Day 167
Start: Stealth Site
End: US Route 2, Gorham, NH
Miles Hiked: 11.4
Miles on AT: 1898.9
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I woke up eager and excited this morning, knowing that all that stood between me and Janitor were a few miles and a few more hours. My goal today was to make it to Gorham, so I could start my journey to Miami the next day. I had to take a bus to Boston the next morning and then catch a flight to Miami the following day. I incorporated some wiggle-room in between arriving in Boston and flying to Miami just in case anything happened (as it nearly did). But, by the looks of it, I would probably reach Janitor right on time.
Again, it was a beautiful morning full of blue sky in all directions. I couldn’t get enough of this weather and hoped that it would still be there when I returned from my break. Despite it being a town day, I wasn’t completely in the mood to hike. The relentless ups and downs, rocks and roots made me a little weary. How much longer would I have to endure this? It was moments like these when the trail was more of a slog than it was fun. This kind of weariness, where your muscles feel weak even when they’re the strongest, could make someone question whether or not they could still soldier on. I was going to make it, but it still wasn’t easy.
The morning passed with the help of an audiobook. I ran into Van Gogh and Riley again. Riley has a habit of barking at me because he’s excited and wants to hike with people. If Van Gogh and I stopped to chat on the trail, Riley made his impatience known and was only happy when we kept moving. I guess that’s one way to keep pushing.
As I was making my way down my final large descent, I saw another familiar face that I hadn’t seen since PA coming toward me. It was Mosey! We had hiked near each other for a good portion of MD through PA, but she decided to flip up and head SOBO so that she could finish her hike without time pressure. I had been wondering when I would see her again and was afraid that I would miss her due to my upcoming time off trail. But, here she was!
We caught up on trail life for a while. She had injured herself in the Mahoosuc Notch and had to recuperate for a while, which is why it took her so long to get to NH, but she made it! Both she and I had faced so much negativity on our journey. So many people told her she wasn’t going to make it or that she was too slow, but she was hiking her own hike and tuning out the negative voices. I could totally understand how that felt, since people told me at least once a week that I was late or wouldn’t get to Katahdin on time.
Van Gogh and Riley ran into us, with Riley giving us the signal that he wanted to keep hiking, so Mosey and I parted ways. After a while, I reached what felt like the Promised Land, a land I thought I would never get to experience again. The trail was flat and smooth!! No rocks, no roots, no stumbling! I glided over the path, going what felt like 100 miles per hour. It was glorious. I turned some tunes on and danced and sang my way all the way to US Route 2. I had a smile plastered on my face the entire way; I was almost to town, I could walk freely, and the weather was perfect! What more could I ask for?
After trying to catch a hitch for a few minutes, a day hiker I had passed on trail asked me if I wanted a ride to town. I couldn’t pass that up! She was hiking with her dog and had a goal to complete all of the NH four thousand footers, hence why she was here in the middle of the week.
Once in Gorham, I took a shower and then headed straight to the Dynasty Chinese Buffet. Normally, I steer away from American Chinese food, but I was a hiker and I couldn’t resist (even though some comments on FarOut called it “Die Nasty”). While the meal didn’t blow my mind, it definitely hit the spot. Back at the motel, I got my things ready for my trip to Boston. Soon, Janitor and I would be reunited; I couldn’t wait!
And that’s day 167.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.