137 days on the path of the Apalaches

On August 16, I woke up at 5:30 am, I packed my store for the last time and started the final climb of the Sender of the Appalaches: Mount Katahdin. In the last four months, there have been days that I will never forget the first day, the midpoint, moments shared with strangers in small villages, walking through storms, difficult days and the last day.

In the 2.5 weeks before Katahdin, I felt mentally exhausted. I wanted to finish. Continuing he took everything he had, and I was lucky to have a strong support system both inside and outside the way reminding me of what I was capable of. Leaving New Hampshire was difficult. During most of the path, arriving in New England had been the goal. Once I was there, it was emotionally difficult to go home.

I chose to spend my last weeks mostly, pushing ahead of the group I had been walking with. In the AT, it is almost impossible not to have others around you at night, but I began to make decisions based solely on what I needed. Of course, I still met some incredible people towards the end, some of whom I had not seen until recent days. It is always interesting to meet someone new so late on the trip, but it gave me a new perspective and molded those final moments in a significant way.

As the weeks became days, I could feel that everything was over and it is still difficult to describe how it felt. I think that only travel companions can completely understand that strange mixture of emotions: the pride of doing so, the sadness of returning to «real life», the emotion of sleeping again in a bed, and the questions really did this.?

I found myself more and more: why did I do this? What did I win about him? When I started, I thought I knew the answer. And in many ways, those reasons remained true. This trip was always a gift for myself something deeply personal. But I realized that it ended up meaning even more than I expected. A fellow hiker asked me a question that had left: What do you want to get out of this? Not only why you are doing this, but what you want to win and sometimes frustrated me because I didn’t always know the answer. But when I arrived in Maine, he finally click.

For me, the answer was peace. I wanted to try my limits mentally and physically. I wanted to see if I could even drive an ounce of what my mother endured during her 14 -year battle against cancer. I wanted to experience the outdoor in a way that most people never do it. But above all, I just wanted to be happy. And I found all that and more. I feel in tune with my body. I understand what my mind needs (and does not need) to move forward. I could write for hours about the deepest meaning of this walk, but I will keep it for a future update after the train. I only know that those last two weeks in Maine joined much.

That part of Maine had never walked before, so it was surprising to discover a new land even at the end. In the direction of Monson, he was ready for the final stretch. People kept telling me to decrease and enjoy it. It sounded great in theory, but they didn’t understand where I was mentally. Deep down, I knew they were right. I tried to reduce speed, but the climate and conditions of the path were perfect for hiking, and ended up accumulating one day earlier than planned.

Beautiful sunset in Pierce Pond.

Bigelos.

Then, on August 16 at 5:30 am, I woke up for the last time on the path of the Apalaches. I packed my team and started the final rise. It was all that I love to walk on technical rocks, impressive views and the indescribable sensation to reach the summit. When I got to the top, there were not many people around. A one -day hiker joked, «I hope this is the right place» and that simple comment triggered tears. The other through the trip I was and looked at myself and laughed at both of them, you have no idea.

The path?

We took our photos of the summit, but none of them could completely capture the feeling. We stay there for hours, without wanting to fall, not ready to let it go. The sun was hot, the views continued forever and the wind was low. It seemed that the path itself was giving us this goodbye. We talked about life both inside and out of what it meant, what could come later and how surreal was to have reached the end. He felt like a dream that we had all been walking for months that only now became.

Around 12 I started the walk that was much more difficult than the UP. When I got to the bottom, I felt a feeling of relief about me, knowing that I achieved something like that, it has not yet appeared and I am not sure when it will do it completely. I had just done something that I never thought I could. And yet, he had done it. My partner Ian picked me up and we went for some drinks and eat a lot of pizza with my dad that joined.

Now I feel here writing this a week later, at the place of my father in Coastal Maine. Taking the time to enjoy, and for the first time in months, I will not move. I am trying to let me rest without guilt. Being still and not feel that I’m staying behind. In addition, think about what I will take on my daily post path. I know this, I will never be the same person who took those first steps months ago. The path gave me something I can’t name, but I’m sorry in each part of me. In my breath, in my body, in the way I see the world now.

I will write again in a month with an update after the train once I have had more time to sit with all this. But for now, this is the end of my Travel of Trails of the Appalaches. I am always grateful for every mile, every moment, each person and every version of myself that appeared on the road.

The final photo!

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