Rain, Mud, Tough Hiking
If you’ve been following my thru-hike for a while, you may have picked up on the fact that I’ve been moving quite a bit faster on this hike than previous walks, something I didn’t expect but that has built up my confidence and made me feel that the years of trail experience I’ve accumulated have paid off. It’s probably fair to say I’d been patting myself on the back a bit with how well it had been going. But then came the rain and mud in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The last few weeks have left my confidence shaken, reminding me that there are no legitimate claims to cockiness in the face of severe weather and challenging trail conditions. The recent days have been an extended lesson in humility and fortitude and I haven’t exactly passed the exams with flying colors.
All that said, I’m still out here, with 220 miles remaining in a 2200 mile hike, so it’s precisely 90% complete. Apparently the rain, mud and flooding woes have made the national news so I’m guessing those reading this are aware of how challenging it’s been, but in all honesty, I’ve come very close to quitting the hike several times recently. There’s nothing like continued- borderline relentless- rain to dampen your resolve and make you long for the faces and comforts of home. Today I’m hiding out in Rangeley, Maine at the Saddleback Inn. It’s been raining steadily since early morning and I couldn’t be happier to be off trail today. I’ll be back on again early tomorrow morning, the final push to the final trail town (Monson, Maine). My daily mileage has dropped considerably over the past couple of weeks as I’ve contended with the weather and the steepest and most challenging terrain on the entire trail.
I hope you all enjoy the pictures I’ve collected here, along with the new videos (130-152) on my YouTube channel. Finally, I was also briefly interviewed on another hiker’s YouTube channel (Happiest Known Time), so if you’re interested in that, it starts at 1:25 of this video link. All the best to you and yours, Max!
P. S. : this may end up being the final post before the end of my hike, but one way or another I’ll do at least one more to clarify how and when this hike ends.