Over the river and through the forest

one step at a time

Monday morning, June 22, 2026I left Shaw’s Hiker Hostel in Monson, Maine. My journey to becoming the first woman to hike Northeast 115 didn’t begin on a mountain or a trailhead; It started with a 14 mile hike to the Bodfish Valley Rd. gate that leads to the Otter Pond trailhead which then leads to the legendary 100 mile wilderness. Later that day, Poncho drove the Wolf Mobile as a member of my support team and training coach, and met me that night at a campsite along the Big Wilson River. Before we could get set up, the sky opened and torrential rain flooded our tent within the first twenty minutes.

Chaos followed.

The good kind of chaos.

When you’ve spent enough time outdoors, you learn that plans are suggestions. The equipment gets wet. The rivers rise and things go sideways. As experienced hikers, Poncho and I have learned that the trail will always have the last word. He laughed, I cried uncontrollably, and then we dried off and bundled up and had a successful first night together as a coach and hiker.

100 mile desert road hike. Monson Maine

Roadside Art, Maine

June 23, 2026

The next morning, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, we made an easy decision. The rivers ran too high to cross safely, so instead of moving forward, we stayed still. Tuesday became a reset day and a chance to dry every piece of gear, reorganize the Wolf mobile, catch my breath, and just be. Sometimes the smartest miles are the ones not traveled.

Big Wilson River Campground, 100 Miles Wild

June 24, 2026

On Wednesday I climbed Barren Mountain and reached the rugged Chairback Range before finishing the day on Katahdin Iron Works Road. Poncho met me at the Wolf Mobile and drove me a couple of miles to our campsite, where a hot meal and a dry tent awaited me.

My love. I love my husband.

Barren Mountain, Maine

Backup Range, 100 Mile Wilderness, Maine

The Wolf’s mobile. Katahdin Rd Ironworks. 100 miles of desert. Maine

Camping a few kilometers from the AT. Katahdin Rd Ironworks. 100 miles of desert. Maine

June 25, 2026

Thursday came the ford of the West Branch of the Pleasant River before hiking over Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay Mountain and White Cap Mountain and down to Logan Brook Road. Poncho couldn’t drive there, so he lugged our camping gear 3½ miles to meet me and then took it all out the next morning, after I had already left for the day.

That kind of love isn’t talked about enough.

I’m incredibly lucky to be married to another hiker, someone who understands that support doesn’t always seem glamorous. Sometimes it feels like carrying heavy backpacks down muddy trails so your spouse can continue pursuing a dream. The trail provides.

June 26, 2026

Friday, June 26, was bittersweet. It was my granddaughter Virginia Rain’s second birthday. Happy birthday, Ginny! Nana loves you and misses you beyond words. That day I walked from Logan Brook Road to the Cooper Brook Falls shed while Poncho repositioned the Wolf Mobile to Joe-Mary Road before walking to meet me at the Cooper Brook Falls shed. The Cooper Brook Falls Shed has always been one of our favorite retreats in the 100-Mile Wilderness, and spending another night together there was like coming home.

Cooper Brook Falls Shed. 100 miles wild

Poncho. Cooper Brook Falls Shed. 100 miles wild

June 27, 2026

Saturday began with us both walking back to the Wolf Mobile that was parked on Joe-Mary Rd. before continuing. I covered 22 miles that day, including another long road hike. At Wadleigh Pond Road I changed my gear for a solo overnight while Poncho headed to Abol Pines to camp and wait for me to leave the 100-Mile Wilderness the next day.

Joe Maria Street. 100 Wild Miles, Maine

Joe Maria Street. 100 miles wild. Maine

Rainbow Stream Shed. 100 miles wild

June 28, 2026

Then Sunday came. June 28, 2026 Just 5.5 miles from the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness, as I headed up towards Rainbow Ledges, there was Poncho waiting for me. Not with energy gels. Not with dehydrated backpacking food. With a bag full of McDonald’s cheeseburgers and an ice cold soda.

Pinch me.

There are times on the trail that feel downright exhausting, and after 5 days on the 100 Miles, those cheeseburgers tasted like a five-star meal.

My love.

Let’s say he was rewarded that night. 🙂

The last few kilometers out of the desert were not easy. By then my feet looked like hammered dog poop and felt like hamburger meat. Every step hurts, but every painful step also brings me closer to the goal.

Rainbow Ledges, 100 miles of desert. Maine. Poncho rose cheeseburgers

T-shirt designed by endurance athlete and hiker Phil Carcia. Outdoor Burgeon, New Hampshire. be the wolf

These feet will take me to the goal.

mom k

Abol Bridge. Maine

~Goldilocks

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