On August 30th I summited Katahdin, completing my first thru-hike! Reaching Katahdin brought into my heart & mind so many thoughts and feelings. However, I will unpack that complicated package later. For now, I will go back to where I last left my readers...way back in New York. 😬
The crew I summited with:
Bryce, Tracks, Fedex, Wild Turkey, Papa Smurf, and Strawberry
The Sled Dawgs
The morning after my mom & Jerry dropped me back onto the trail, I ran into Tracks. I had met him back in the Shenandoah’s, but hadn’t seen him since Maryland. It was really nice to be hiking around someone I knew again! I also crossed into Connecticut that day and then into Massachusetts the next day!!
Giant's Thumb
Shortly after entering Mass, I walked on some ledges and got some amazing views!! It was also really windy because of the storm rolling in, which made for a great time!:) I definitely quickened my steps to make sure I was not completely exposed during the storm!
I decided to do a 23 mile day in order to get into Great Barrington. My treat to myself was a hotel room for the night! Not only did I get to dry everything out (but for a moment.....), I also had a room to myself! First time (and last) that ever happened! I mean talk about luxury....two beds, ALL the outlets, murder mystery on the TV, and the freedom to loudly sing in the shower. 😃
The next day I hiked out in the rain and it poured...so I was nice and drenched once again. I met IBEX at a road crossing in the late afternoon. At the time she was debating whether or not she wanted to stealth camp or get a hotel room in town. I had told her she was welcome to stealth with me. She had a few more miles before she had to decide. When we got to the final road crossing, I had decided that being dry sounded really, really nice....so I said I would split a room with her if she wanted too.😏 Even though I had just stayed in a hotel the night before... I figured after 1500+ miles I had earned the right to be a little frivolous. We hitched in, dried out, and ate some delicious burgers & ice cream. We both felt way better the next day and hiked out prepared for another really rainy day. Things took a turn for the better and it was a beautiful out!!! Until the next day....
The trail.....
My view on Mount Greylock (highest point in Mass)
Also the trail...:)
The first few days in Vermont were rather miserable. They have given the state the nickname “Vermud” and trust me, it wasn’t given without good cause!! The trail was literally one big mud pit that held few options for escape (logs/rocks to step on) except right through it! Let me just say this. Wet socks & shoes are not fun; muddy & wet shoes, are again...not fun!
View from a fire tower. This was one of the first views I had gotten in several days! Mostly because even when I got to a view point, the weather was rainy or foggy. It made this view all the better!!
I didn't get many pictures of the muddy trail, mostly because taking my phone out in the rain or while trying to stay on my two feet in the mud seemed like a risky choice. :)
Also, around this time, it started getting a lot colder at night. I had previously sent home my sleeping bag (to save weight & space) and was just using a sleeping bag liner. This, however, was no match for the cooler weather and I was losing a lot of sleep due to the frigid state of my body. I requested my sleeping bag back, but still had to endure the weather until I was able to reach the town it was sent to! Because of my growing lack of sleep, I also had a growing lack of energy. (Which I really didn’t realize until after I got my bag back and my energy levels started reaching normal levels!!)
Mass and Vermont also claimed both of my trekking poles. Each one came with an incredible fall that was not captured on video....to all of our great disappointment. They met their fate only four days apart from each other. I was really impressed how long they lasted since I spent a whopping $20 on them at Walmart! I hiked without any poles for a few days until I got to Rutland and purchased a new pair.
Strawberry, Hannah, Tracks, and I also went to the Yellow Deli in Rutland. Strawberry and I got our entire meal free too!! Way back in Damascus during Trail Days, we met Asche at the Yellow Deli food truck. He gave us his card and said if we carried it all the way to Rutland we could get a free dessert and if we remembered his name, we could get a free sandwich! It was amazing!! (Not only cause it was free...but also cause the food was so incredibly good!!) Then we drove to Killington, where we spent the night before heading back on trail.
Tracks, Strawberry, Hannah, 007, K-Star, me, and Chaco
Strawberry, Tracks, and I
500 miles left!!
A few days later I reached the border of VT & NH!! Tracks & I stayed in the basement of a church in Norwich (VT). We had both managed to beat the rain! That night we met Bryce (also staying at the church.) We all went to get ice cream and then walked to Bill & Betsy’s (trail angels) home, where we got showers, ordered Chinese takeout, and talked with other hikers. The next day Bryce and I were both planning on zeroing while Tracks was going to hike out. We walked the mile from Norwich to Hanover in the rain then stopped at Lou’s Cafe for some coffee and a free donut. We were standing outside the cafe eating our donuts when a lady walked up to us and asked us how long we were in town. We told her our plan and when she asked if we had a place to stay yet, we responded no. She then offered her place, gave us her phone number, and said she was free after 10am. So we called Susanne after we had gone and gotten breakfast (if you think one donut was breakfast....you are crazy!) Susanne picked us up and took her out to her place. Where we met her husband, Jon, and Jack (her son). They had a big three story house and we had the upstairs to ourselves!! (Oh and Tracks quickly decided it was a way better idea to zero, then hike out in the rain...😂) They were so extremely hospitable and amazing! Susanne even gave us the keys to a car so we could go into town and resupply!! We did laundry, played some ping-pong, and vegged. They made us supper and breakfast too!!! Then Susanne dropped us back on trail the next day. I was blown away by Jon & Susanne’s generosity and trust! I mean how many of you would give your car keys to people you literally just met?!
VT/NH border!!
The day we hiked out of Hanover we did 23 miles to a fire tower. We got hot dogs and soda half way through from a couple doing trail magic! We also got some bacon, burgers, and beer from a friend of Tracks who met up with him on trail!
On Day 115, entered the White Mountains!! We climbed Mount Mooselauke and hit the 1800 mile marker!
The descent down from Mooselauke was really steep. We climbed down alongside a waterfall which was both beautiful and kind of sketchy. 😄 But the best adventures are the ones that leave you breathless and have a slight undercurrent of terror. :) As I was climbing down, I understood why it would be a horrible idea to make the descent if it was raining out.
The next day we climbed North and South Kinsmans, went swimming in Lonesome Pond, and then hitched a ride into Lincoln/Northwood Stock. Dr Huss (Track's friend) and his girlfriend put us up for the night! We did a resupply, ate some good food, and waited out the weather the next morning before hiking Franconia Ridge.
Franconia Ridge
In my opinion, this was the most gorgeous part of the trail! It was absolutely incredible!! I literally couldn't stop smiling or taking pictures!
On top of Garfield with Franconia Ridge, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette in the distance.
Morning sun rays
Fedex enjoying a snickers bar while waiting for the clouds to clear out:)
We cut our mileage down a lot through the Whites. Not only because the terrain was a lot more difficult, but also because the views were many and stunning! We wanted to enjoy it!!
As we were hiking down Zeeland Mountain; Fedex, Bryce, and I saw a moose!! It came right onto the trail and stood there for a bit before running off! We all attempted to get behind trees, while also trying to snag a picture.
On top of Garfield with Franconia Ridge, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Lafayette in the distance.
Morning sun rays
Fedex enjoying a snickers bar while waiting for the clouds to clear out:)
We cut our mileage down a lot through the Whites. Not only because the terrain was a lot more difficult, but also because the views were many and stunning! We wanted to enjoy it!!
As we were hiking down Zeeland Mountain; Fedex, Bryce, and I saw a moose!! It came right onto the trail and stood there for a bit before running off! We all attempted to get behind trees, while also trying to snag a picture.
We did all of the Presidentials in one day. With the exception of Madison. So it was an 18 mile day....and we were DEAD by the end!!
Mount Washington was extremely crowded with people. I guess that's what happens when people can drive all the way to the top or take a train up! It was absolutely ridiculous because the line for the summit sign was at least an hour long!! There wasn't anyway we were going to wait that long, especially when we still had miles to hike! So we took our picture in front of the line of people...
Wild Turkey, Fedex, myself, Tracks, and Bryce
We were so excited when we finally caught sight of the Madison Hut! We hoped that we would be able to do a work-for-stay. {Throughout the White Mountains, there are "huts." People pay to stay at the huts, and there are college aged kids hired to cook and take care of the hut. They are really expensive to stay in and definitely not in the thru-hikers budget. However most offer work-for-stays. So you can do dishes or whatever, then get free food and can sleep in the dining area.} Anyway, we arrived at the hut, but they turned us down. They told us of a blue-blaze .25 off trail, where we could stealth camp.
Reminder: We were so tired and worn out! We started going down the blue blaze and it just kept going down a steep and rocky trail. As we are hiking down, we keep thinking of the more torture we are giving ourselves in the morning. So we found this small area to stealth. There were large rocks throughout, so there wasn't really the ability to set up tents...much less 4 tents and 2 hammocks! We decided that we would just cowboy camp amongst the rocks. We then took the two hammock tarps, Track's tarp, and Wild Turkey's rain fly and strung up this incredible tarp tent! Oh...and we can't forget Bryce's umbrella that was used to cover up a large gap! We weren't worried though, because there was only a 10% chance of rain that night! So we went to bed...not all of us were even under the tarps. However at 2 in the morning....it started to rain. Groans and "Noooooo" and laughter came from all. We then formed this giant cuddle puddle as we all squished in to get under the tarp! It was quite uncomfortable (I had my legs up on a rock and my head up on another and Fedex's shoe became my pillow....) but it was also very humorous! As it turns out, its also one of my favorite memories on trail!!😂😂😂
Mount Madison
Mount Madison
Trails.... it's so hard to get the steepness captured in pictures. Just know that these were really steep! :)
I finally got new shoes in Gorham after 700+ miles!!
Made it to Maine!!!!
It was weird realizing that when asked where I was headed, I could no longer respond "Maine." Instead I was going to Katahdin!
Mahoosuc Notch
Known to be either the most fun or most difficult mile on the trail. This was definitely a ton of fun to go through! It was like an adult sized obstacle course of boulders!!
Baldpate Mountain
On a supposed 20 mile day, we had done 10 by late morning reaching a road that went into Rangley. We weren't planning on going in, but the thought of having a hot meal won us over. Bryce, Fedex, Wild Turkey, and I hitched into town. We got burgers and lobster rolls (which as it turns out are really expensive, not like a roll, and not really worth the price....) and then finished it off with some ice cream before hitching back to trail. Tracks by that time was long ahead of us, but we were hoping he would realize that we had fallen behind once he had gotten to the shelter where we were planning on staying. So we hiked another 10 to the shelter where we found out he had gone ahead (and had been asking if anyone had seen us...) So we decided to hike another 3 miles to catch up to him.
Taking a break on top of Saddleback.
Hitting the 2000 mark was surreal! It seemed so crazy that I had actually walked that far!!
We went into Stratton shortly after passing 2000 miles and got a room at a hotel/hostel. It was really nice, because there was a kitchen we could use! So we made a big spaghetti supper with salad, watermelon, and garlic bread! Then in the morning we made egg sandwiches. Trout (the guy running the hostel) had also recently come across a baby grand piano and had it sitting in the living room!!! It was rather out of tune, but still was fun to play!!
On top of the Bigelows
Another one of my favorite spots on trail!
Moxie Bald
Views from my hammock :) The best thing about having a hammock, is you can pretty much string up anywhere! Literally I am stretched over a massive rock at this spot. :)
Our last resupply was in Monson. We stayed at Shaw's hostel, which was really nice! They had an amazing breakfast in the morning, a store in the back full of resupply items, a living room full of different instruments, and a VCR in our room. :)
The first couple days in the 100 mile wilderness for me were pretty rough. I just wasn't feeling the greatest. From being nauseous to extremely fatigued, to having a big calorie deficit (because I didn't pack enough food.) I could always tell when I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed because my clothes would start to smell like amonia (from my body starting to eat my muscle) and I would be quick to tear up/cry. However, thanks to the prayers of many people and God giving me strength, I felt way better after the first two days and for the rest of my hike!!
Lunch break at some falls
It isn't often that we make a fire, but we had finished 20 miles by 3 and wanted to enjoy one of our last nights in the woods! We went swimming, played hearts, and just hung out.
Sunrise the next morning! I had strung up my hammock right next to the water, so I got to watch it from the comfort of my own bed!:)
Our first (clear) view of Katahdin!!! We got to see it the day before we summited.
Another view of Katahdin right after exiting the 100 mile wilderness, as we crossed Abol Bridge.
