Day 185
Start: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
End: Monson, ME
Miles Hiked: 18.7
Miles on AT: 2079.4
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Today was one of the last big days – Monson! Last night, it rained pretty hard, but this morning, only a few drops of rain fell from the fog-laden sky. After breakfast, Mace and I hit the trail, ready to get to town.
According to the map, today was going to be an easier day, with only one large-ish climb and mostly flat trail. We estimated that we would get into town around 6 pm at the latest, but I hoped we could get in earlier.
As we climbed our first and last mountain of the day, I couldn’t help but think about what the last section of trail would bring. I mean, the Hundred Mile Wilderness was talked about as a remote, disconnected section of the trail that seemed to be shrouded in mystery. It was the final push to the final mountain. Would anyone else be on trail? Would I feel completely isolated? How ‘wild’ was wild, really?
I didn’t anticipate seeing too many other hikers once I got Monson. Afterall, Mace had been one of the only consistent faces I’d seen for a good chunk of time. I knew there were a couple of people ahead of us because they wrote in the log books at the shelter, but it also seemed like we were the absolute tail end of the bubble. Still, I hoped that some kind of group formed within the Hundred Miles Wilderness for a last AT hurrah.
The top of the climb was cold and wet, so we sent a few quick texts and checked for weather since we had cell service, and then quickly headed down. Mace’s parents were in town to support him for his final push, so he coordinated a pickup time with them for when we arrived at the trailhead.
The rest of the day was pretty unremarkable, with the sky occasionally spitting rain at us. The trail snaked alongside a river for a good portion and was mostly flat, making the miles fly by. There were a few water crossings that had the potential to be dangerous in a high water year, but we were able to rock-hop them and keep our feet dry. Mace and I split up so that we could go at our own pace, but found each other again during the last few miles of the day. Our last water crossing could’ve required taking shoes off, but I decided to walk through, shoes and all, since I could dry them out once I got to the hostel.
Before we knew it, we reached the road that led to Monson. It was only about 4 pm, so Mace and I decided to walk the 1 mile (uphill!) instead of waiting for his parents. Just as we were approaching the town, a white SUV pulled up. It was Mace’s parents! After introducing myself, they drove us the last 0.2 miles to Shaw’s, which, even though it was only a minute or so of driving, was a nice treat and saved a few steps.
Mace was going to stay with his parents, so I said my goodbyes and entered the famous Shaw’s Hiker Hostel. And there were so many people there! Someone called my name from one of the windows, and as I peered up, I realized it was Lucky! I had met him and Giggles way back in CT. Wow! As I got settled in, more familiar faces popped up. Steady Eddie, Milk, Van Gogh and Riley, Packrat, Limpkin, and more! I was sooooo happy to see everyone.
My heart was so warmed being surrounded with people from so many stages of my hike. I’d met all of these people at different stages in my hike, both while I was dealing with difficult problems and when I was feeling my best. I had memories of chatting by the fire or eating pizza in town. We shared our triumphs and our aches and pains with each other. Seeing all of them in one place was like seeing a full picture of my journey on the trail.
And at the same time, I saw their journeys. Although I didn’t know everything that each hiker had gone through, I recognized that each and every one of us had worked so hard to get to that point. And even though everyone’s hike didn’t look the same, we were all here having hiked thousands of miles and having overcome much more than we ever thought we would have. It was such a sweet time, I didn’t want to let it go.
I got to bed a bit later than I had anticipated because I was so eager to catch up and reflect with others on all that we had been through, but eventually it was time for me to turn in. As I snuggled into my bed, a wide grin spread across my face as I realized that this was my last night in a hostel on the AT. On my next night in town, I would be a successful AT thru hiker. Crazy!
And that’s day 185.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.