Date: 2022-08-28
To: AT Lodge
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: few clouds

When I was twenty, I had a surgery go bad. Doctors thought I was 50/50 gonna make it and offered to call in a priest. That was unpleasant. When I was in my thirties, I was mugged in Indonesia by a guy with a knife who told me he knew I was alone. That was uncomfortable. Climbing up the Hunt Trail before sunrise was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life without exception or hyperbole. But. Your girl, me, Beer Girl. I fucking summited Katahdin. I did it absolutely a-fucking-lone from the time I left camp to taking my selfie at the summit. A selfie cause there was no one there to take my picture. Luckily, to be fair, a trio of thru hikers had summited before me and was hiding from the wind enjoying the sunrise and waiting for someone to show up and take THEIR photo. I didn¢t cry, but I did whoop really loud when I figured out a rather technical climb. I gasped when I saw the Katahdin sign cause I thought I had one more false summit before I arrived. And even though I am not scared of heights, I got fucking vertigo and nauseous when I looked back a couple times going through the .8 Hell (for folks 5¢3¢ and under who can¢t REACH some of the rebar that supposed to ¢help¢) that was The Gateway. There were a few times I hit a rock and was like, ¢well. That¢s it. I can¢t get over that.¢ Sometimes I found an around and sometimes I had to ¢science the shit out of it.¢ Poker a hole in my pack and these trousers are probably good to get me back to VA and no where else but damn. I really didn¢t know if I could do that. And the BEST part is. The BEST part was just yesterday I was like, ¢huh. I feel¢¦stronger. Like. Not like the other hikers but I think I have my trail legs. I think this is as good as it¢s gonna get and this does feel easier and better than before.¢ I COULD NOT have done this a month ago. I couldn¢t even have gotten halfway when I first got on. I did 2.2 miles in a hour getting started this morning. 2.2 going UP. The technical stuff and decent slowed me down because it always will and that¢s FINE. I lifted all my weight with my left arm. I pulled myself up and over shit well over my head. I put the tread of my toe in dips in the rock you could only see from the right angle and walked UP. Now. If I could only get a hitch back to the other side of this park. Three people have made, ¢oh, sorry!¢ faces as they drove by. It¢s 16 miles back to where I left most of my kit. ¢¦..Man, I¢m feeling rather proud of myself, as you can see. I did something really hard and scary, and just when I¢m feeling good, ¢are you out for a day hike??? Good for youuuuuuuu!¢ from a lady in the parking lot. Fuck you! I¢ve done over 1200 miles and I summited Katahdin!!! Alone!!! I¢m a fucking BAD ASS!!!! And she didn¢t even offer me a ride!!! ¢We would offer you a ride but our back seat is full!¢ ¢I¢ll sit on the floor.¢ ¢Hahahhahaha! Have a good day!¢ It sucks cause a couple cars have slowed down and judged me Unworthy of a hitch. Man. I¢m soooooooo glad this is not my last day of my thru hike. This would be a SOUR ending. (Time jump)Man. After a NINETY minute road walk, I finally got a partial hitch. Ended up just jumping in a pay-shuttle cause they had space and I just wanna be out of this park. I mean. It¢s lovely here. But I kinda need a shower. Ended up being a near 16 mile day but, you know, only the 4.8 to the summit counted.