Was It All a Dream? (Final Days)

Well, you know what they say…better late than never! Although it’s been over a month since my adventure came to an end, I owe, to whoever was following along, this one last post. I hope you’ve enjoyed my recounts of life on the trail and ultimately, I hope I’ve inspired at least one wandering soul out there to jump out of their comfort zone and just do the damn thing! It doesn’t have to be the Appalachian Trail (you’d have to be crazy!) but any adventure that’s been lingering in the back of your mind for years, waiting to be unlocked…go do it. Life won’t wait around. 

Running Through Wilderness

The Hundred Mile Wilderness (HMW) was one of my favorite stretches of trail. It’s limited accessibility is what makes it feel like true wilderness, however, I was surprised by the amount of people I saw out on day hikes through this section. While there are only dirt roads that lead to the trail in this 100 mile stretch, there are still roads. We quickly learned that there are actually a LOT of people who come out just to backpack through the HMW and summit Katahdin. It became apparent just how many people do this when we stumbled upon a completely full shelter and campsite on our first night.

Regardless of the surprising amount of fellow hikers, the miles of trail are still rugged and beautiful in their own pristine way. It was hard to go more than a day without passing by an inviting lake just waiting for smelly hikers to swim in it. Perhaps the best part of this stretch of trail is how FLAT it becomes. Looking at the elevation map, you’d think we were in Florida. This was a much welcome change after all of New Hampshire and the first hundred miles in Maine. 

I don’t have regrets about how I hiked this trail because I did what was right for me at the time but if I had to do it all over again, I would probably slow down in the HMW. I’d take in every last bit of fresh, cool air in the morning and swim in every lake I saw. I would stop and listen to the peaceful silence quickly broken by the songs of birds and cicadas. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t worry about my mileage, or time, or anything for that matter.

For a few days, the clouds opened up and the sun shone through enough for us to finally get some good views of Mt. Katahdin in the distance. It’s hard to describe what it’s like seeing this majestic mountain rise up out of what feels like nothing. The mountain is so incredibly dominant in the landscape that it’s hard to believe it’s only 5,269 ft tall. It felt good to finally catch some views of the northern terminus of the AT and see the end in the distance. 

Thar she blows!

Lightning Striking Again

It wouldn’t be the Appalachian Trail without some sort of weather to patterns to potentially change our plans. Hurricane Debby was heading for the northeast on the same day we planned to summit Katahdin. Hard decisions had to be made because we needed to confirm our rides for pick-up after finishing. As we sat outside of the Abol Pines Campground Store, munching on snacks and ducking for cover from the rain next to the “No Loitering” signs, we came to a decision. We would summit Katahdin rain or shine, as long as there was no lightning in the forecast. 

Feels like Christmas Eve

The day had come: my last full day of hiking before ascending Mama K. My legs carried me twenty-one miles from our Rainbow Springs tent site to The Birches, where we would spend our last night on trail. As fate would have it, we shared the pair of shelters with one other hiker, Vista, who happened to be going to Yale in the fall which is the same school Hawaii would be attending. 

Attempting to dry out at The Birches

I guess I’m a believer in things happening for a reason so Vista’s presence felt like no coincidence. After squaring away our permits for Katahdin and setting up camp for the night, we shared dinner and stories with Vista who had also come all the way from Georgia. By the next morning, it was decided. Vista would summit the final mountain with us!

This is crazy, this is crazy

The climb up Katahdin was one of the most challenging experiences of the entire trail for me. The rocks were slick and visibility was low so it felt extra terrifying scrambling up some of the boulders. 

I made it this far, couldn’t go dying now! Kidding, kidding. Although the climb was difficult, we had a blast and the adrenaline of completing something so life-changing started kicking in as we ascended. 

Before I knew it, we were approaching the last white blaze. I didn’t know how to feel as all of the emotions and memories from the past 5 months began flooding my brain. From my first day not knowing what may lay ahead, I knew I was going to finish this trail. It wasn’t going to be easy but I was too stubborn not to complete the challenge. Here I was, finally on top of this extraordinary mountain, chowing down on one last Honeybun. 

I had done it. I had completed one of my most sought-out adventures in life. Although it started as a solo epic, I know for sure I wouldn’t have made it without the incredible people who I met along the way. I’d especially like to shoutout the bad-ass women who I met during my last week on trail. I’m not kidding, we ran into more female thru-hikers in the last 7 days than we had on the whole trail…all of them about to accomplish this incredible feat. Starting out as a total minority, I never thought I’d finish this trail surrounded by so many strong women. 

Advocating for thru-hiking as the next Olympic sport

From left to right: Hawaii, me (Chappie), Red Maple, Vista

Snap Back to Reality

It’s a strange thing, removing yourself from mainstream society for several months then jumping right back into it. The only way I’ve found to describe my transition back to “normal life” is that the trail feels like it was all a dream. Granted, I returned to the same hospital and town (also a trail town!!) I was working and living in prior to the trail so it feels like almost no time passed while I was gone.

I find myself more than ever needing events and plans to look forward to. Everyone talks about post-trail depression but I still feel like I’m in the post-trail processing phase. Finishing this blog has been therapeutic and allowed me to look back with a new perspective on all that the trail was for me. I don’t know what will happen next but I do know the Appalachian Trail happened at the right time and fulfilled whatever purpose it needed to in my life…even if I’m still unsure what purpose that was.