AT 2025 🥾🏕️

‼️Mile 2198.5‼️
Today, around noon, I stood at the top of Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Elevation 5247ft. For merely half an hour, the clouds that had shrouded the mountain all morning parted, seemingly just for us, revealing a breathtaking panorama of the Maine wilderness below. It felt like the mountain was giving me one final gift of trail magic. Simply breathtaking.

We took the standard AT Hunt Trail up which was bustling with weekend hikers. Admittedly their chatter distracted me and smothered my own quiet sense of anticipation at times, but I remained calm and focused. I’ve worked so hard to arrive exactly here over the course of 4 months.

I was not sure how I would feel standing on that iconic summit sign… in a sense I was watching a movie simply playing the main character of my own life. It didn’t feel entirely real. I was trying so hard to be present but I was vacillating between deep appreciation of the moment and outright disbelief that it was all over at the same time. My thoughts spiraled around relief, of course. I don’t complain much but my body is tired, my feet battered… I bruised my hip the other night in a fall and it’s still raw… but here I am somehow at the top! What an amazing accomplishment, truly! I’m also undeniably disoriented. After months of being out in the woods the so-called “real world” feels so foreign now. Adjusting back will take time, and I’m going to do my best to honor myself as I embrace the life I know and love back home. I miss my people and I’m so excited to share and looking forward to seeing everyone soon. I’ve been so fortunate to have their support throughout all of this! ❤️❤️

On the mountain top we took a nice break to enjoy the view and celebrate Joey’s birthday with surprise snacks. We had to keep it somewhat short though, because there was a 4hour window to get to the bottom to meet our shuttle driver. 😬 no worries, we made it!

We decided coming down via the Abol Trail would be a welcome diversion (and quieter) …but it also proved to be quite challenging: steep, technical, and full of scrambling… really a fittingly rugged way to close out such an awesome journey.

Hands down what really made this hike special were the people I encountered. My trail family carried me through the low points and made the high points even higher. Let’s not forget mother nature’s influence… for months I’ve been appreciating these fascinating forests as my home and it was both undeniably beautiful and full of surprises. So many amazing plants, animals, landscapes, waterfalls, etc. Ironically, I didn’t see a single moose during the entire hike until the drive home, leaving Baxter State Park. It was a young guy but still massive, beautiful, and somehow perfectly timed … just like trail magic!

For me finishing the Appalachian Trail isn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It’s about knowing what matters and having the courage to prioritize it. Life doesn’t always hand us the time or the circumstances so we have to create our own opportunities before it’s too late. Big rewards like this require significant sacrifice and support. I have such gratitude to the people in my life who believed in me and helped to make this achievement possible.

If I could leave future hikers or readers with one piece of advice, it’s this: nobody else is going to set your priorities for you. That’s your job. And it helps to set a few layers of nested/related goals for yourself so when circumstances change, you can still focus on the ones that keep things moving forward.

Thank you for following me on this long, beautiful, unforgettable walk. I guess it’s time to find the next summit!Lue lisää