Date: 2015-10-06
From: Sawyer Brook

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

I had every intention of having an easy day today. I was on Miss Janet time which means I had all the time in the world. I woke up early for once and headed out. I saw moose and bear tracks in the mud all morning so I tried to ninja it up a little. I didn't have any luck but I did scare off two t-rexes before getting visual confirmation. It was an overcast day and I never saw the sun. Without the hopes of one last sunset and the impending doom of another freezing night, I decided to book it to Grafton Notch and end my hike. Even though I stopped to stalk moose and bears, and took ridiculous selfies with a giant toad, I was making such great time. I had no reason not to finish. I only saw a single hiker today and we didn't even stop to talk. All this alone time got me thinking and I started to get nostalgic. As I flew down the trail I thought back to GA going forward and tried to remember every hiker I'd ever met, even the few I wasn't fond of. They all had a part in my grand adventure and for that I thank them. Every interaction, no matter how small, helped me grow into this person I've become. I am stronger for it. Grafton Notch may not sound as exciting as Springer Mnt or Mt Katahdin but Baldpate Mnt did not disappoint. I got two peaks to summit! I put on every layer I own and leaned into the wind. I slipped and fell and cursed and cried. I tackled scrambles and was grateful for ladders. I stood on top of the east peak all alone and remembered that this was also how I started. I stood on Springer Mnt on March 19th, alone, in the fog, freezing, excited, and terrified. I've come full circle. I laughed and howled at the sky. Unexpectedly, my howl turned into a barbaric scream which turned into a sob. There is a saying out here that "the trail provides" and it does. We have faith that everything has a way of working out. The trail provided me with everything I needed when I needed it for 6 months and 17 days. I went white water rafting, swam under waterfalls, hitchhiked, ziplined, canoed, jumped off bridges, petted wild ponies, rode in the back of pickup trucks, went to a fish fry with trout caught from the backyard, ate berries by the handful, picked apples, petted a rattlesnake, cowboy camped under the Milky Way, rode bicycles with abandon, ate homemade ice cream, went to a concert and the beach and a carnival, saw fireworks, rode in a Santa sleigh, howled at the moon, and met some of the most beautiful souls I've ever known. But like any faith it can be put into question. The trail also provided me with a month long period, broken toenails, blisters, two sprained ankles, an upper respiratory infection, an exploding firepit, a lightning strike, a missing chunk of tongue, 56,763,861 mosquito bites, 2 tick bites, a foot stuck in a broken boardwalk, and a leech on my crotch. I peed on myself twice and threw up 3 times. I hiked in rain, sleet, snow, and have been so hot I got dizzy. This trail has built me up and torn me down more times than I can count.I regret absolutely nothing.I finished my hike without another hiker in sight. I hitched to town, got a room at a B&B, and went straight to the local pub for lobster. A guy at the bar saw me looking at photos on my phone and asked about my hike. The word spread and the entire bar congratulated me. I felt like a rock star.