They made it.
Steven and Matt Spydell, the father-and-son hiking duo from Independence, on Sunday reached the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine, ending their nearly five-month hike of the 2,178-mile Appalachian Trail.
“Yahoo!! We are AT completion hikers #218 and #219 on the summit of Mt. Katahdin. Feelin’ fine and taking in the magnificent view and admiring this stunning mountain,” they posted on Facebook Sunday morning.
It’s been a long trail. They started April 5 just north of Atlanta and have passed through 14 states, averaging about 15 miles a day. They trained and planned for about two years to get ready for the trip, which they also have used to raise money for a group called Water for People, which works on self-sustaining water and wastewater systems in developing countries. It’s an issue that Steven Spydell, an Independence Water Pollution Control Department supervisor, in particular is passionate about (the group’s site is at www.waterforpeople.org/).
On Saturday, Steven and Matt were getting to finish the trip, hiking up Mount Katahdin with several relatives who joined them for the weekend. “The end?” they posted Saturday morning. “That’s so strange to think about.”
They are expected back in Independence in a few days.
