Day 115 Cloud Pond Lean-to to Logan Brook Lean-to (24.5)

I started hiking around 6 this morning because I knew it would be a long day. The day began with a series of small ups and downs. The first good view of the day was at Chairback Mountain. The view from the ridge up there was incredible. I could see miles of untouched forest and beautiful mountains in the distance. From there I descended for a couple miles until I hit the Katahdin Ironworks Road. From there the terrain flattened out and was gradual for the next six miles. The trail became steep again on the climb up to Gulf Hagas Mountain. I then continued climbing up to West Peak, Hay Mountain, and White Cap Mountain. The terrain in this section was so well maintained. Most of the uphills had rock stairs. The view from the summit of White Cap was one of the best on the entire trail. I got up there at the perfect time and the sky was completely clear. I got my first view of Katahdin. It was truly a special moment. After enjoying the view of Katahdin for a while I finished my day with a descent to the shelter. Today was my last big day of elevation for the entire trail. The rest of the way to Katahdin will be relatively flat. 

Day 116 Logan Brook Lean-to to Nahmakanta Stream Lean-to (27.6)

Today was a long but very easy day. I had less than 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I began the day with a descent and climb back up to Little Boardman Mountain. Their were no good views from the summit. After the mountain the trail was easy all the way to Jo-Mary Road. I was able to move at three miles per hour in this section. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do that. At Jo-Mary Road Shaw’s met us with our food drop. I was completely out of food so it was much need. Once I was fueled up I hiked six more miles to a sandy beach on a pond. I took a break there and swam for a while. After drying off I finished up the day with another six mile stretch. The trail remained easy and I had a good view of Katahdin. This was by far my easiest day in Maine. 

Day 117 Nahmakanta Stream Lean-to to Rainbow Stream Lean-to (13.7)

I woke up this morning and it was raining. I knew it was one of my last days on trail so I didn’t really care if I got wet. I set off around 6:30 and began the day with an easy section of trail. It was mostly flat and I passed by some beautiful ponds. The rain falling onto the water was very serene. Soon after leaving the ponds I climbed up to Nesuntabunt Mountain. The climb up was very cool. It felt like I was hiking in a rainforest. I then headed downhill for the next few miles until I reached Rainbow Stream Cascades. The trail followed the stream until I reached the shelter. The stream was raging from all the rain. When I reached the shelter I was soaked. It was only 2 when I got there but I knew it wasn’t going to rain the next day so I decided to stop. I changed into my dry clothes and got into my warm sleeping bag. I rested in the shelter with GQ, KT, and Boose for the rest of the day. 

Day 118 Rainbow Stream Lean-to to The Birches Campsite (24.9)

I started hiking early this morning because I was meeting my dad at the end of the day. The trail was flat almost all morning so I was moving at a good pace. I passed by Rainbow Lake and made a small climb up to Rainbow Ledges. The lake was beautiful but I had no views because it was cloudy. After coming off of Rainbow Ledges I exited the 100 mile wilderness and made it to Abol Bridge Campground. I got some good food from the camp store and ate it at a nearby picnic table. Right after leaving the camp store I crossed the Abol Bridge and entered Baxter State Park. At the entrance to the park there was a kiosk where I registered to stay at the Birches that night. You can only stay at the Birches if you are a NOBO thru-hiker that is planning to summit Katahdin the next day. After I was registered I crushed the last ten miles of the trail and made it to Katahdin Streams Campground. I met my dad, GQ’s dad, and Boose’s mom there. Boose’s mom cooked us an amazing spaghetti dinner and we enjoyed some time together around the fire. When we were ready for bed we walked over to the Birches and slept in the last shelter of our journey.  

Day 119 The Birches Campsite to Mount Katahdin (5.2)

I didn’t sleep well last night because I was so excited for summit day. I woke up at 4:30 and made my way down to the campsite where the parents were. I ate a breakfast sandwich that Boose’s mom cooked and started hiking around 6. The trail started off pretty mellow for the first two miles. After that the trail became very technical. There was a lot of rock scrambling and climbing. It was difficult but so much fun. The views on the way up were incredible. Once I hit The Gateway the trail flattened out. It felt like I was walking on a planet from Star Wars. I kept pushing towards the summit and had one final ascent to the top. I touched the summit sign and my thru hike was complete. It was such an incredible feeling but it didn’t really set in while I was up there. This has been the greatest adventure of my life and I am a better man because of it. After soaking it all in at the summit I took Knife Edge on the way down. It was such an insane mile of hiking. It was like hiking on the rocks or Pennsylvania 5000 feet in the sky. The views were stunning all the way down. Mount Katahdin is easily my favorite mountain on the entire trail.