1,500 Miles!
Today was our last day of hiking for this round of Trekking. Amicus has to go back to work. I have to move across the state for medical school. Unfortunately, just as spring is arriving on the Trail, begging us to stay, the real world comes knocking and demands that we leave. It was a beautiful day and we hiked 14 miles. One of the longest days this month. Within those 14 miles was the end of the Connecticut section of the AT and the beginning of Massachusetts.
Welcome to Massachusetts. Where hopefully we don't have so many silly rules about where you can and can not go in our State Parks.
We saw a huge owl this morning. It swooped down onto the Trail in front of us and killed something. Then it saw us coming and proceeded to stare us down from a tree right above our heads until we had walked passed it. I think it was worried that we were going to steal its breakfast. Later in the morning, we came across about a mile or a mile and a half of Trail that was completely charred. It still smelled like a campfire, so it had been burned recently. Even more interestingly, there were miles of firehose curled up alongside the trail, and a 500 gallon plastic reservoir (complete with a small pump in a nearby creek that kept it full) in a clearing in the middle of it all. Clearly something happened here. Whether it was a contraband fire (campfires are illegal on the AT in Connecticut) that got out of hand, or a planned, controlled burn for ecological reasons, I do not know. The smell of smoke was still thick in the air though, so I'm very glad we didn't happen to be hiking this section of Trail yesterday.
Scorched Trail
The second half of our hike was pretty difficult. It included two big climbs, one up Mount Everett, which was over 2,000 feet in elevation, and the only time this month that we've climbed that high. The ascents seemed to go on and on. There were lots of false summits, or high points that seem to level off so you think you've reached the top, only to round a corner and reveal that you have several hundred more feet to climb. I have to admit though, some of the views were spectacular. Just like last October, it's almost as if the Trail knows we have to leave today, and was sending us off with something amazing to remember her by.
Last Climb
It took us 9 hours to hike our last 14 miles. We definitely took our time. We stopped at every overlook, pretty view, interesting sign and babbling brook. The fact that I have a small cold probably contributed to the multiple breaks, but I was glad for the chance to savor the day. Somehow, this ending isn't quite as emotional as our last ending. Maybe it's because my Trail Angel isn't with me this time, so I feel like my team is incomplete. Maybe it's because we were here one month instead of five, and hiked 200 miles at once instead of 1,300. Maybe it's because I'm becoming accustomed to meeting the Trail in these spurts. One thing is for sure, it is not for lack of love of what I'm doing. Just like last time, as I stomped down the final hill, there was no epiphany. I still haven't "found myself" on the Trail. But once again, I feel like maybe my "self" was never lost at all. I am so proud to be here. So proud to have done this, to have the ability to do this, to have an amazing family that supports me in doing this. It is time, once again, to thank everyone who follows this for tagging along with me on this incredible adventure. I have absolutely no idea when I will be able to come back out here. Maybe I will have a few more weeks to trek before I start the next great adventure of my life at medical school. Maybe it will be a year from now. But I know the Trail will be waiting. And again, I leave with a promise to return. Like a childhood friend who loves you unconditionally, no matter how much time you spend apart, I know we will greet each other again soon and pick up right where we left off, like nothing ever changed between us. I am blessed. This world is beautiful. Life is beautiful. And I've only begun to dig my toes into the surface of it.
Nano and Amicus. Adventure Friends Always.
Miles from Springer: 1,503.4
Miles from Katahdin: 674.6
Quote of the Month (Paraphrased from a wise man name Whitman)
As like the last time I feel like I was with you on the journey that I will never make. Thank you for all the updates and information along the way and we all welcome you both back home.
ReplyDeleteWhat a touching post for the last leg of this hike. Once again you show a great deal of insight and wisdom for someone your age. Glad you and Amicus are back safe.
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