Days 140 to 147: Don’t let your dreams be dreams
Monson, ME to KATAHDIN
July 20th. Mile 2189.1
I’m done.
My last week on the trail felt like a dream. It was filled with waterfalls, swimming, beauty views, and lots of quality time hanging out with my bubble. In Monson we made the best plan for the 100 mile wilderness. We sacrificed summiting on the 19th for a more moderate mileage plan to make our last week more enjoyable.
The 100 mile wilderness was incredible. It lived up to all the hype. Almost immediately after we had entered into the wilderness everything felt different. The scenery seemed to change into a world that was so untouched. It was beautiful.
My favourite memory was the day we stayed at Antlers Campsite. Roller and I had our typical morning sit at a beauty view on Little Boardman Mountain. You could see the White Cap range (which we had climbed the previous day). She found some blueberries and we sat and ate food enjoying the sunshine and mountain views. After about and hour of resting we pressed on. As soon as I arrived at our lunch spot, Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to, I was greeted by Cosmo, White Rabbit and Large shouting at me to get in the water. There was a series of cascades that ended with a perfect little swimming hole. We had such a good time just hanging out in the water. We ended the day camping at Antlers Campsite which is a picturesque spot on a small point on the shores of Lower Jo-Mary lake. I am so thankful these guys helped me slow down and make the most out of this adventure.The wilderness provided a seemingly never ending game of peekaboo with Katahdin. At first she seemed so distant and seeing her didn’t really phase me. But within a couple of days we had a 16 mile line-of-sight view of her and it really started to hit how fast this was all going to end. It felt incredibly bittersweet. I was ready for a change and was missing home like crazy but at the same time did not feel ready to say goodbye to these people and lifestyle. But that’s just how life works – it’s constantly changing whether we’re ready for it or not.
Katahdin
Oh how I have played out this day in my head over and over. It came as no surprise that it was very different and even better than I could have imagined. We woke up fairly early in order to meet Cosmo and his Dad (Sundog). Cosmo’s Mom graciously offered to slackpack us to the other side of the mountain so we could take different trails down.
I began the climb with my brother (Timbit) on my tail. I was over the moon with excitement. Katahdin has to be my favourite climb on the trail. It was a constant uphill with some rocky scrambles and ended above tree line. I loved every minute of it.
I will never forget the moment I was able to see the summit sign for the first time. I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared. It was a “someone please pinch me” moment. I could not believe this was actually happening. But there we were, summiting Katahdin.
Roller, Atlas, Timbit and I hit up the Knife’s Edge on the way down. A one mile stretch of super fun rocky scrambles on a ridge line with AMAZING views. We had such a good time.
Basically, this was the adventure of a lifetime. It challenged, encouraged, and helped me discover the person I want to be. It was far more than I ever dreamed it to be.
DONT LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS! Just do it.
Dill
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Comments 2
Congratulations on finishing your AT hike. Enjoyed your journal. David Odell AT71 PCT72 CDT77
Lisa,
Congratulations on completing your NOBO! Been enjoying your posts and appreciating your approach to the challenges. Best of luck. LYOL!