Date: 2009-09-02
To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hey all,So it's been about 440 miles since I updated everyone, so sorry about the delay, but internet is hard to find in the New England wilderness.NEWS FLASH: I'm done! I summited on Saturday August 29th in a deluge of rain and wind and no views. Richard drove over from New Hampshire and we fought back the threats of hypothermia all morning.But let's take a step back and I'll talk about the journey.All through Vermont, the trail was a muddy mess, so my feet were swollen and sore during the two zeros I took in Hanover. I was not looking forward to the prospect of enduring more wet feet in Maine and thought I could probably avoid the puddles through New Hampshire. Wrong! Not 20 paces from the car on the northern end of Hanover, I was faced with a four-inch deep puddle that spanned the trail and was at least 50 feet in length. I stopped dead. And started to whine like a little girl, "I don't wanna get my feet wet." I had just purchased new socks, and had no desire to walk with wet feet all day again.If someone had walked by at that moment, they never would have thought me a thru-hiker.Eventually, I sucked it up and started walking, the last leg of my hike off to a rockin' start.The weather all through August was AWESOME!!! It rained while hiking three times, including the hike up Katahdin, and only a few times at night. Other than that, it was clear skies, sun, and many, many views.The White Mountains were challenging, but really fun. We had great experiences with the hut system, and the trail was really well maintained. Of course, there was no view from Mt. Washington, but what else is new? We took about eight days to get through New Hampshire, and kissed the 'Welcome to Maine' sign when we came upon it in the woods.The Mauhoosucs were a surprise for sure. Southern Maine sure kicked my ass. The terrain was challenging, in addition to the trail being super eroded. I hate to blame the AMC or the MATC because they have a lot of ground to cover and not that many volunteers, but that section could use a little love.My stop in Monson was fantastic. I stayed at the Lake Shore House where we has a full house. We indulged in a movie marathon, awesome food made by Rebekah, and a nice rest in REAL beds.My first view of Katahdin was on top of White Cap, my third day in the 100-mile Wilderness. It was exhilarating to finally see my goal after months of working toward it. The Wilderness had a lot more day hikers, cars, and front country access than I expected. And the terrain calmed down significantly the further north I got. I was covering 20+ miles by 3pm. It was tempting to keep hiking and doing 30s each day, but the illiac crest on my right hip was staging a protest all week, so I stopped early all week. It was a great excuse to sit in the woods and enjoy my last week on the trail.I made it to Abol Bridge on Friday the 28th. The view of Katahdin was spectacular. I made it to Katahdin Spring Campground by noon and got a hitch into Millinocket. Richard met me that evening and we hunkered down outside the park gate that night. We got into Baxter at 5am the next morning and were on the trail by 6am. The temperature was in the 50s and with the rain and wind, we had no desire to hang out at the summit. Four quick pictures and we were headed back down, at a jog no less.I had no idea the climb up Katahdin was going to be a crazy rock scramble. When you didn't think about how you couldn't feel your legs, and the skin on your hands was raw against the rocks, it was pretty fun.I am very glad that I decided to complete my hike this year. It feels great to have accomplished this goal. And it has made me excited for my next adventure: grad school. I can't say that I miss the hiking, it was getting a little boring toward the end. But I certainly miss my trail family and the community of hikers out there.It sure feels good to be home!p.s. congrats to all who have completed their trail goals for the year, and good luck for those who are still out enjoying the trail!