Appalachian Trail Katahdin

I left Rangeley and did the Saddlebacks that evening. The weather was nice and I had great views walking along the ridge. The next day it rained the entire day. I fell hard twice, once I landed in the pushup position and I would've been hurt bad if I didn't catch myself. Because of the rain I got a bunk that night at the Maine Roadhouse hostel. For $35 I got a bunk, shuttle to and from the trail, laundry, dinner and breakfast. The hostel was one of the best I've seen and the two women, who'd just opened it, were super nice. After drying my gear and getting a bed for the night I left for the Bigelow mountains. They were wooded on top but had great views of lakes below.

On Pierce Pond there is a hunting camp near the trail. It's rustic from the1930's. They offer a pancake breakfast with sausage and eggs for $11 to hikers. The camp was cool. There was a pool table and a bunch of musical instruments for people to play. I had breakfast there then kept going the Kennebec River. At the river there is a guy in a canoe that ferries people across. I was there at 9am to catch a lift. 

After a couple more days hiking I got to Monson. Monson is the last town before the Hundred Mile Wilderness. I stayed at a hostel in town and resupplied before going into the wilderness. At this point I was around 115 miles from Katahdin. While at the hostel I ran into a guy named Sailor Jack who'd I'd seen on and off the last couple months. We ended up hiking through the wilderness together then summitting Katahdin on the same day.

The 100 Mile Wilderness used to be 100 miles with no services or major roads. Now people get food drops in the middle or slack pack some of it. Food drops are arranged through hostels. You pack a box with what you want then call them from a mountain top and they drop the food off at a road. It was a beautiful 100 miles with a couple mountains but also a lot of walking around lakes. It was much easier hiking compared to southern Maine. Along with the Presidentials in New Hampshire, the 100 Mile Wilderness is somewhere I'd like to visit again.  

Coming out of the 100 miles I didn't know what to expect. We walked out of the woods onto a dirt road that felt like the middle of nowhere. There was nothing I could see but a bridge to the right. We walked that way and crossed the Abol bridge to find the camp general store. We were pumped. There was food, beer, and ice cream. That day we hiked 29 miles by 6pm to get to the store before they closed at 7. 

The next day we summitted Katahdin. We left from Abol Pines and stopped in at Baxter Park to register before going up. The number on my registration card was 186, meaning I was the 186 NOBO thru hiker to finish this year. That has nothing to do with speed, since someone could have started a month before or after me, but it gives an idea of how many have done it so far. 

My family picked me up from Maine and I had a blast with them RV camping. 

The trip lasted from March 27 - July 27. 

During my final days of hiking there were so many thoughts going through my head that I wanted to talk about. Now, after being off the trail for a few days, they all seem so insignificant. The Appalachian Trail is a different world than the real life most people are used to. It's like a ferry tail where people have special names and travel through a trail meeting and re-meeting each other. People hike in completely different ways. For me I wanted to hike it in a way that was challenging and tested me mentally. Others have fun screwing around, taking lots of time to hang out in towns, and take a lot more time to finish. What I'm saying is the AT offers what a person wants and everyone is looking for something different. I thought it was tough. Hiking through the rain got to me. Mentally it pushed my limits at times, especially the wet feet. But I remember some of my happiest moments on the trail were in my tent exhausted after what felt like a never ending day. 

Towards the end of my trip I met quite a few interesting people. I met the Sutton Family who are a mom and dad doing the trail with their 5 year old son Harvey. They had to ask for special permission for Katahdin because normally 6 year old is the limit. I also met a guy named Shoes walking the trail barefoot. He was a flip flopper who I met coming south in Maine. I also met a guy who always wore jeans named Denim Dan. I can't imagine hiking the trail in jeans. 

Now it is time to go back to the real world, which I'm excited to do. I'd recommend anyone to do the trail or at least sections of it. I plan on returning to parts for sure. Not only was the AT cool but so many of the small towns were great. I got to see a lot of rural towns that I never would have. People were so generous along the way. It was a great trip.