Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I made it! Hooray!

How do I feel, you ask? Let's go through some summit pictures:

Exuberant!


Exhausted


Um...come-hither?

Yes, I have made it to the end of the Appalachian Trail and have officially thru-hiked it. I summited Mt. Katahdin yesterday, September 23rd: Exactly six months from my starting date! I have feelings of both extreme accomplishment and confusion as to what I've just done and why. But I think that's normal...I hope.

Right now I am in Millinocket, basking in beginning of an endless line of zero days I have before me. My body feels like it should be hiking right now, but it's going to have to get used to being lazy for a while...a long while. I need a massage.


Oh, and there was the 100 mile wilderness I hiked before Katahdin:



Here are some photos of that remote and freezing experience:


That's Katahdin off in the distance


Very beautiful terrain, but I felt as if I were back in Georgia again. Temperatures dropped below freezing most nights, and again, I was wearing everything I owned in a cinched up sleeping bag. But once I got hiking in the mornings, the cool air felt great!

It really hasn't hit me yet that I'm done. One thing I know I've accomplished is that I've conquered the fate of my trail name. For I am no longer LongShot: the courageous thru-hiker. I am now Logan: the unemployed bum. I'll probably have to do something about that.

Well, that's that. Eventually I'll make it home to Vermont through a series of buses or something. Thanks to everyone for your support and your comments. Your encouragement meant a lot to me in each town along the way, and kept me going! I'm sure I'll see many of you shortly and you can check out/gasp at my beard. That'll be fun. Till then, I'll be sleeping a lot!


And one more thing:


Watch this for reference.


Monday, September 15, 2008

The End is Nigh

Just got into Monson today, our last trail town before our big summit. The only thing that stands in our way is the 100-mile wilderness: 100 miles of trail with no towns or major roads (it's actually 115 miles). So I have to buy about a week's worth of food tonight. Can't wait to lug that out tomorrow morning.

But at the end of this treacherous trek, we are rewarded with the tallest mountain in Maine and also, the end of my journey: Mt. Katahdin. All of us are feeling the end, and it is getting nearer and nearer. A sad time for most, but I must admit...I'm ready to be done.
I'm about a week shy of 6 months on trail, and I'm feeling it. I'm ready to rejoin society...if they'll let me. But I'll have to reintroduce myself to your strange ways (you people shower more than once a week?! You must live like kings!) I'll get to drive, eat normal food, wear normal COTTON clothes, start wearing deodorant again... Man, I've been living a strange life.

Anyway, here are some photos:

This one sums up Maine pretty well.



Here we are enjoying one of the many lakes Maine has to offer.

2000 miles, baby!

A nice man with a thick Maine accent ferried us across the Kennebec river


Some sweet trail magic.


So the next time I post, I will have either finished victoriously, or become bedridden in a hospital. That's what it will take to keep me from that summit. Let's see what happens.

Friday, September 12, 2008

HIKR 2000

Just made it into the small town of Caratunk today. Luckily I'm staying some place dry as the rain is pelting down here.

Maine continues to be a great hike. I've seen two moose...at once..in the same pond. That was pretty amazing. The terrain, while still rocky and rooty, is still very beautiful. I think it's the remoteness of the area. The lakes and ponds are untouched by any kind of civilization. It's nice to look across a huge lake and not see any boats or docks or houses.

In other news, we just passed the 2000 mile mark as of yesterday. A very nice milestone. I feel like I've walked 2000 miles. I can't wait until I can walk in the morning without hobbling (hopefully).

I've got some pictures, but this computer is locked away inside a shelf or something. So those will have to wait. I only have one more town stop after this, then it's onto Katahdin. Hopefully, I can update this thing before then, but if not, see you on the other side!

Friday, September 5, 2008

It was the Blurst of Times

Well, I always think that I can get in and out of town without taking a zero, and sometimes I'm right. Today, I am not. I'm sitting here in the Rangeley Free Library, typing away, and not hiking. But that's fine. Maine's been a harsh mistress. I need my rest. Yeah, that's it. Rest. But seriously all of our knees are about to fall apart.

Maine has definitely been beautiful so far, and unlike any other state we've been through. Lot's of roots and rocks and generally difficult terrain, but it wasn't annoying, like Virginia. Maybe the nice, cool weather has something to do with it...

We've all started to talk about life after the hike is over, and the real world is becoming that much closer with every step. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I have no idea how where to go once I summit Katahdin. I guess that's all part of this adventure.