100 Mile Wilderness

Day 176

I went to my high school reunion this afternoon. It was great to see people I hadn't seen in years. We had to leave a bit early to get back on the trail but I'm so glad I went!

Marcia was amazing and drove us all the way back to Monson. Chameleon and I hiked in a short distance in the dark and set up camp. We are officially in the 100 mile wilderness! I had a great weekend off the trail and am thrilled to be back on and in the final stretch. 

Day 177

As I walked down the trail today lamenting the weight of my pack I realized just how little time left I have on the trail. I would like to say my pace was intentionally slower to savor the experience, but it was mostly 18 pounds of food slowing me down. There were a number of ponds and streams; I felt like there was water everywhere.

Chameleon and I experienced great trail magic today. Friends of Leap Frog's family have a camp in the area and provide trail magic for hikers. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay the night too! Thank you!

 

Day 178

I thoroughly enjoyed having a few days off the and have felt mentally refreshed. My body on the other hand felt not so good. My knees have been quite stiff, my feet seem to be reflattening, and I have lots of chafing. Thankfully the muscles were not effected and are still going strong.

After a wonderful breakfast of pancakes with bacon we got back on the trail. It took until 5 p.m. for my hiker hunger to return. Until that point today I had been eating to lighten my pack. We hiked with head lamps for about 20 minutes to make it to the shelter. It's been a tiring day and I hope to sleep soundly. Happy 2100 miles!

Day 179

During our last mile of the day we started hearing thunder in the distance. We had a bit of a view at one point I was able to see the bank of thunder clouds approaching. We arrived at the campsite, set up tents, and cooked dinner before the rain started. We ate standing up and managed to stay fairly dry. It was hanging the bear bag that soaked me through. I was hoping the rain would clean me off a bit but it also brought pine needles and tree bits. I'm sure I'll be putting wet clothes on in the morning. 

Most of the afternoon I was hiking next to a river. I think I enjoy hiking next to water almost as much as I enjoy hiking with views. It's amazing to think that this time next week I'll have finished hiking the Appalachian Trail. 

Day 180

I had my first view of Katahdin this morning! To be honest I wasn't exactly sure which one it was because all the mountain tops were in the clouds. It was still exciting to know that I could see all the way to Katahdin. The hike today was much easier than expected. The hard part of the day was done by 11:30.

Katahdin is out there somewhere

It's raining again tonight, though currently it's just a light rain. I managed to set up camp, cook, eat, and hang my food without getting rained on! I do appreciate that it has been raining at night and not during the day.

Day 181 

It was a wet rainy morning. I was warm and dry in my tent and had a bit of a struggle making myself get up. We stopped and had a very early lunch because we arrived at a shelter. It was nice not to eat in the rain. A few other hikers arrived and said a large bubble of 30 or so hikers was a day or less behind us.

We left that shelter imagining a stampede of hikers overtaking us. We went further than we had planned in hopes of staying in a dry shelter. When I walked up there was a group of section hikers around a fire and I lost hope. The shelter must be full. Thankfully it wasn't! They made room for Chameleon and I and shared the fire too!

Day 182

Today was a fantastic day on the trail. I got my first real view of Katahdin this morning out over a lake. It was an amazing feeling to see my final destination after walking over 2000 miles to get here. I was so excited I tripped and took a face plant getting back to the trail. I can't get injured now when I'm so close! 

my first full view of Katahdin

Just before lunch I started smelling bacon in the woods. It wasn't a random whiff that went away, someone was cooking it. Chameleon turned around and said there was a sign for food. Trail magic! Two guys who hiked the trail last year were out for the weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the bacon, hot dogs, freshly made fries, coco, orange, and chips. We never expected trail magic in the wilderness!

FOOD ->

Shortly after Chameleon and I went swimming in a lake. The water was a bit chilly but refreshing. There was a beach so we dried our tents and ourselves in the sun.

Tonight we are camping by a pond. I sang until dark out over the water. I know I will miss living outdoors. This has been a wonderful experience that will be ending soon. I will continue to savor these next few days.

a sea of moss

Day 183

I had another wonderful day on the Appalachian Trail. I slept in until 7 with the sound of light rain on my tent. The rain stopped as I was packing up and it never returned.

Chameleon and I are a bit ahead of schedule so we hiked less than 10 miles. We had a very relaxing afternoon. We saw Dirty Rotten Liar for the first time in weeks! We caught up on trail news before he moved on. Chameleon and I made our first camp fire in months. It was so satisfying to sing around the campfire as the sun went down.

The past few days it has really begun to feel like fall. The mornings are cooler and when I stop for a snack I get chilled and want to start moving again. A few leaves are changing, some have fallen on the trail. Fall weather is great for hiking.

Day 184

It rained again last night but had stopped by the time we packed up. There was a heavy mist during a short part of the morning but we managed to be having our lunch in a shelter during the rain. Our luck with weather has been fantastic!

This evening I saw Katahdin again! I was so much closer. The place we are camping is about five miles from Katahdin as the crow flies, though we still have 15 trail miles left. I can hardly believe we are so close!

so excited!

Day 185 

Wow, I can hardly believe it is my last night on the trail. I will truly miss singing with my ukulele on the trail at night. On our last night was spent with people we met yesterday or today and one hiker we hadn't seen since the Smokies.

Inside Baxter State Park

Katahdin is so close, only five trail miles away then this incredible journey will be over. I am excited to finish my hike of the Appalachian Trail but I am not ready for the adventure to be over. 

our last shelter on the trail