[The following post was written the morning of July 4th, just prior to entering the 100 mile wilderness].
According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 90% of people who attempt the AT choose the northbound route. One of the reasons is that Maine is considered the toughest section and Katahdin (northen terminus) the toughest single day hike. The AT is long, but when you’re walking it, its simply a long series of day hikes-with very infrequent bathing showers but lots of rain showers.
So, in taking the SOBO route (Southbound) I tackled Katahdin first. It’s a 10 mile climb- not really a typical hike- and for the record, I’ll never do it again. So glad I have the biggest single-day challenge of the trail behind me.
Yesterday was another 10 miles through a mixture of dry land and swamp, with swarms of newborn mosquitos from the downpour of the previous evening. Had to cross 4 or 5 streams that ended up being calf to knee high wading. Huge downpour last night so I just packed up a wet tent for today, as I begin what is called “the hundred mile wilderness” and as it implies, I don’t think I’ll have cell reception during that time, so I’ll be out of touch for the next week to 10 days, depending on pace. Am nursing some serious blisters on my heels as the result of swapping shoes about a week before leaving. The new ones are much stronger, but rub my heels in new spots.

The picture above tells the story: Springer Mountain, Georgia is 2155 miles away.

Typical “White Blaze” marking the AT