Day 191
Start: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
End: Abol Pines
Miles Hiked: 15.1
Miles on AT: 2182.4
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I didn’t get the best sleep last night. No, it wasn’t because I was overly excited about reaching Abol Bridge today or coming up with ideas about how to celebrate my upcoming Katahdin summit. Instead, those darn trees kept creaking in the wind, making me paranoid about falling branches or, even worse, a falling tree. Still, I got up, packed up, and joined the rest of the crew by the shelter.
This morning’s fire was a bit weak, so I spent some time tending to it, building up its strength. I didn’t plan on spending a lot of time hanging around camp this morning, but somehow two hours passed and I was still there. The people, the conversations, the stories; they were all too good to leave behind. A couple celebrating their anniversary had camped near us and brought us a kettle of hot coffee to drink, perfect for a chilly Maine morning. The atmosphere was filled with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and relaxation. We weren’t that far from the end, might as well enjoy the little time we had left.
After a while, I decided it was my time to get hiking. There were no large climbs today, but it would still take me a number of hours to get to Abol Pines. The day was windy and chilly, but the sun did try to peek out from behind the clouds a few times. Everyone was concerned about the weather forecast; today was supposedly a good day to summit, but tomorrow called for high wind, clouds, and possible snow on Katahdin. The day after that was supposed to be slightly less windy, but with clear skies and a windchill in the teens. We all hoped that would hold true.
I ran into a few people on the trail today. Two of them had been at the campfire last night but had left to do a little bit of night hiking. I found them heading SOBO, but they immediately realized their mistake and turned around when they say me coming. Hey, you can still get turned around on the AT even when you’ve made it this far!
Up on a rocky hill that provided some of the last cell service in the area, I had lunch and soaked in a few sun rays while taking in another perfect view of Katahdin. There she was! I thought about the people that were up there summiting right now. What was it like? Was it everything they hoped it would be? How was the weather? Despite the clouds moving swiftly across the sky, the top of Katahdin remained shrouded in a cloud.
Before I knew it, I had reached Golden Road, that famous road that ushered me into Baxter State Park. Greeting me was a sign with a most glorious message: trail magic! There were still people looking out for us late hikers. As I crossed Abol Bridge and looked up, the sight of Katahdin took my breath away. I made it! I’d come this far and now this majestic mountain stood right in front of me. As I soaked the moment in, my eyes filled with tears. Gratitude swept through me. With the help of so many people and positive forces, I traversed this often difficult and life-altering moment, and now I was here at the very end. I could hardly believe it.
When I found the trail magic, I had to laugh in disbelief. I had heard about him before, but the Watchman’s setup didn’t disappoint. He had a blue 4 door car that he traveled around in and made hot food for people on the back of its trunk. I knew going into the experience that I was taking a risk with my gut health, but, at this point, I didn’t care too much. I just hoped my stomach was strong enough to stay happy for 2 more days.
While I was eating my specially-made ham and egg sandwich, a familiar group showed up. Sassy, Gripper, 3Cheeks, and Eggz and Bacon were all here. I couldn’t believe it! This was another reunion that I hadn’t seen coming at all. They were also camped at Abol Pines and were planning to summit the same day I was.
That night, we all sat around a hot roaring campfire, drinking beers, eating snacks, and sharing our last trail stories. The Watchman joined us, too, pulling up his car and providing more snacks to keep us going. Eggz even caught a small fish and cooked it up for us to taste (it was excellent, by the way). At the end of the night, it was just me and another guy named Unicorn sitting around the fire. His story was super unique, as suggested by his name. He hiked the whole trail on a carnivore diet and basically ate only one large meal a day. He had started fasting and keto about 5 years ago, lost one hundred pounds, and reversed his prediabetes. And now, he was about to complete the trail fueled by meat, eggs, and cheese. Needless to say, I was impressed.
After a while, it was time for us to turn in. Wanting to get an early start tomorrow so I could secure a spot at the Birches for the next night, I opted for the shelter since it meant fewer items to break down and pack up. I only had two more sleeps until Katahdin. Crazy!
And that’s day 191.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.