Final Letter: 7/5 and 7/6

29.6 I-can-walk-faster-than-you-can-bite miles today. The mosquitoes were horrible until the heat turned up, and I s’pose at that point they all went home. But no matter, I’m focused and the skeeters just accelerated me toward Katahdin.

Got some Trail Magic today — at lunch, which I took on one of Maine’s many scenic lake shores, a family was there. The father offered me a hot dog (which I politely declined), but I scored some brown mustard from him. Later, he saw I had finished my H20 and gave me a bottle of unopened “mountain spring water”. Hah! Later that day, another family was hanging out at the river, and the mom gave me two Oatmeal Creme Pies.

Saw another moose today. And I saw a deer — the first in quite some time.

In two days, my hike will be complete(d). For some reason, those words have no meaning. I’m not especially excited — one day at a time, I suppose.

7/6

33.0 takin’-it-easy-miles today. I stuck with Marathon all day, and despite his huge mile days he actually keeps a normal pace — slightly slower than mine. So I never felt like I was “pushing it” at all, which made for a very enjoyable day.

Right out of the gate we hiked up Nesuntabunt Mountain for a clear shot of Katahdin — she kept getting bigger and bigger as the day progressed. When we finally arrived at Abol Bridge and a clear shot of Katahdin, she was absolutely gigantic — easily the most breath-taking peak of the entire Trail.

Ten miles and another moose sighting later, Marathon and I pulled into the Ranger Station at the Katahdin Stream Campground to reserve a shelter for the night. After a bit of paperwork, I was informed that I was NOBO thru-hiker number 21 on the year.

We met a SOBO today, well, two of them who forewarned us of the treacherous mud and climbs ahead… boy, were they wrong. The following stretch of Trail was a walk in the park. I’ve found SOBOs to be quite ignorant — after all, they’ve done under 10% of the Trail (or less) by the time I hit them. But they seem to be unaware of their ignorance and inexperience. I laugh thinking of the wake-up call they’re about to receive.

Time to try to catch some winks — but I’m like a kid before Christmas morning! 5.2 miles left!