Into the Final Two: New Hampshire & Maine
Hey all! I’m sitting in the “Free and Public” library in Rutland, Vermont, staying the night in The Inn at the Long Trail in order to resupply, iron out a couple of minor gear issues, giving my right knee a day of non-hiking, etc. Rain and mud have factored heavily into the hike recently and after a couple of days of respite, the forecast has us back in the precip for the next 4-5 days. On a related note, the final 100 miles of the AT that lead up to the northern terminus at Mount Katahdin are effectively closed right now due to heavy recent rain and flooding. Similarly, the canoe-ferry hikers must use to cross the Kennebec River is out of service for the same reason, so it’s possible I may be forced to skip that section and jump from Monson (the final trail town in Maine just before the 100 mile wilderness) up to Mount Katahdin. We’ll see how that goes.
The hike continues to be fun and rewarding, though I’m at that point one reaches toward the end of a long project where half of me is glad to be nearing completion (less than 500 miles to go) and half is sad for it to end. My right knee is getting a bit worse and is definitely in the “glad to be nearly done” camp. Out of the 14 states an AT hiker transverses, I’ll be finished with Vermont (#12) in two days when I hike into Hanover, New Hampshire on my way into the White Mountains. Most hikers agree that the final two states (New Hampshire and Maine) are the most difficult hiking states on the AT and I agree with that assessment. As such, I’m expecting the pace I’ve been keeping will slow- perhaps considerably- given the increased pain and stiffness I’m feeling in that right knee, but we’ll see how it goes.
Identical spot, 2023. Hiker t-shirt caption: “Happiness Does Have a Smell”
I feel like I should have something more profound to say after so many miles on trail, but mostly I’m just grateful for all I’ve seen, for still being in good health and for the beautiful hiking still in front of me. For those interested, I’ve posted a spate of new videos to my YouTube Channel (see videos #115-124) so be sure to check those out. My sincere wishes to all of you for a great summer and hopefully I’ll get the chance to do another update or two before the end of the hike. Love and peace, Max