It has been almost 3 weeks since I reached the summit of Mount Katahdin! I pushed long days to make sure I got home in time for my cousin’s wedding in the middle of September. It is hard to summarize Maine in one little blog post, but I can see why so many hikers claim this to be one of their favorite states! The state of Maine claims approximately 270 miles of the overall Appalachian Trail distance. With the remoteness of the hike, lack of phone service, and pushing longer days, I had to delay doing this post. I’m going to write up this blog post a little different than previous ones, by categorizing it into different topics.
SUPPORTERS
I have had amazing supporters throughout the entire hike, but there were so many in Maine. I felt so lucky to have the help of these people since the trail is pretty rugged and remote over this stretch. I was greeted to homemade paella at my first stop as we toasted the hike overlooking the trail in the distance. This stop was so nice that I decided to take a zero day! Unfortunately, I had acquired quite the head cold after staying in one of the huts near Mount Washington in The Whites so needed a day of rest. I stayed in several hostels while in Maine, the most memorable being The Cabin, which is one of the oldest on the entire trail, they even have a table signed by Earl Schaffer! I did feel guilty at times when other hikers were asking me how I was getting into town and where I was staying since logistics were pretty tricky in parts of Maine, as much as I wanted to invite them with me, we aren’t allowed to invite people to our supporters of the Warrior Expedition program. I even had the opportunity to slack pack the first 30 miles of the 100 mile wilderness since my supporters knew the back roads and lived in the area. One of my rainiest days was in the 100 mile wilderness…. As luck would have it my supporter picked me up and brought me back to her house! I had the luxury of a home-cooked meal, laundry, and a warm bed instead of setting up camp in a downpour.
TERRAIN
Even though I had completed The Whites in New Hampshire by this point of the hike, Southern Maine is no joke! The first hundred miles of the state is still considered to be part of the technical 200, meaning steep elevation, rugged terrain, and rock scrambles. This part of the trail also contained the hardest one mile of the AT, The Mahoosic Notch. I think it took me about an hour and 20 minutes to go one mile, and that was in the rain! It was hard to capture the difficulty of it in photos, but there is a YouTube video link below if you want to watch what it’s like 🙂
A FEW MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES
Some of my favorite camp spots were in Maine. I had the opportunity to camp right on a pond with loons coming and going, next to a waterfall, and a few other favorites. There’s also a section of the trail in Maine where the “official trail” is actually about a 2 minute canoe ride across a river since there is no other way across. I completed over 2,000 miles in Southern Maine, and had under 200 to go before reaching the northern summit!
A SURPRISE GUEST IN THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS
Up until Maine I had been mostly hiking with two other thru hikers, Fire Goddess and Southern Exposure. Due to different time frames in wanting to get done, and different schedules, we parted ways upon entering the final state. It was a sad farewell, but I was also looking forward to some solitude as the end of my journey drew near. My solo time didn’t last long after I reached out to Allison, “ONWARD!!” who had previously spent the first week on the trail with me and has become a good friend over the last couple years, in fact I don’t know that I would have hiked the Appalachian Trail with Warrior Expeditions had it not been for her giving me a great recommendation! Believe it or not, she had just finished biking across the entire country from Washington DC on the East coast, all the way to Washington State on the west coast! She had only been home a few days when I reached out to her asking if she wanted to accompany me through the 100 mile wilderness and up to mount Katahdin! It was nice to have her with as I finished off my trek.
SUMMIT EVE AND SUMMIT DAY
The best way I can describe summit eve is like being a kid waiting for Christmas Day. We were super giddy and excited! We had made a reservation ahead of time to stay in a campground at the base of Mount Katahdin, we got very lucky in getting a site! These usually fill up months ahead of time. We maxed out the capacity and had 6 of us camping on one site. We had a rare treat, a bonfire that night! I don’t think any of us got much sleep as we eagerly anticipated the hard climb up Mount Katahdin early the following morning.
The hike up Mount Katahdin is considered one of the hardest of the entire trail. It is an extremely steep climb to the top with bars to hoist yourself up on, but what makes it even more difficult is the high winds threatening to blow you off. Luckily, we ascended as a group to hold each other accountable. We started the hike around 5:30 a.m. and reached Mount Katahdin around lunch time. It was overwhelming reaching the sign as we quickly snapped pictures in order to descend on a different trail and catch a ride back to the campground where our gear was waiting for us. Just as I was about ready to head down I heard a voice….”Feather Blue, is that you?!” I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I recognized Grandpa Fuzzy, a fellow through hiker who I hadn’t seen since before the halfway point of Harpers Ferry, we gave each other a hug and he broke down into tears as he made his way to the highly anticipated sign. I didn’t think I would actually see him again as he had hiked ahead of me, but he stopped and waited for his family so they could accompany him to the northern terminus, it was so nice to see him one last time and chat as we hiked down to the campground.
NOT SO FINAL FAREWELL
The days following my Mount Katahdin summit were fast but fun! Allison hung around to serve as my personal chauffeur 😂 We stayed at a really cute B&B about an hour from Baxter State Park where we had an awesome breakfast, and then took off towards Portland, Maine the next day. She treated me to my victory meal! It was the best (and only) lobster mac and cheese I have ever had! It was so heavy and rich that I saved the rest to pig out on at the hotel later that night. I then flew home really early the next morning ✈️…..Stay tuned for one final blog post, “Life after The Appalachian Trail.” Upon returning home to Minnesota, I was contacted by a podcaster who wanted to interview me about my experience. It should air later this week!
Hiking Through with Feather Blue 
I have truly enjoyed reading of your adventure, what an accomplishment one you will remember and relish for many years to come. Not many folks can claim to taking on this adventure and completing it. Thanks for sharing
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Thank you Sue! Sorry I didn’t share a little more, it was hard to keep up with a blog while on the trail, but I will be posting the link to the podcast later this week 🙂
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Love this Shannon!!! Point me to your podcast once it is avail. -Tab
Sent from my iPhone
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Roger that Tabitha! It was a bit out of my comfort zone so I’m sure I don’t sound the most confident lol, but I will send out the link once I have it 🙂
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