*Note- this was written two days ago but I had no service to post it 🙂
Hello from the trail! Yes, I am still on trail but I am almost done! I realize that I have been an awful blog maintainer since I left Virginia. I have a lot of stories to tell from the past three months and I am hoping that in the down time between finishing the trail and starting my next adventure (being a ski instructor in Colorado) I will find some time to share some of the stories on here 🙂
This adventure has been more than I could have ever expected and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to spend the last six months in the woods. I have learned a ton about backpacking and have grown a lot, in ways I was not even expecting. I have met friends that will last a lifetime and made memories that will burn bright and beautiful in my mind for many years to come.
As I mentioned before, I am almost done with the trail. I am currently in Maine! I wanted to be done by the end of August but New Hampshire and Maine have been much too beautiful and difficult to rush through so my 20 mile a day pace has been reduced to 10-13 for the last few weeks. Yesterday we hiked the Bigelows which was the last of the huge mountain ranges in Maine until Kathadin! We are more than ready for some easier hiking and to finish the last 173 miles!
My brother will be driving up to Maine to pick up Wrangler (my boyfriend that I met on trail and have been hiking with for the last 500 miles) and myself. We have a campground spot in Baxter State Park reserved for the nights of September 8th and 9th, so we will summit on the 9th or 10th depending on the weather.
The end is near and it is bittersweet. I am sad to leave the mountains and the people who have become my trail family, knowing I will most likely not see them again. At the same time I am excited to spend time with my family in NY and then to continue the life I am building in CO. Also, I know that this trip is just the first in many adventures to come.
Wish me luck on this final stretch of my journey! I will post a summit picture at the end. 🙂
The AT Experience 