[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 158 (Thursday, November 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRATULATING KRISTIE THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2001

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize today Ms. 
Kristie Thompson of Rockwall, Texas, who this past summer succeeded in 
hiking the 2,167 miles of the Appalachian Trail. This hike from 
Springer Mountain in Northern Georgia to Katahdin in Central Maine is a 
trek completed by fewer than 500 people each year. What makes Kristie's 
accomplishment even more outstanding is the fact that she hiked the 
distance in only four months instead of the usual six--and she did a 
majority of it alone.
  Since childhood, Kristie has had a love for the outdoors and a sense 
of adventure. A schoolteacher at Maurine Cain Middle School in Heath, 
Texas, and the mother of two teenage children, she used her summer 
break to fulfill this ambitious, lifelong dream. Kristie and her 
sister, Melanie Musser, began the journey on April 15, but 800 miles 
later, Melanie decided she could not be away from her family for 
another two months. Kristie understood--for she, too, missed her 
family--but she decided to go on alone.
  Kristie awoke each day to begin hiking by 7 am and did not stop until 
6 pm. That is an average of eighteen miles every day, much of it 
through mountains, carrying a pack of about 26 pounds. Often hiking as 
many as thirty miles in one day, Kristie noted that the mental 
challenges were equally as great as the physical ones. Her emotions 
ranged from elation to loneliness to frustration. She tells that more 
than three months along the trail--but still 300 miles from her 
destination--she stopped, stared down at the trail and burst into 
tears. But there, scratched in the dirt, was a message left for some 
other mother: ``Good job, Mom.'' This message gave her the inspiration 
and resolve to complete the arduous journey.
  Support from family and strangers saw her through. Every few days she 
would pick up food and supplies that her parents would send to towns 
along the way. Her children sent postcards and provided words of 
encouragement when she called. They followed her progress on a map. 
Along the way she slept in shelters or under a tarp or tent. On the 
last five miles of the hike, Kristie was joined by her father, Emmett 
Howe, who shares her family's immense pride in this accomplishment.
  Kristie's ambition and perseverance certainly will serve as sources 
of inspiration for her family, students and friends in Rockwall. Her 
feat took resolve, extraordinary willpower and courage--as well as 
meticulous planning and resourcefulness. She said the trip made her 
stronger in her resolve to tackle difficult challenges in life and 
reinforced what mattered most to her--her family.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to recognize this outstanding young 
woman from my hometown of Rockwall--Kristie Thompson--and to 
congratulate her for this extraordinary achievement in hiking the 
Appalachian Trail.

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