Day 11: Long Pond Stream Lean-to to Monson

Today's Miles: 15.0
Total Miles: 114.5

"I made it through the wilderness
Some how I made it through.
Didn't know how lost I was until I found you (Monson)
I was beat, incomplete
I'd been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah you made me feel
Shiny and new (Monson)"

We made it! The 100 Mile Wilderness is done. Hearing cars for the first time was actually amazing. I woke up at 5:30 hoping an early start would help today. The day started off slow with a rocky ascent that I severely underestimated. I didn't know how the rest of the day was going to end up. Flip and Wes passed me pretty early on. I was so relieved when I was passed by Flip because I couldn't take walking into another spiderweb. That's the hardest part about being the first one on the trail in the morning. It can be a little overwhelming. I had to ford a brook today, and naturally I fell into it. This shouldn't surprise me at this point. I made it through the first ford of the day fine, but this one (an easier one at that) just kicked my butt. Hannah caught up not long after that point. She was really charging hard today. They originally planned on stopping at the last lean-to and hiking in the last 3 miles tomorrow, but she realized the pub was closed on Mondays. It gave her a little bit more motivation to get there tonight. We stayed together for the rest of the day until about the last mile. I got to Leeman Brook Lean-to where Flip and Wes were already waiting and told them about Hannah thinking about heading to town. I was going to continue either way, but she was persuaded when she got to the lean-to. It was about 4:00 at the point, and if we wanted to eat we had to be there by 8:00. The two of us got a head start while Flip and Wes packed up, but they flew by us shortly after. It was a struggle just to climb past the brook, so we hoped this wasn't an indication of the next 3 miles. After a few small climbs, it became pretty level. It started raining again, but at that point there was very little that could put a damper on my spirits. I was so happy to make it to the trail head and see the highway in front of me. Someone had left some trail magic at the trail head so I had a pop-tart and a coke while I waited for Hannah. Flip and Wes hitched into town before we got there since it was about 4 miles down the road. Hannah and I then had to try our hand at hitching a ride. We had a few cars pass us, but someone eventually turned around and offered us a ride. We sat in the back of his truck so didn't stink up the cab, and it was probably the greatest feeling in the world at that point. We went straight to the pub, which is also a hostel, so we could eat. We got a nice applause when we walked in all smelly and muddy. The only thing I could think about was getting my shoes off. We ordered food, and Rebekah, the owner, brought us some homemade mac and cheese while we waited. I was sold after that. We decided to stay there. Hannah met up with some other people she knew from the trail. Flip and Wes were supposed to meet us there, but they didn't show up until later. We were afraid they were kidknapped while hitching or something...I was able to get a nice hot shower and do laundry which was amazing. The humidity the last few days made everything extra sweaty and smelly. There are a lot of great people staying here tonight, but most will be heading back out to the trail tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be going to Shaw's for all you can eat breakfast, and I can't wait! I'll be heading back to Texas to take of a few things for a few days, but can't wait to get back out here and continue this adventure.

Last lean-to stay in the 100 Mile Wilderness

100 miles marker

Attempting to hitch for the first time

Day 10: Chairback Gap Lean-to to Long Pond Stream Lean-to

Today's Miles: 10.9
Total Miles: 99.4

I slept pretty restlessly last night because my feet were hurting so bad. When I woke up they were unbelievably swollen. I struggled a little to put my shoes on. There was a guy named Windsock that came in later last night and ended up just sleeping in his sleeping bag in the trees. I felt kind of bad about that. This morning started off with a climb up the rest of the mountain we were on. Windsock and I stopped to get water and he let me use his back-up charger. Thankfully, I was able to charge my phone some (Thank you!). It was another very rocky day. We had to climb over Third, Fourth, and Barren Mountains. I called Payce on Third Mountain, and we were finally able to talk for a little while. It started to rain, but I didn't really care at that point. It was a rainy day and I slipped and fell about 5 times on the rocks. I'm glad my pack usually catches me on my falls. I would be pretty bruised up right now if that wasn't the case. I hiked with Hannah the last 4 miles of the day. She started hiking in her Chacos yesterday because her boots were bothering her too much. We were going to stop at Cloud Pond Lean-to for a break, but it ended up being almost half a mile off the trail. I dropped my pack where it split and just ate lunch there. The last 1.3 miles of the day was all downhill. That mixed with rain is a bad combination. The lean-to we are at tonight doesn't have any tentsites, so I'll be staying in here tonight. I noticed today that my shoes are already falling apart, so I'll be returning those as soon as I head back home. Tomorrow I will be hitting 100 miles and hiking the final 15 miles into town. It will be a good day!

On top of Third Mountain

View from Barren Ledges

Day 9: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to to Chairback Gap Lean-to

Today's Miles: 9.9
Total Miles: 88.5

Today started out a little warmer than yesterday. I slept in a little, which out here means until about 6:30. Blue decided to take a zero at the lean-to, so hopefully he enjoys his day off! This morning started off great. I passed Hannah a short way along the trail because she was having trouble with some of her monster blisters. I showed her a different way to tie her boots to hopefully keep it from rubbing some. We had to go by Gulf Hagas, which is known for its incredible waterfalls and gorge. I didn't take any of the side trails because I didn't want to add too much extra distance and didn't feel like crossing a stream to get there. I sat by the stream at one of the Gulf Hagas trail intersections to eat lunch, and there were a lot of people out there for day trips. There was one family that looked at me from the other side of the stream like I was a caged animal. I hope I don't look like that much of a mess yet! Today was the Summer Solstice, which is Naked Hiking Day. I didn't partake, but the rest of the group hiked naked at some point during the day. I had to ford West Branch Pleasant River, which has been the widest crossing yet. It was pretty shallow and the current wasn't too strong, so the ford wasn't too bad. I met a nice couple on the other side of the river while putting my shoes back on who were out for the day. They said their daughter had hiked from Georgia to Tennessee on the Appalachian Trail. It's always great to meet nice people who are interested in what you are doing. The hardest part of the day was getting up Chairback Mountain. Just when I thought I was getting close to the top, I looked up to see a giant rock climb ahead of me. I've learned to stop asking the questions, "How much farther could it really be?" and "Is this the top?" because usually the answers are, "A lot farther." and, "Not even close to the top yet." The lean-to was only 0.5 miles from the top, but it seemed to take forever to get there. It ended up being perched halfway up the side of a steep mountain-side, so it was another fun-filled climb to the top. After reaching the top, I had to go all the way back down to the bottom to the spring that was barely a trickle and surrounded by an abundance of stagnant green water. Everyone was exhausted, and we all ate dinner in silence. There were limited tent sites, but we managed to squeeze in two tents while the Boy Scouts and Wes stayed in the lean-to. I headed to bed really early - about 7:00 tonight. A lot of people have come up looking for a place to stay, but most had to move on. My tent is about a foot and a half from the side of a cliff, so hopefully it stays put tonight!

So many rocks...

Day 8: East Branch Lean-to to Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

Today's Miles: 10.8
Total Miles: 78.6

I slept in the shelter last night because I was too frustrated and tired to set up my tent. I figured a night in a lean-to is part of the experience I would have to partake in at least one night anyway. It was the worst sleep I've gotten yet. It was also freezing when I got up this morning. This was definitely the coldest morning on the trail so far. I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag. I had a weird dream about snakes last night, so of course I thought every root and stick I saw on the trail was a snake at first glance. I was so happy to reach the first spring about 2 miles into the hike so I could get rid of the river water. It was a very welcomed site. While passing through some mud I saw a paw print that looked like it could have belonged to a bear, and a hoof print as well. Blue and I summitted White Cap at the same time. We could see Katahdin, and it's amazing to think we've already made it this far on the trail. We took a break on top of the mountain, and I was able to make a quick call to Payce. This was the first time since my phone died at White House Landing. The reception was still pretty bad so it became a little frustrating, but it was still good to talk if even for a few minutes. Blue stayed on top of White Cap while I continued on. I knew I still had some miles (and three more mountains) to push through. My hip locked up on the way down one of the mountains, and I wasn't able to straighten it out on the descent. I had to take an anti-inflammatory and wait a little while for it to kick in to get to a pain level that would be at least bearable. Stopping there was kind of out of the question. There were no tentsites and no flat ground at all. I had to stop at the spring at Sydney Tappan Campsite because I was completely out of water at that point. It was .02 miles off the trail, and it was a steep downhill. I got the first point where I saw water, but it was just a giant mud hole. I was really hoping this wasn't it. I went down a little ways more and found some running water, thank goodness! It made the last 2 miles much better. I finally got to the lean-to, and the group from Wadleigh Stream was there - the Boy Scouts, Flip, Wes, and Hannah. Bible showed up not long after. The last I had seen him was at Potaywadjo Stream. He had hiked about 18 miles because his resupply didn't come through as planned, and he was running out of food. Blue made it there a little while later. I didn't know if he was going to make it off of White Cap because he was enjoying it so much. I asked if anyone had an extra lighter or matches, and the Boy Scouts had conveniently found one a few days before on the trail. They say the trail provides! I think today was the first day my shoes stayed dry while hiking, which was a great feeling. I started to make dinner and spilled my water before one of the Boy Scouts noticed I didn't spread the arms out on my stove. Oops... I think it was just because I was so tired at that point. It's nice to be back with a group of good people. I squeezed my tent into a small flat area, and I am looking forward to some sleep right now.

Day 7: Antlers Campsite to East Branch Lean-to

Today's Miles: 16.0
Total Miles: 67.8

16 miles, my biggest day yet by far! I felt like I had some miles to make up from the last few short days. I think I had the best night sleep yet last night, so I was really ready to go this morning. The first 12 miles were pretty easy. I finished the first 8 in about 3 hours, which are the fastest miles I've put in yet. It as really flat and the terrain was more forgiving than it has been recently. I had my first Trail Magic today! As I was crossing Jo-Mary Road, Phil Peppin was stopping to do a resupply. I had heard a lot about him from other thru-hikers that had used him to get to Baxter State Park. He gave me a Mountain Dew, and I chugged it down. I don't usually drink too much soda, but this was amazing! Maybe the caffeine helped me power through some of the miles a little bit quicker too. There was a 1400 elevation gain today, and the majority was in the last 4 miles. Today was another day for great views. The last 2 miles of the hike were...interesting? I fell in a muddy stream after slipping on a rock and bent my hiking pole pretty bad. I fell again shortly after while going down a hill. I blame this one on the bent pole (I'm sure it had absolutely nothing to do with me being so clumsy...). I fell for the third time crossing the river. I was trying to survey the best way to cross without having to ford, and the next thing I knew I was in the water. I just walked across at the point, shoes and all, since they were already soaked. The lean-to wasn't to much further, so it could have been worse. When I got there, Blue Skies was there. He had already started a fire, and I hoped to use it to try and dry off. It didn't last very long though because there wasn't any dry wood around to keep it going. The rest of the night continued to test my resolve. Both my lighter and my matches wouldn't work, so I no longer have any means to light my stove. Awesome. The water here is pretty brown, and there aren't really any clear springs or streams for a few miles. I'm hoping a good night's sleep will put me in a better mood. We have a pretty tough day going over White Cap Mountain, but we should have a pretty good view at the top if it's a clear day.

Old logging tools

My bent pole

Crawford Pond

Day 6: White House Landing to Antlers Campsite

Today's Miles: 6.1
Total Miles: 51.8

If I had a dollar for every mosquito bite I had, I think I could have bought a plane ticket home already. I left White House Landing after lunch today. I was waiting for my clothes to finish drying on the line. The last thing I wanted to do was put on wet clothes again. The skies were clear all morning until about the time I left. The rain held off though, and I had a fairly quick and easy hike. I stopped for a little while on a small sandy beach on Jo-Mary Lake. It was peaceful and quiet. I think I could have stayed there all day. After that stop, the mosquitoes came out in droves. I even ran a few times attempting to get away from them. I looked behind me and had a swarm of at least 50 following me at one point. I passed Potaywadjo Spring, which is supposed to be the largest one on the trail. You could see where it was bubbling up through the sand. I stopped there to fill up on some water. I am really going to miss the abundance of cool, clean water that is available so frequently along the trail. I am camping at Antlers Campsite tonight. It is my favorite tent site so far - right on the shore of Jo-Mary Lake. There is one other person, a local guy out hiking for a few days. He started a fire, so I asked if he minded if I had my dinner by it. I was hoping the smoke would provide some respite from the mosquitoes. He was able to tell me a lot of the history of this area, which was really neat. Apparently this entire area used to be used for logging. Most of the trees had been cut down about 60 or 70 years ago. The ones that were too small to cut then have now grown into the giant pines that cover this campsite. He also said a lot of the moose in the area have been dying because the tick population is spreading farther north. Too many ticks attach themselves and the moose have no way of getting them off, so they lose too much blood. It's actually really sad to hear. I am looking forward to a nice peaceful night and hopefully some good sleep.

Potaywadjo Spring

Best bear bagging site yet!

Day 5: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to to White House Landing

Today's Miles: 7.5
Total Miles: 45.7

I was completely looking forward to a short day today, but it was probably the longest short day ever! Packing up camp with everything still soaking wet was an annoyance, and definitely added a few more pounds to the pack. I don't think it would have been possible to dry it all. The only thing driving me at this point was knowing I was going to White House Landing, a small hostel on the edge of the lake a little ways off the trail. The trail today had a lot of incredible views as a good portion of it wrapped around a lake. There were even blue skies today, which was a welcome sight after yesterday. Th trail was hard to follow at some points because there were a lot of fallen trees blocking the path and a few flooded areas that covered whatever path had once existed. The mosquitoes have been so overwhelming, and I think this has been one of the hardest things to deal with so far. I have let out a few exasperated yells while hiking because of how irritating they can really get. There were two good sized streams to ford today. I made it without falling or losing anything, which is always a plus. My left hip started to bother me some today, probably aggravated because I took a pretty good fall after slipping on a wet log crossing a spring area yesterday. It made climbing over the felled trees a bigger challenge. I finally made it to White House Landing around 3:00. There is an air horn at the dock that you blow, and a boat picks you up and brings you across the lake. Just siting on the dock with my feet in the water was so relaxing. I would have been happy just throwing my tent up there for the night. I had a hot shower, a good dinner, and I'm the only one staying here tonight. It's a beautiful place to stay, and the owners are great people. I might not want to leave tomorrow!

The air horn for White House Landing

Everything was a little muddy today

Geese with a few babies

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Day 4: Rainbow Spring to Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

Today's Miles:11.9

Total Miles: 38.2

I have decided that I am going to rename the 100 Mile Wilderness the 100 Miles of Mud, Rocks, and Roots. I can safely say a good 98% of the trail contains at least one of these factors at any given time so far. This morning I pushed out around 8:30 so I could knock out the 12 miles necessary to reach the lean-to today. As I started the trail, I passed the thru-hiker I met at Abol Bridge. His name is Andrew (now Blue Skies) who said a moose was just on the trail about 20 minutes before I came by. Boo! The first 4 miles to the first lean-to were pretty quick. It was by a nice steam, and I was a little tempted to just stop and stay there. I took off my shoes to give my feet a break while I had lunch. Apparently a slug had crawled into my shoe during the night because I had some bright orange-colored goo all over the side of my sock. I took out my insole, and sure enough, that's where the little guy was hiding! What a random surprise. With about 4 miles left of the hike, it started to rain. Andrew caught up to me with about 2 miles left and we hiked the rest of the way together. He recommended the trail name "Breeze" and I think it might stick. We passed a few hikers about a mile from the lean-to going the opposite way who said it was already full. That was a little disheartening. I was really looking forward to having somewhere dry to sleep. I thought we would have a pretty good chance because we didn't pass any other hikers all day. Some if the hikers here summitted Katahdin with Blue, and the others are just doing the 100 Mile Wilderness. It still hasn't stopped raining as I get ready for bed. Everything is a little soggy and I'm curled up in my sleeping bag trying to stay warm. I haven't been cold yet, and it's been in the 40's at night, so I hope tonight won't be any different. 

A tree branch just fell from the tree behind my tent and landed about 5 feet away. Here's to hoping there won't be any reoccurrences of that tonight.

Footbridge over Rainbow Stream

Rock Hopping

Day 3: Abol Bridge to Rainbow Spring

Today's Miles: 11.2

Total Miles: 26.3

With such an excellent start to the day, I really had high hopes for the rest of it. I left camp around 10, a little late but I had a pretty restless night of sleep. Maybe it had something to do with the 20-something bug bites I had when I woke up. The first 3 miles flew by. I stopped at Hurd Brook lean-to for a snack and a small rest before continuing on. There was a small elevation gain shortly after and I started to feel the feet really start to ache again. At one point I passed a gentleman going the opposite way with a chainsaw. Now normally I would probably be a little more apprehensive about coming across this while hiking alone in the woods. He was actually part of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and clearing some of the trees that had fallen across the trail. I guess that was enough to ease the tension of the whole situation. After this point, it became really hard to stop for a break because I was instantly swallowed by a swarm of mosquitoes and black flies. The last two miles were tough. There was a lot of mud, and it started to rain. When I could hear the thunder, I really started to book it. Something about practically holding two lightning rods in your hands puts a little pep back in the step. I was able to meet a few other thru hikers today. I leapfrogged with one couple, Goatman and Jubilee, a few times during today's stretch of trail. I've also learned a valuable lesson. First priority when getting to camp - look for a place to hang a bear bag. A bear bag is when you suspend your food from a tree branch to keep a bear from getting it. Ideally, they are supposed to be at least 15 feet from the ground and away from the tree. I couldn't find a good tree near my site, and it ended with me trying to hang it in the dark. It could possibly be the worst bear bagging ever. What a frustrating end to the night! It looks like tomorrow will be a long 12 miler. I'm tired, I'm cold, and I'm a little soggy so I'm going to bed!

Hurd Brook Lean-to

View of Katahdin

Day 2: Katahdin Stream Campground to Abol Bridge

Today's Miles: 9.9

Total Miles: 15.1

What a day it has been! I enjoyed being able to sleep in late this morning, especially considering I can feel an oncoming cold. My brother planned on leaving Millinocket around noon, so we headed to Baxter State Park to prepare for goodbyes. We saw a moose at Stump Pond, which I kind of felt was necessary before I got out of Maine, so I'm happy to say I can check that box! After registering with the park ranger I began what would be a very long 10 miles out of the park. I had to reach the park boundary by the end of today because camping is only authorized in designated areas. The first 2 miles were easy and I breezed through them. After that, my feet really started to hurt from yesterday. I soaked them in a stream with the hopes of numbing them, and of course it started to rain. I knew rain was expected later, but I had hoped it would hold out until I set up camp (What dream world do I think I live in??) It rained off and on a few times, but none really lasting more than 20 minutes. There was so much of the trail today that was flooded over because of the recent rains, and I must have missed in the trail guide where it mentioned I would wading through almost waist-deep water! Walking 5 or 6 miles in soaking wet shoes is not my idea of a good time. There was supposed to be a stream crossing today, but the water was too high and the current too strong to even think about attempting it. I had to take the high water bypass, which added about a mile to the hike. I walked about half of this trail barefoot because it felt so much better than walking in shoes at that point. The bugs here are also terrible, and some of them take some serious chunks out. What I thought was mud on the back of my leg turned out to be dried blood. I've never used so much bug repellant in my life. I wanted to stop and rest a few times, but I knew if I stopped walking I would be instantly swarmed. It took me a long 6 hours to finish the hike, but I made it to Abol Bridge and had time to set up camp, eat, and take a shower (I wasn't expecting this at all!) I met another thru-hiker, but forgot to ask his name. He was the first one I've met so far while on the trail. I'm not sure how far I'll be hiking tomorrow. I'm in so much pain right now I'll consider myself lucky if I can make it out of my tent!

Tadpoles at the edge of the pond

Big Niagra Falls

Part of the flooded trail.

Day 1: Conquering Katahdin

Miles to Katahdin summit: 5.2

Appalachian Trail miles: 5.2

"Man is born to die. His works are short lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes but Katahdin in all its glory forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine." -P.P.B. (plaque at the start of the Hunt Trail)

So it is now officially official. Today marked the start of my Southbound Appalachian Trail hike! I have been a little apprehensive about really acknowledging the start of it because I really wanted to make sure I was able to complete the hike today, which is commonly depicted as the most difficult climb of the entire trail, and what a climb it was! So far, the recent injuries I've dealt with have remained at bay, so tomorrow I will be continuing on to the 100 Mile Wilderness. I was able to share the experience with my brother, who drove me the long 7 hours to summit Katahdin with me. I'm so glad he was able to be there to appreciate how incredible it really was. It was certainly a challenging 10.4 miles of hiking today (really more of a climb, honestly). The amount of rocks we had to scale was unbelievable and seemingly neverending. My palms are raw, my knees are bruised, my feet are sore, and the good majority of my body aches. We had such a beautiful day to hike, which I couldn't be more thankful for since it has done nothing but rain the last few days. The view was indescribable. So I will continue tomorrow and see how well the hike out of the park goes. Here's to hoping I will be able to complete the remaining 2181 miles! I will be happy to accept any distance that I am able to complete, but making it to Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern terminus of the AT, would be such an amazing achievement. Happy hiking!