Redemption

9/11/09 Ten-year old Samuel Adams beer bottle, redeemed for 5 cents

What kind of a man keeps an empty beer bottle for ten years?

On the afternoon of September 12, 1999, I completed a 2,156 mile hike from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail. The sky was crystal clear and the view from Mt. Katahdin was, to sound cliche, breathtaking. With my parents and sister cheering me on, I reached the summit of the mountain, took the obligatory pictures, and then sat down for a well-deserved beer.

I have many mementos of that thru-hike, but that beer bottle has probably been the most visible. While most things are stuffed away in boxes, the bottle has resided on the corner of my desk in our guest room since we moved to Maine. It's unremarkable, of course, but stood as a quiet marker to an accomplishment of which I remain very proud.

An incredible stroke of luck placed the ten-year anniversary of the completion of my hike on a Saturday, so after school today I hopped into the car and headed north to Baxter State Park. I met up with my uncle and dedicated hiking partner Steve - Trail Name: Anchovy - at the Best Value Motor Inn in Millinocket, and tomorrow we shall climb Maine's highest peak.

I decided it would be appropriate to finally bid farewell to the Sam Adams bottle on the eve of my anniversary hike. And, the name of the redemption center where I relinquished the token? Payne's Redemption. I'm not with Joanna tonight, but I know she's laughing. Her last name is Payne, and, one could say, the Downsizing Challenge has largely been inspired by her example. My own redemption through Payne. And, just a little pain.

I told my story, handed over the bottle, and the guy at the shop laughed as he dropped a nickle in my hand.

"So, now you gonna put the nickle on your desk?" he said. "You gave up the bottle but now you've got the nickle."

No, I won't fall into that trap. I already spent the nickle, deliberately using it when I bought dinner on the drive north.

Does the Downsizing Challenge lead to some form of redemption? In small ways, there are moments when it feels like it does. On this date, eight years after the World Trade Center came crashing down as I taught kindergarteners a subway-ride away, it's worth pondering how we can find redemption for that which is not yet right.

Getting rid of a memento won't do that, but taking on a year-long challenge, climbing a mountain, or facing our most troubling national tragedy might be steps in the right direction.