Couple finishes 4,900-mile walk across US	徒步穿越美國(guó)大陸 美夫婦完成"發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅"
Ken and Marcia Powers hike on the American Discovery Trail near Carson City, Nev., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005. A husband-and-wife team reached the Pacific Ocean on Saturday after a 4,900-mile cross-country hike, becoming the first to backpack the transcontinental American Discovery Trail in one continuous trek. Marcia and Ken Powers started Feb. 27 at Cape Henlopen in Delaware. Nearly eight months later, they looked out over the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes. "We feel great. We're done," Marcia Powers said after reaching the ocean late Saturday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule. "We are a little bit sad that a great adventure is over. It was a fantastic adventure." The couple from Pleasanton, Calif., traversed cities, desert, mountains and farmland as they crossed 13 states. They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand scare in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Midwest and blinding desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off. But they raved about the French history of St. Louis, the grandeur of the Colorado Rockies, and the kindness of strangers they met along the way. They particularly remember two brothers who put them up in their homes around Chester, Ill., and a motorcyclist who gave them water in the Utah desert. "Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful people," said Marcia Powers, who is in her 50s. "We got to meet people that we would never meet in our sphere of daily living at home. Joyce and Pete Cottrell, of N.H., were the first to backpack the entire official route of the American Discovery Trail, but they hiked segments out of sequence over two calendar years, finishing in 2003. The transcontinental trail starts in Delaware, meandering through Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis and other cities, 14 national parks and 16 national forests before hitting the Pacific at Point Reyes. (Agencies)	上周六，一對(duì)美國(guó)夫婦在長(zhǎng)途跋涉4900英里、穿越整個(gè)美國(guó)大陸后順利抵達(dá)太平洋沿岸，成為全美背包族中完成不間斷徒步穿越"美國(guó)發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅"的第一人。 馬西婭·鮑爾斯和肯·鮑爾斯夫婦今年2月27日從美國(guó)東部特拉華州漢露潘角出發(fā)，長(zhǎng)途跋涉將近8個(gè)月后，他們終于在舊金山北面的雷斯岬看到了向往已久的太平洋。 "感覺(jué)真棒，我們成功了！"上周六下午傍晚抵達(dá)太平洋沿岸后馬西婭·鮑爾斯說(shuō)，他們比原計(jì)劃提前一天到達(dá)目的地。"一次偉大的冒險(xiǎn)經(jīng)歷就這樣結(jié)束了，我們還真覺(jué)得有點(diǎn)遺憾。這次冒險(xiǎn)經(jīng)歷太棒了。" 這對(duì)夫婦來(lái)自美國(guó)加利福尼亞州西部城市普萊森頓，他們穿越城市、沙漠、山川和農(nóng)田，整整走過(guò)了美國(guó)13個(gè)州。 在東部，他們?cè)庥隽吮┭辉讵q他州，他們險(xiǎn)些被流沙吞沒(méi)；在中西部，他們與閃電"親密接觸"；在西部，他們遇到了令人致盲的沙暴。夫婦倆平均每天步行22英里，中間只休息了4天。 但是，一路上他們被圣路易斯市的法國(guó)歷史遺跡和科羅拉多州洛基山脈的壯觀所折服。他們還認(rèn)識(shí)了許多熱心人，這些陌生人的熱情和友善讓他們終生難忘。切斯特市的一對(duì)兄弟給他們留下了深刻的印象，那對(duì)好心的兄弟將他倆安置在自己家中。還有一個(gè)騎摩托車的人在猶他州的沙漠中給他們水喝。 "美國(guó)人真是既熱心又善良，我們遇到了許多日常生活中永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)碰到的人。" 馬西婭·鮑爾斯說(shuō)，她今年50出頭。 來(lái)自新罕布什爾州的喬伊斯和皮特·科特雷爾夫婦是第一個(gè)徒步完成"發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅"的人，但他們是在兩年中分段旅行，直到2003年才走完這段旅程的。 "發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅"路線是東起特拉華州，西至太平洋沿岸的雷伊斯角，其中穿越華盛頓特區(qū)、辛辛那提、圣路易斯和其他城市，經(jīng)過(guò)14個(gè)國(guó)家公園和16個(gè)國(guó)家森林保護(hù)區(qū)。   （中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)站薛曉文譯）