Day 162, Saturday-9/12/09
Bird, 15.0 miles hiked, 2161.1 miles from Springer
Today was Mama Bear’s last day….. her thru-hike ended at the end of the day today. (Dogs aren’t allowed in Baxter State Park, not even in a car!) She’s ready and I’m so proud of her. She’s a thru-hiker!
Even though this is our last day of “real” hiking (no full backpacks), today still seemed very long. We’re very low on food and anxious for a shower. The terrain was very decent today so we got to Abol Bridge rather fast. An AT caretaker is staffed there for any questions about Baxter and to sign people in for the Birches, a campground just for thru-hikers at the base of Katahdin. The maximum number of hikers they allow there is twelve. My parents are coming tomorrow so we can finish our trek; dog free.
We pushed through the Wilderness a day earlier than originally planned. So we hitched to Millinocket to wait for my parents there. In Millinocket the Trails End festival was going on and we were able to score free tenting; our last night in the tent. We walked the festival and got some great pizza. We saw lots of hiker friends who are, “official thru-hikers” now. We walked back towards the tent and stopped off at Ruthies for a few beers. We ended our night chatting with Ruthie herself, her brother, her brother-in-law, and her husband. It was a good time.
# Limbo, 2161.1 miles
OUT OF THE WOODS
Well, this is it….. we’re all but done. We walked out of the 100 Mile Wilderness today to Abol Bridge. All that’s left is Mt. Katahdin. Mama Bear can go no further according to Baxter State Park regulations, so we’re waiting for Bird’s folks to meet us, then we’ll officially finish.
Ending a thru-hike is like running into a wall. It’s not gradual….. it just ends. You’re in hiker mode, 100% , head down, pushing miles, and you look up to see Katahdin right in front of you and you realize it’s all over. The reality of it would be like Columbus being wrong and the world being flat. A long tuff journey only to end in an abrupting abyss….. Well it’s not quite that dramatic….. but it’s pretty weird.
