Day 184
Start: Pierce Pond Lean-to
End: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles Hiked: 18.7
Miles on AT: 2060.7
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This morning’s mission was to get to the Kennebec River to meet up with Cheryl so that she could ferry us across the river. After several attempts at contacting other people for a ride, she’d been my last hope for a ride since it was too late in the season to get a free one (those ended September 30). Mace and I started our morning early and were able to get to the river in no time since it was only a couple of miles away.
As we waited on the bank of the river, a couple of people floated by us in a small boat with their fishing rods out. They tried to shout something to us, but I couldn’t really make it out. Soon, however, I saw another floating figure moving toward us in the distance. Cheryl was here! She maneuvered the boat close to the shore and instructed us to get in carefully. I sat in the middle while Mace sat on the end and paddled. The boat was small, but it did the job, and we got to the other side safely.
Our plan was to head to The Sterling Inn for an early lunch and quick resupply before continuing on our way. It wasn’t too far down the road, so Cheryl also gave us a ride in her SUV once she had paddled back to her place. The Sterling Inn was a small BnB style place with an amazing resupply for hikers, including full pizzas for purchase. Of course, I couldn’t pass that up, so I ordered a pizza and a coke for lunch and cleaned up a bit while I waited for it to cook. The hotel was run by a father and son duo with a lot to say, so chatting with them was entertaining.
When it came time to leave, they gave us a ride back to the trailhead and we continued on. I had another plan to do some roadwalking today and, this time, Mace gladly came with me. We probably did slightly more miles on the roadwalk, but the easier terrain and lack of elevation gain allowed us to move a little faster.
However, once we reached the trail again, the path was smooth sailing, no rocks! As we got closer to the shelter, we passed a group of friends that seemed like they were just out for the weekend having good old-fashioned fun in the outdoors. Because of our masterful roadwalking expertise, we got to the shelter just before dark. It was just me and Mace again tonight. But, tomorrow, we would arrive in Monson, the last trail town before Katahdin. Crazy!
Thinking about getting this far on the trail felt surreal. I mean, I was going to be in Monson tomorrow, and I would stay at Shaw’s, the famous hiker hostel that everyone talked about for so long. Part of me was so tired and ready to be done with the trail. My body was depleted and my energy could get low sometimes. But, the other part of me wanted to soak up the gravity and sacredness of the moment. Not everyone got this far on the trail, and I was so proud of myself for sticking with it through all of the hard times. Now, I only had about 10 days left on trail and only 10 days left to savor the experience.
And that’s day 184.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.