Date: 2014-08-15
To: ...to infinity and beyond!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Ok Folks, here it goes... I KNOW I'm way behind in providing photos, but I figured I could at least write something. The photos will take a great deal of time to go through and I've been enjoying a few days of disconnection (or as close to it as I am allowed). It's amazing how the "real" world will just suck you in, and frankly overwhelming. I love being back among family and friends, but I miss the woods...My Aunt Jan, who was there with my family to greet me at the airport, asked me "what was the first thing you wanted when you came down from the mountain?" I thought about it for a minute, then realized and responded "honesty, it was to go back up!"But I am not, as some of you who are not otherwise connected with me may believe, still wandering around "lost" in the wilderness. Here is a synopsis of what I experienced in the 100 Mile Wilderness and beyond... So there's this big whoopdeedoo about entering the 100MW prepared. Obviously, it's no joke, and to be taken seriously, but let me tell you I was very surprised to find several gravel/dirt road crossings and day hikers! I suppose I was imagining a one way in, one way out situation. Instead, I saw a family with five kids (all under the age of 10-2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 I think) about 30 miles in. I said, "Don't you guys KNOW this is the 100 mile WILDERNESS?! What/HOW are you doing here?" They had come in from some podunk gravel road. Just out for a day hike. Oy....Quite often it seems I am straining under the weight of all my gear and food and some day-hiker shows up outta nowhere and I'm like "seriously?" Then I get to the top of a mountain huffing and puffing and sweating buckets and I hear a car door slam... "you can DRIVE up here?!" It's not as if I would really prefer that, but in the moment it's a bit deflating. In the end, my way is a bit more epic I think. Worth it.Among many awesome moments in the 100MW some of my favorites were: The many river fords, wild Maine blueberries! Trying desperately to hone my super powers of peering through the haze at our first supposed view of "The Big K" tho it was to no avail. Catching a phenomenal sunrise one day thanks to my early rising hiking buddy, Funsize. Good times with said hiking buddy. My actual first view of Katahdin. What an exciting moment! And, drumroll please... Seeing a bull moose!!!!Most of the potential views of Katahdin were whited out by rain. The only colors we saw on Rainbow Ledges, which is supposed to be the favorite view point, were the blueberries... I'll take it! Yummmm.... I was so used to not seeing the great mountain ahead of us, that when we got to Abol Bridge at the end of the 100MW wilderness the cloudy but spectacular view of Katahdin took me by surprise!At the campground Funsize and I parted ways, as our plans required us to summit on separate days. It was bittersweet and we were disappointed, of course, but decided that since we had both started solo it would be "ok" to finish separately. Her fianc© picked her up to hike the last two days with her and I continued on to summit a day earlier with some buddies we'd met just before the 100MW, Frogmonkey and Ravencloud.On July 30th I donned my backpack with all my gear for the last time, and climbed Mount Katahdin.Words cannot describe the tumult of emotions that day... Eventually, you will see pictures. And the adventure continued! Over Knife Edge and up to Pamola Peak. We had to take the Helon Taylor Trail down to a parking lot where we could hitch a ride into Millinocket. If I did not have to go back to North Carolina for a family reunion I would have continued into Canada. Perhaps I will do that... one day. Right now I'm just taking in the feeling of being... done????I absolutely LOVED my experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.There is so much to say, but at the moment I cannot put it all to words. THANK YOU ALL for your prayers and support. I was/am so encouraged. Praise the LORD! that I have had this fantastic experience. I believe it is the start of something pretty BIG in my life. I think I cannot wait too long before I will be out there hiking again, but it's not practical to remain on a constant thru-hike... If I didn't have to rest my body, make/save more money or wait for the next appropriate hiking season, I would have immediately jumped on the PCT! I've got some very big ideas in my head. They overwhelm me. For example: maybe I will hike in ALL 50 STATES!ONE DAYto be continued..."For you shall go out in joyand be led forth in peace;the mountains and the hills before youshall break forth into singing,and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."Isaiah 55:12