树”。他全身皮包骨，留着散乱的长胡子，看起来像一个被困在树林里的遇难者，尽管我感觉到他喜欢孤独。他朝我抬起胡子拉碴的下巴，说：“诺博？”

“What?” I huffed out.

“什么？”我恼道。

“North bound?”

“往北走？”

“North bound? Oh. Yes. I am.” I had to pause and catch my breath after each sentence. “Just getting started.”

“往北走？哦，是的。”每说一句，我不得不停下来，喘口气。“刚开始走。”

He looked me over and clicked his tongue. “You’re carrying too much weight.”

他朝我打量了一下，带着咔哒的语调道“你东西太多了。”（你身体太胖了。）

I was momentarily offended before realizing he meant my pack. “How?! I left so much behind. I need all of this.”

我瞬时感到被冒犯了，然后意识到他是说我的背包。“怎么会呢？已经扔了很多了。这些都是必须的。”

He was quiet, chewing his lip. “Give it a few more miles. You won’t feel that way then.”

他一时无语，咬了咬嘴唇，道“再走一阵子，你就不会这么认为了。”

We continued walking; his stride was twice that of mine, but he slowed and matched my speed, and we hiked in companionable silence until I stopped for lunch.

我们继续走；他的步速是我的两倍，但是他慢下来和我走在一起，直到我停下来吃午餐。

He kept walking. “When you’re ready to let some of that go, you’ll feel much lighter. Trust me.” Then with a final, “take care out there,” he disappeared around the next bend.

他继续走。“当你下决心扔掉一些东西的时候，你会觉得轻松很多，相信我。”“路上小心。”说完，消失在弯道处。

His reprimand irritated me, but the frustration kept me going for a good four or five more miles.

他的话让我感到恼火，但是这种沮丧感却刺激着我多走了四五英里。

I envied him: so confident and free.

我羡慕他，如此自信，如此自由。

He reminded me of you.

他让我想起了你。

Mile 112

I pulled eight ticks off my legs yesterday. There were probably more where I couldn’t see them, and that thought kept me awake all night, tossing and turning and twitching in my tent until the exhaustion pulled me into fitful sleep. I dreamt that my hiking boots jumped off a cliff, and I had to walk the rest of the trail with my feet covered in orange plastic ramen noodle wrappers.

昨天我从腿上拔了八只蜱虫。可能还有更多，在我看不到的地方，这个想法让我整夜都睡不着觉，在帐篷里翻来覆去，直到筋疲力尽，然后断断续续的睡着。我梦见我的登山靴掉下悬崖了，我不得不用橙色的拉面塑料包装纸裹着脚走完剩下的路。

Mile 148

I met some thru hikers from South Dakota (which I had completely forgotten was a state) who were both in their 80’s! We talked the whole way, and it helped the miles pass quickly.

我遇到了一对来自南达科他州（我完全忘记这是一个州）的徒步穿越者，他们都是 80 多岁！我们一路交谈，一路走得非常轻松。

They told me the secret to longevity is to never stop moving.

他们告诉我长寿的秘诀就是别停下来，朝前走。

Mile 162

I’ve been making better time; today was my record so far—14 miles. A rather uneventful 14 miles, though I did see a porcupine, which was interesting. I always thought they’d be…spikier…?

我一直在创造更好的纪录;今天是我迄今为止的纪录——14 英里。一个相当平静的14英里，虽然我确实看到了一只豪猪，这很有趣。我一直以为他们会...更尖...？

At the shelter, I removed three shirts, a book, and a tube of lotion from my backpack and left them in a giveaway box. It made a surprisingly noticeable difference.

在避难所，我从背包里取出了三件衬衫、一本书和一管护肤液，把它们放进一个赠送盒里。放下这些东西后，效果明显，令人惊讶。

Mile 169

Well, those 14 miles about killed me. I slept late today, then took two ibuprofen before even getting out of my tent. My back hurt, my feet hurt—even my earlobes hurt.

好吧，这14英里快要累死我了。今天起得很晚，吃了两颗布洛芬后才总算钻出帐篷。我的背痛，我的脚疼——甚至我的耳垂都疼了。

The last thing I wanted to do was put those boots back on my swollen feet and walk.

最不想做的事情就是把靴子穿回肿胀的双脚，和走路。

Mile 202

Regret tastes sour and so do the dry ridges of my dehydrated gums.

后悔让我变得沮丧，脱水的牙龈也是如此。

What am I even doing out here?

我到底来这里做什么？

Mile 327

I hiked 18 miles yesterday but took today off. I needed to replenish my food, as I guess there’s going to be a good stretch before I reach another town (I’m still learning how to read maps and plan ahead). I bought groceries and some new clothes, as my pants are starting to hang on me, then checked into a motel and took the first real shower I’ve had since leaving Georgia. I stood there until the water ran cold, then laid down on the sheets and passed out until my grumbling stomach woke me up. I ordered a large pepperoni pizza and ate the entire thing myself.

我昨天走了18英里，今天休息。我需要补充食物，因为我估计在到达另一个城镇之前会有一段很长的路程（我仍在学习如何看地图来提早规划）。我买了生活用品和一些新衣服，我的裤子开始穿起来变得宽松了，然后我入住了一家汽车旅馆，洗了个澡，这是我离开佐治亚州以来的第一个真正的淋浴。我站在花洒下，直到水开始变冷，然后躺在床单上昏睡，直到我的肚子咕噜咕噜地把我吵醒。我点了一个大大的意大利辣香肠披萨，一个人吃得干干净净。

Then I called the pizza place back and ordered another one.

然后，我打电话到披萨店，又买了一个。

Mile 463

Made it into Virginia. It’s been raining for three days. The trails are slush, my boots are filthy, and I feel like a wet rag.

到了弗吉尼亚州。已经下了三天雨了。一路泥泞，靴子很脏，我觉得自己像一块湿抹布。

I want to go home.

我想要回家。

Mile 567

I made a small group of friends who have sort of pulled me into their circle and let me tag along the last 50 miles or so. Melons is a vet tech from Florida, whose cleavage makes introductions before she does. Huckleberry is a lanky 22-year-old who wears his pants rolled at the ankles and hikes in crocs. Seems impractical to me, but he says it’s comfortable. Aunt Jemima is a hulking middle-aged Norwegian man who loves breakfast food and lugs around a flat top campfire griddle. He’s made us pancakes almost every morning, and it’s become one of my favorite parts of each day. Easily the largest man I’ve ever met, Aunt Jemima often smacks his head on low hanging branches as we hike, eliciting a string of game-like sound effects from Huckleberry like “doink” and “boing.”

我结交了几个朋友，他们把我拉进了他们的队伍，后面的大概50英里是跟着一起走的。梅隆思是来自佛罗里达州的兽医技术员，拥有一副令人侧目的曼妙身材。哈克贝利是一个瘦长的 22 岁年轻人，他把裤子卷在脚踝处，穿着卡骆驰鞋子徒步。在我看来似乎不合适，但他说很舒服。杰迈玛阿姨是一个身材魁梧的挪威中年男人，喜欢早餐食物，总是拖着一个户外平底锅。他几乎每天早上给我们做煎饼，这已经成为我每天最开心的项目之一。杰迈玛姨妈或许是我见过的最高大的男人，我们徒步时，他的头经常撞上低垂的树枝，这时哈克贝利就会发出一连串像游戏里那样的声音特效，比如“咚~”，“嘣~”。

Their company has changed everything, and I’ve laughed more in the last few days than I have in years.

和他们在一起，一切都变了。这几天我笑的次数比以往几年还要多。

Mile 653

Today was HARD. The terrain was rugged and uneven. I made a game, tracking how many hours ago I could go without tripping.

今天异常辛苦。道路崎岖不平。我做了一个游戏，记录我可以做到多久不被绊倒。

I never actually made it a whole hour.

事实是我从来没有做到一个小时内不被绊倒。

Mile 713

Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima decided to take a detour; Huckleberry’s family lives nearby and invited everyone to stay for a few days, but I wanted to keep going.

梅隆思、哈克贝利和杰迈玛姨妈决定绕道而行;哈克贝利的家人住在附近，邀请大家住几天，但我想继续前进。

We all exchanged contact information, then parted ways.

我们交换了联系方式，然后分道扬镳。

Mile 806

You don’t feel the blisters until you stop.

在你停下来之前，你不会感觉到脚上的水泡。

Mile 878

I’m tired of hearing my own breathing, tired of TREES, tired of freeze-dried soup, tired of having nothing but time to think about everything I should have done differently in my life.

我厌倦了听自己的呼吸声，厌倦了树木，厌倦了冻干汤，厌倦了无聊到去想这辈子做过的每件事我应该以另一种方式去做。

I don’t know who I thought I was, why I ever thought I could do this.

不知道以前我是怎么想的，为什么会觉得我能做到。

Mile 900

I almost quit yesterday, and then I met an angel.

昨天差点放弃的时候，我遇到了天使。

I was 7 miles into the day, feeling like there was no possible way I could make it to the next shelter, nevertheless all the way to the tip of Maine, when I walked straight into a spider web, tripped over a rock, then faceplanted in a patch of ferns. I was so angry, I hurled my backpack against a tree, pulling a back muscle in the process. Then I sat down and just sobbed.

这一天我走了7英里，感觉自己不可能走到下一个避难所，尽管如此，还是一路朝着缅因州的最高处走去，这时我径直碰到了一张蜘蛛网，接着被一块岩石绊倒，迎面栽在一片草丛中。我气急了，把背包朝树上一扔，这一扔又拉伤了背部肌肉。我坐在地上哭起来。

Everything hurt; I was sunburned, hungry, and ready to call it quits and admit to the world that I couldn’t do it.

哪里都是痛；晒伤，饥饿，我准备放弃，向全世界承认我做不到。

Then the next thing I knew, I was on my back, staring up at the floppy, wet tongue of a gigantic Great Dane. I struggled to sit up, and when I did, it nuzzled its massive head into my shoulder, and without thinking, I draped my arms over its neck. I realized then it was the closest thing I’d had to an embrace since Steve’s stiff-armed goodbye hug.

接下来我所知道的就是：我仰头躺在地上，映入眼前的是一只巨大的大丹犬伸着它松软湿润的舌头。我挣扎着坐起来，当我起来时，它的大脑袋在我的肩膀上蹭，我不假思索地把胳膊搭在它的脖子上。我意识到：自从抱着史蒂夫僵硬的手臂和他告别后，这是我最接近“拥抱”的一次体验。

Shortly after, I heard someone whistling and calling for “Karen,” then saw a gray-haired woman heading down the trail. She took one look at me—at my pack thrown into the ferns, my scraped-up knees, and her dog (which was indeed named Karen) with its head on my shoulder—then looked me right in the eye and asked if I liked lasagna.

不久，我听到有人吹着口哨喊“凯伦”，然后看到一个头发灰白的女人沿着小路走来。她看了我一眼——草丛里的背包，我擦伤的膝盖，她的狗(确实叫凯伦)把头靠在我的肩膀上——然后看着我的眼睛，问我是否喜欢千层面。

She introduced herself as “Zippy” as we walked a side trail up to her place. I could smell oregano before I saw the cabin. She’d made two bubbling-hot pans of the best lasagna I’d ever had and never asked if I wanted seconds of anything, but just continued to load food onto my plate the second I’d cleared it.

我们沿着小路走去她的住处，她告诉我她叫“乐天派”。在看到小屋之前我就闻到了牛至的味道。她做了两锅滚烫的千层面，这是我吃过的最好吃的，她从来没有问过我要不要再来点什么，而是在我吃完后继续往我的盘子里装。

After dinner, we sat on her couch and talked about the hike—the solitude, the friendships you make, and the boredom too. I’d gone a few days without really talking to anyone and when she asked why I was doing it, it was like a dam broke within me, and I cried—ugly, shaking sobs that rattled our teacups on the side table. She let me cry, let me talk.

晚饭后，我们坐在她的沙发上，聊徒步中发生的事——旅途中的孤独，结交的朋友，当然还有厌倦。我已经好几天没有真正的和人说话了，当她问我为什么要这样做时，我的心里就像一座大坝裂开了一道口子，我开始哭，很难看，颤抖着抽泣，把我们放在桌上的茶杯弄得嘎嘎作响。她没有阻止我哭，安静地听我哭诉。

I told her that hiking the AT was never my dream, that I never wanted to put my life on pause to traipse up and down mountains and live out of a backpack for half a year.

我告诉她，徒步穿越阿巴拉契亚从来都不是我的梦想，我从来没想过要放下我的一切，让一切暂停下来，跑去山上闲逛，靠一个背包在外面生活半年。

Then I told her about you—how this was always your dream, your adventure, how you begged me to hike it with you…bought me my own gear and everything…because I had told you I would.

然后我跟她说起了你——这一直是你的梦想，你的探险，你如何求我和你一起去……给我买了我用的装备和所有的东西……因为我答应过你我会去。

Then I told her how every time you brought up the hike, I shut you down—put you off with a “maybe next spring,” and “things are so busy with work right now,” or “how about when we retire.”

然后我告诉她，每次你提起徒步的事，我都会用各种说辞让你闭嘴，比如“也许明年春天吧”，“现在工作太忙了”，或者“等我们退休了怎么样”。

How na?ve I was to think time would wait for us; sometimes hearts stop beating, and they never start up again.

多天真啊，我以为时间会等着我们;有时候心脏会停止跳动，而且就那样再也不动了。

I know I can’t blame myself for that, but I blame myself for giving you the false hope that I’d join you when I never had any intention of looping my arms through that purple backpack you hung in the garage next to yours. You waited for me, and now it’s too late for you. We should have been doing this together, and now you’ll never have the chance.

我知道这不能怪我自己，但我怪我自己给了你一个假的希望，让你以为我会陪你去，而我从来没有想过要把我的手臂伸进那个和你的并排挂在车库旁边的紫色背包。你一直在等我，现在对你来说已经太迟了。本来应该是我们一起来这里的，现在你再也没机会了。

This hike has been hard—the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but you would have loved every minute of it. And I would have loved to do this with you.

这次徒步很艰难，是我这辈子做过的最艰难的事情，如果你在的话，你会喜欢这里的每一分钟。我也会喜欢和你一起来这里。

I felt lighter the next day than I had the whole trip. Even with a belly full of lasagna.

第二天，我感觉很轻松，是这趟旅行开始以来最轻松的，即使肚子里塞满了千层面。

Mile 989

How am I STILL in Virginia?

怎么我还在弗吉尼亚？

I left a multitool, some too-big hiking shorts, and an extra flashlight in a shelter box.

我把一套多功能工具，一些太大的登山短裤，还有一个备用的手电筒留在一个避难所的箱里。

Mile 1057

This muggy dog-breath summer air is making my skin crawl…

夏季闷热潮湿的空气让我浑身湿哒哒的……

I dropped the gasket of my water filter in a creek today and stood staring into the brown trickle for several minutes trying to find the thing before I realized I was standing about a foot away from a coiled-up copperhead. My blood turned to ice—a momentary reprieve from the suffocating heat—and then I spun myself away from the thing with the agility of a woman 20 years younger.

今天滤水器的垫圈掉在了一条小溪里，我站在那里盯着褐色的溪水看了几分钟，想找回来，然后发现离我大约一英尺的地方盘踞着一条铜头蛇。我吓得浑身冰冷——从令人窒息的高温中瞬时得到了缓解——然后我一个急转身迅速逃离，动作灵活得像是年轻了20岁。

So, I didn’t get bitten by a snake, but I never did find that gasket.

所以，我没被蛇咬到，但也再没机会找到那个垫圈。

Mile 1132

You wouldn’t believe who I ran into today: Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima.

你不会相信我今天遇到了谁：梅隆思、哈克贝利和杰迈玛阿姨。

I must be that slow of a hiker.

我肯定属于那种非常慢的徒步者。

Melons gave me a big hug, squished me right in between her giant bosom. Huckleberry was wearing real boots—said he’d lost his crocs in a river and had to walk a mile and a half in socks before he could buy new shoes. Someone made Aunt Jemima an apron with a picture of a giant backpacker flipping pancakes. He said he wears it every morning.

梅隆思给了我一个大拥抱，把我抱得紧紧地。哈克贝利穿着真正的靴子——他说他的卡骆驰掉河里了，不得不穿着袜子走了一英里半才买到新鞋。有人给杰迈玛阿姨做了一条围裙，上面印着一张照片，一个在翻煎饼的高个子背包客。他说他每天早上都穿着它。

Mile 1281

Almost through Pennsylvania.

快要穿越宾夕法尼亚州了。

I know I’ve complained a lot, but today was one of those days where all the blood, sweat, and tears felt like they were worth something. I woke up before sunrise, made hot coffee, and climbed to an overlook where the valley stretched below, still shrouded in shadow. I watched the sun rise and shed light on each curve and dip of the land. Birds chirped all around me, leaves danced in the breeze, and I felt you there with me.

我知道我一直在抱怨，但今天是那种为数不多的一天，所有的血、汗和眼泪都觉得是值得的。日出前我醒来，煮了咖啡，爬上高处远眺，山谷在脚下蜿蜒，笼罩在阴影中。我望着太阳升起，阳光洒在蜿蜒起伏的山间。鸟儿们在我周围唧唧喳喳，树叶在微风中翩翩起舞，我感到你就在我身边。

For the first time, I couldn’t wait to get moving.

我第一次迫不及待地行动起来。

Mile 1359

Did I tell you I’ve been given a trail name?

我告诉过你驴友给我起了个外号吗?

Scribe.

抄写员

Mile 1422

We’ve made it to New York! Melons and I hitchhiked into town today and got pedicures, mostly just to see the looks on the beautician’s faces when they saw our feet (that and I was dying for a foot massage). I picked out some bright red nail polish and sunk down into a massage chair, but when I peeled my socks away, my left pinky toenail came clean off and landed right in the sudsy water.

我们到纽约了! 今天我和梅隆思搭便车到镇上去做足疗，主要是为了看看美容师看到我们的脚时脸上的表情(我也非常想做足底按摩)。我挑了一些亮红色的指甲油，躺进按摩椅，当我脱掉袜子时，我的左脚小脚趾指甲整个地掉了下来，正好落在了肥皂水里。

I didn’t feel a thing.

我没有任何感觉。

The poor lady painted the nail-less stub of my toe anyway, and now you can hardly tell anything is missing.

那位可怜的美容师还是把我脚趾上没有指甲的部分涂了指甲油，现在你几乎看不出缺了什么。

Mile 1614

The terrain has been fairly steep the past few days but absolutely gorgeous. We’ve made it into Vermont, and the gang and I stopped for a much-deserved night at a motel. The motel served scrambled eggs at the continental breakfast the next morning, and between the four of us, we must have eaten two dozen eggs. Aunt Jemima wasn’t impressed with their pancakes, but he still ate enough for a football team.

过去的几天，地形相当陡峭，但非常漂亮。我们到达了佛蒙特州，我和伙伴们理所当然地在一家汽车旅馆住了一晚。第二天早上，汽车旅馆提供的欧式早餐是炒鸡蛋，我们四个人吃了起码有二十几个鸡蛋。杰迈玛阿姨不喜欢他们的煎饼，但他还是吃了足够一个足球队吃的量。

Mile 1736

I’ve made it to New Hampshire. From Georgia. WITH MY OWN TWO FEET. I can hardly believe it. There have been so many days when I’ve wanted nothing more than to give up and go home, but now that I’m getting close to the end, I’m almost afraid. What happens when it’s over?

我到达了新罕布什尔，从乔治亚州一路走来，用我的双脚。我简直不敢相信。那么多的日子，我只想放弃回家，但现在慢慢地接近终点，我有些害怕了。结束后会发生什么?

Mile 1901

I beat my own record and walked 24 miles today. Every muscle in my body is screaming, and I barely have the energy to hold up this pen, but I just had to say one thing: I’m sorry.

今天我打破了自己保持的记录，走了24英里。全身上下几乎要散架了，几乎没有力气拿起这支笔，但我必须说一件事：我很抱歉。

I’m sorry you never got to see what I’ve seen or walk where I’ve walked, but I hope you know that I have carried you with me every step of the way. I know it doesn’t change anything, but wherever you are, I hope you know that you are what has pushed me through these mountains.

我很抱歉你没有机会看到我看到的景色，没有机会走过我走过的地方，但我希望你知道，一路走来的每一步我都带着你。我知道这改变不了什么，但无论你在哪里，我希望你知道，是你鼓励着我跨过这些大山。

Mile 2032

We’re in Maine! We celebrated crossing into the last state with way too much beer, and Huckleberry, in his inebriated condition, forgot to pack up his food. Well wouldn’t you know, around 1 in the morning, I started hearing this huffing and rustling, and I thought maybe it was Huckleberry getting sick, so I ran out of my tent to check on him and came nose to nose with the ugliest black bear I’ve ever seen. It was missing one ear and had a ragged scar across his eye.

我们到了缅因州！我们庆祝穿越到了最后一个州，喝了太多的啤酒，哈克贝利喝醉了，忘了打包食物。你知道吗，凌晨1点左右，我开始听到呼哧呼哧的沙沙声，我想可能是哈克贝利生病了，所以我跑出帐篷去看他，结果迎面撞见一只我这辈子见过的最丑的黑熊。它缺了一只耳朵，眼睛上有一道粗糙的疤痕。

I froze, panicking—what was I supposed to do again? Run? Play dead? Scream? I just knew I was about to be mauled to death, when suddenly Aunt Jemima stepped down from the shelter, walked up to that bear with his chest puffed out, and started yodeling. Yes. Yodeling. Deep, reverberating, melodic howls. I’d never heard anything like it in my life, and that bear must have thoroughly hated it, because it took off.

我僵住了，惊慌失措——这下我又该怎么办？跑？装死？尖叫？我只知道我要被熊拍死了，这时杰迈玛阿姨突然从避难所走下来，鼓着胸膛走到那只的熊面前，开始唱起了约德尔调，是的，约德尔调。低沉的、回荡的、有旋律的嚎叫。我这辈子从来没听过这样的声音，那只熊一定极度地讨厌这个声音，因为它飞快地逃走了。

I slept like a rock knowing that ugly bear was off telling all his friends about the terrible yodeling monster I call Aunt Jemima.

我睡得像块石头，梦见那只丑熊跑去告诉他所有的朋友，那个我称作杰米玛阿姨的可怕的约德尔怪物。

Mile 2178

Tomorrow, we hike Mount Katahdin—the last leg of the Appalachian trail!!

明天，我们将穿越卡塔丁山——阿巴拉契亚的最后一段!!

Mile 2191

It was a grueling trek up 4,000 feet of rocky elevation, but I made it.

这是一段艰苦的跋涉，爬上4000英尺布满岩石的高地，但我做到了。

I MADE IT!!

我做到了！！

There’s a picture of me, Melons, Huckleberry, and Aunt Jemima, our arms outstretched at the big wooden “Mount Katahdin” sign, and I’ve never seen such a wide smile on my face.

照片上我、梅隆思、哈克贝利和杰迈玛阿姨，在巨大的木制“卡塔丁山”标志前我们张开双臂，我从未见过自己脸上露出如此灿烂的笑容。

I looked confident—free.

我看上去自信——自由。

The four of us lingered at the top for a while, reveling in our victory, then the others left me alone:

我们四个人在山顶逗留了一会儿，欢庆我们的胜利，然后其他人走了。

So you and I could have a few moments to ourselves.

这样你和我就能独处一会儿了。

And that’s when I set you free.

此时，我放开了你。

I lifted the cap on the small, cylindrical urn I’d carried with me through sunshine and rain for the past 2000 miles, and I sprinkled your ashes into the wind. You spread your wings and flew over the mountain, settling yourself in the rocks and rivers and valleys of beautiful, wild Maine.

我掀开那个小小的圆柱形骨灰盒的盖子，带着这个盒子，走进阳光，步入雨露，穿越2000英里，我把你撒在风中，你展开翅膀，飞过高山，落在岩石上、河流中、山谷里，落在这美丽而狂野的缅因州，。

We’re thru hikers now, you and me.

现在我们是徒步穿越者了，你和我。

And I couldn’t have done it without you.

没有你，我不可能做到。