After my stay at the Maine Roadhouse, which was my favorite hostel stay on the entire trail I highly recommend it to anyone that is hiking. it was time to take on the Bigelow mountains which were a fairly easy climb compared to the mountains I had already climbed but I ended up hiking into the night to get to my campsite in between two of the summits in a wooded area. The next morning was cold with really high winds and what looked like very light snow that showed me that I still had two hundred more miles to go but the winter time was approaching quickly. After the Biggelows were crossed it felt like a straight shot to Monson to get my last resupply and go into the 100-mile wilderness which is the most remote location on the entire trail. The town of Monson was a little bigger than I imagined. I stayed at the famous shaws hiker hostel that most hikers stay at before going into the 100-mile wilderness. Although people were excited to be so close to the end Shaw’s to me had more of a somber tone. Many people I noticed were saying their goodbyes to each other as some were hiking to meet deadlines and getting home and some were staying to soak every last bit of trail life they could. When I was there I said some goodbyes to people on the trail before they started their 100-mile wilderness journey and I knew I would be close behind them but likely wouldn’t catch them. The day I was going to hike out though we got so much rain that all of the rivers got higher and started rushing faster. The river crossings in the 100 miles were not safe to attempt and the people that did try were swept downriver luckily I heard that no one was hurt or missing but the rain didn’t let up for 3 days so I was stuck in Monson till the rivers were calmed down. It often takes a while for the mountains to drain the water out so the river was going to be high and fast but I had spent too many days in Monson and the trail anxiety to get back out there was overwhelming so I decided to go into the 100 miles. The 100 mile is tough at the start but is incredibly beautiful. The first up-close of Katahdin is from Whitecap mountain and it causes a lot of different emotions as the finish line is in sight now. After whitecap mountain, you can get peaks of Katahdin here and there as you get closer. The trail gets very Fast as you approach Katahdin and miles start coming towards you faster as the trail mellows out but your excitement grows. Baxter state park is a fun hike and allows for some amazing lake and river stops for lunch and just to relax as I would be resting as much as possible.
Some tramily friends and I stayed in one of the shelters right at the base of the mountain the night before. The night before was sleepless but I was up early because I just couldn’t sleep. I decided while it is still dark I would just enjoy every second of this day and have my breakfast and morning Coffee drink mixture. Climbing Katahdin although it is a steep rock climb feels so fast and I hardly felt tired at all I left most of my gear back at camp and only took the essentials to the top. It felt as though I weighed nothing. Emotions of every one were high and everyone had the best mood while climbing. It was nothing but good feelings the whole day. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the weather was brisk but just so that I wasn’t sweating on the climb to the top. The view from Katahdin is incredible as you can see for miles and the trees were turning all different colors. It is a lot to take in and I wasn’t even to the top yet. Katahdin is so big it feels as though there are several stages when climbing up the Hunt trail as that is the way the AT follows to the top. First, the climb gets steeper from camp and then you get to the tree line, after the tree line you have the spur which sticks out like its own ridge on the mountain, after the Hunt spur you reach the gateway which is where it evens out a bit that you can see the top of the mountain along with the areas the other trails go. The blueberries at the top were amazing and then it was onto the final steps to the famous sign to reach the official northern terminus of the trail. I climbed the Sign and looked back at the trail and knew that after that moment my life wasn’t going to be the same.
Looking back at the trail on Katahdin you can see the mountains you crossed in the 100-mile wilderness and beyond that. I can’t describe the feeling that it gives you but I knew that this trail changed my life in such a big way but I can’t explain how. I know that all I want to do now is climb mountains and hike. There is a lot more than just that I feel different, I think differently now. I would recommend to anyone thinking about doing the trail just take the risk and do it. Even if you decide not to finish you will not regret being on the trail. Too many times in life people put up walls in their lives for things they cannot do but I would recommend to anyone to not let life get in the way of living.
A year ago today I started my hike from Amicalola falls to Springer Mountain. I find it fitting that I finish my writing about it today although I could write so much more. I miss life on the trail so much and adjusting back to normal life is not as much fun. I feel that writing about it helps me remember and relive the memories, people, Lifestyle, good times, and challenges of the Appalachian Trail. some people after they are done have had their fill of adventure but for me, it only fuels in more and I am looking into hiking another big trail in the near future. Thank you to everyone who reads this it means a lot that people take interest in my adventures. If anyone has questions about the trail let me know! I am happy to help out the hiker community any way I can as it has shown me so much love on my thru-hike. I am looking to do some trail magic for the new class of hikers in 2023 and meet the new hikers as so many trail angels helped me along my way and I can give back to the community. If any tramily members or other thru-hikers I was with read this I decided to leave other people’s names out of it I didn’t inform many people I would be writing about it and I wish to respect their privacy.
