It was cold. Very cold. The night before entering Maine, the Rough Ryders and a few others crammed into a small shelter on the eastern edge of New Hampshire. As the sun set the temperature dropped. Flecks of rain turned into sleet.
It was only mid-September and the day before had been bright and sunny. We’d been relaxing and playing soccer in the town of Hanover. Jackets had been mailed ahead and a chance to buy warmer clothes passed up. As we sat shivering in the shelter that night, one thought was prevalent; we should have finished this trip sooner. But as we would find out in the next 3 weeks, our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
Appalachian Trail in Maine – 300 Miles Remain
The next day we entered Maine in frigid temperatures. Bundled in all of the clothes we had, our trail family, made up of 7 now, sat around the signpost that welcomed us to Maine as we ate lunch. That day ended up being a short one. The following day we were heading for the Mahoosic Notch, notoriously known as the most difficult mile on the entire trail.
With such cold and rainy temperatures, this mile of trail threatened to be miserable. Or it could have been. That morning was slightly warmer and the ground was dry. Heading into the notch with all of my friends made it feel more like a playground than the death trap that it was.
And so we went. Those first few days in Maine set the stage for the rest of our trip. We stayed together with our trail family. Even the worst days were made better by the fact that we had a supportive community of friends all around us.
To raise eachother’s spirits, we took to walking in a large group and took turns telling movies from start to finish.
I believe I interrupted Tinder’s telling of “28 Days Later” to take this picture
Maine in the Fall
The cold weather gave way to some warmer days. The leaves began to change. As we neared the end of our journey falls colors were in full array. After 2000 miles and countless views we would look around at a sea of color and still be amazed. The beautiful views of orange and red made us realize that our timing couldn’t have been better. Finishing earlier would have meant missing the beauty of fall in Maine.
Appreciating the view – Mount Katahdin towers in the distance
Summiting Mount Katahdin after 6 Months of Hiking
On October 6th, the Rough Ryders consisting of Mac, Hustle and Flow, Tinder and Birch, Snorlax, and Myself, joined by SugarDaddy (Andrew!) summited Mount Katahdin. As we neared the top everybody stopped to wait and make sure that the whole group could summit at the same time.
Sugar Daddy had brought us a giant bottle of champagne. There were many people at the summit, thru and day hikers alike. Everyone stepped aside to watch as I shook the bottle and attempted to pop the cork. I took a second to look around at all of the faces. I saw friends and strangers and everyone with a smile on their face. Afterwards, there were hugs, congratulations, many many pictures, and some tears.
Over the next few days, we said goodbye to our friends. It was not easy to say goodbye to the people that had become our family. We had woken up with the same group every day for the last month and a half and had been together on the good days and the bad, the tough climbs and the easy downhills. We had spent hours hiking together in a straight line telling stories and reciting our favorite movies. We had worked together to complete one of the biggest accomplishments of our lives.
The Rough Ryders and others celebrating our hike
Mac and Kat best buddies!
Celebrating our Accomplishment
In the video, I open a bottle of champagne while a park ranger cheers me on.
In recent years, the practice of opening a bottle of champagne on Mount Katahdin has become somewhat controversial. Some were cited for littering because of it.
So, while I no longer encourage the practice, it doesn’t stop the moment in the video below from being one of the happiest moments in my life.
I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish this goal. Friends, family, the Rough Ryders, and a very special thank you to my very supportive husband Andrew and to my amazing hiking partner Kyle. Without you guys, this would not have been possible. THANK YOU!!!