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Afterword

I've gone through my gear list pages and updated those items that I changed out or sent home during the hike.  I wasn't able to accurately weigh my gear on the trail, but in towns where I did find scales, my pack weight stayed close the weight listed.  Overall, with winter gear, 2 liters of water and 4 days of food, I carried about 35 pounds.  With summer gear, that dropped to around 30 pounds.  Many days I carried only a liter of water, and when I entered a town I had no food at all, so the pack weight could be as low as 25 pounds in the summer.  Other hikers carried less gear or even lighter gear items than I, some had base pack weights as low as 12 pounds.  It all depends on what you as a hiker want to carry to make your outing safe, comfortable and memorable.  See you out there!

Closing Note

On March 15th of this year, I shouldered my pack, said 'Until soon' to my good friend Diane, and walked into the Georgia woods.  I knew no one on the trail at the time, but I was certain that I would be meeting and making new friends. Excitement, joy and a bit of anxiety charged my initial steps.  I was excited to be back on a trail I had last tried to hike in 2007.  Joy filled me because I recognized landmarks from eight years earlier and I knew that I was restarting an adventure that I would remember for the rest of my life.  I would be meeting people of almost all ages, from different backgrounds and even from other countries. All of us would be united in a common goal; walk this year's Appalachian Trail mileage of 2189.2 miles in one hiking season.  Some of us had walked the AT, or parts of it, prior to this year, most of us had some backpacking experience, a few of us had done only some car camping.  But we would all do what we could to help each other meet the common goal. We would form a community in the woods.  Yet, I had some anxiety. I had stopped my 2007 hike due to an injury after a bad fall on a steep hill.  This year, the wet, cold weather seemed to hang on far too long into Spring.  I wondered if I really had what it would take to stay in the woods for six months regardless of weather, deprivation and sometimes loneliness.  Would injury end my effort and crush my dream again?

Nearly seven months have now passed since that cool March morning.  I have, as I expected, met many fine people and made a number of friendships on this journey.  I've revisited places I first saw in 2007, and caught up with friends from that adventure.  Family, friends, friends of friends and people I've not yet met have followed my progress from afar via Facebook and social networks and given me words of encouragement, comfort and hope. I've been remembered by people on the trail that I met in 2007; which has astounded me considering all the thousands of hikers who have attempted the trail over the last eight years.  I found again that I could find solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems and persevere in miserable conditions. That the simplicity needed to complete a long distance trail brings a certain peace of mind. That small things like a group of tiny red mushrooms on a bed of green moss can cause a feeling of awe every bit as intense as a towering mountain spiking into a brilliant blue sky. That friends are a resource of incredible strength. And that it is amazing how many different parts of your body can hurt at the same time after simply walking all day.

This trip has been pretty much what I had hoped it would be, a renewing journey of discovery.  To be sure, there were a number of times I felt like quitting and going home; but the wonders of the Trail and the encouragement I was given made the difference and kept me going.  The emotional support I've received has been wonderful and has buoyed me through tough times, especially wet days that seemed endless.

The reality that I have finally finished is still settling in, and it will be a bit until I feel comfortable in town surroundings again,  so if you see me backed up against a wall with a 'deer in the headlights' look on my face, it's okay, I'm just mentally still moving at walking speed.

To all of you who have reached out and touched me on this hike and my previous attempt, however remotely, thank you for the gift of your wonder, support and encouragement.  It has meant more than I can express, and has definitely ensured that I was able to complete my journey.  Thank you seems so trite, yet I don't know how to phrase it any stronger.  So, Thank you.

I'll be updating my site on Blogspot to catch up my journal entries and pictures, revise my gear list and post the final schedule.  I'll try to answer questions you may still have about the Trail. I also will be traveling yet a bit more to visit some of you. This trip has been a major divergence in my life and I need a little time to consider which road to travel from here. 

See you up the trail,
Bryan 'Binjali' McCullough

Binjalihiker.blogspot.com
Binjalihiker@aol.com

Pictures: Post summit

 

Baxter State Park trail log - we started up at 7:25am, and were back down at 3:09pm

Pace's mother in law, trail name "MIL"

Hiker "Ghost" - we found out later we both started from Springer on the same day!

Millinocket Maine hostel

Post summit

10/9/15 - Millinocket, ME
I ate breakfast at the local diner this morning with Buckles, Luigi and Kyley.   Pace came in late and said he'd heard from the Baxter SP ranger that starting tomorrow, they will be actively discouraging hikers from attempting to summit Katahdin.  So essentially we just made it.

We'll drive over to Monson later today, then tomorrow we'll hike the fifteen miles of trail in the 100 Mile Wilderness that we skipped last week due to the heavy rain.




10/10/15 - Monson, ME
Once again I had trouble sleeping last night.  I finally gave up around five this morning and started getting ready to hike.  At six, I headed next door to Pete's for breakfast and also ordered a to-go BLT sandwich for lunch.

Rebekah's husband Charlie dropped us off at Otter Pond road about eight.  The bog at the trailhead had dried a very small amount, so we still had to carefully pick our way through.  When we hit the AT, we turned south and started the final stretch of trail.

We had three creek fords within the first two miles. The water had dropped from last week, and reached only to our thighs, but it was very cold.  By the time we could cross a ten yard wide creek, our feet were completely numb.  No fun!

We met about fifteen NOBOs today, all entering the 100 Mile Wilderness.  It will take them nearly a week to get through, so it's iffy if they can summit at the end.  Good Luck gang!

The trail was pretty bad today.  Lots of roots and mud, and the elevation was a constant roller coaster.  The track wandered as if the planners had been chasing a drunk moose through the woods.  I was glad I was slack packing, it would be a very tough stretch with a fully loaded pack. It took me until five to finish, a distance which normally I'd have done by three or four. But it was the final section of trail, so I gritted my teeth, resolved to trash my shoes in town, and powered my way to the trailhead.

Tomorrow we leave the Trail for civilization.  Mac's mom will drive us to Portland and the airport.  We will stop at the LL Bean store in Freeport, then catch an afternoon showing of A Walk in the Woods, then go our separate ways.  It's been fun, but I'm ready to start for home.

Pictures: Summit Day!

Reaching the treeline and looking back into the 100 Mile Wilderness

Now the fun starts

Taken on the way down, but we had to climb it first

Looking back to the rebar rock scramble section

Looking up from the start of the Tableland section

Yes, and it stayed icy all day

What's that on the horizon, could it be?!

Can you see the sign?

Looking southeast from the peak

The famous sign

I made it!  Oct 8, 2015 11:01

Placing my rock from Springer Mountain

Summit Day!

10/8/15 - Summit Day, Appalachian Trail Lodge, Millinocket, ME
It didn't freeze last night at Katahdin Stream Campground, but the front did roll through. We had a nice campfire, but turned in early.  When I got up around midnight, the stars were so clear.  We really have had great weather this last week.

We were up at five thirty and on trail about seven thirty.  The first mile to Katahdin Stream Falls was the typical state park trail.  Then it turned into a slightly steeper grade with the usual roots and rocks.  Approaching the tree line, the trail turned bouldery, much like sections of the Whites.  After that, it became a technical rock scramble.  There's no way I would ever attempt it except in a day like today, dry and sunny.  The wind was a bit strong, and cold.  At a couple of places there were small 'L's of rebar hammered into the boulders.  The scramble often required maneuvering chest high obstacles.  The whole way up I was wondering, 'How am I going to get back DOWN?'.

About halfway up, the trail hits the Hunt Spur.  Still awful boulders, but it flattens a bit and the view back down is great.  Then the climb starts again, this time without the rebar.  The wind moderated a bit, but I was torn, I wanted gloves for my cold hands, but needed bare fingers to grip the rocks.  If the granite hadn't been dry, I'd have slipped a bunch.

Two thirds up, the trail flattens onto the Tablelands.  I stopped for a break; the rest of my group was somewhere below, I couldn't even hear them as usual.  I decided not to wait.  The trail crosses Thoreau Spring, which was iced over all day today despite the sun.  The final ridge looked so close, but I knew it was still a ways off.  As I was ascending the last ridge, I could see my group far below on the Tablelands.

At the summit, Ghost, Sourpatch and some section hikers had already arrived.  My group showed up and we spent an hour taking photos and admiring the clear view across Maine.  Then it was time to start down.  It had taken about three and half hours to ascend, it would take about three to get down.  We stayed pretty close together going down. 

At Katahdin Stream Falls, Mac's mother met us on the trail.  She had driven Mac and Pace to Springer back in March, and walked the mile to the summit with them.  Now, seven months later, she had walked a mile on the trail to lead them out.  So nice!  She brought snacks and champagne and we had a short celebration at the lean-to.  Then we loaded up the rental SUV, grabbed Ghost and Kyley and waved goodbye to Baxter State Park.  My knees hurt all the way to town.


Tomorrow is a rain day. We will wake late, eat breakfast and drive to Monson, where Rebekah at the Lakeshore House is waiting.  Then we will slack the final fifteen miles to finish this hike.