We finished,summiting Katahdin on Sept 9th, 2011!!!

Hi all,

We finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, summiting Katahdin on September, 9th 2011!  Sorry for not updating the blog in months :).  We were focusing all of our time on finishing the trail and then driving cross-country so Becky could get to graduate school on time, in California!  However as promised here are a couple stories and pictures to give you a sense of the last month of our AT adventure.

The Twins on the top of Katahdin! Normally goals such as these are so anticlimactic, but Mt Katahdin could not have been a more beautiful and powerful finish.

These are just a sample of the boulders we had to climb over to reach the top of Katahdin.

 

Hurricane Irene added a bit more adventure to our already crazy AT journey.  As you can see the stream crossings were a bit technical!  Also, most of the trails turned into streams, so we did not have dry boots for the last 2 weeks of the AT.

Here's another sketchy river crossing.  The river was too deep to cross, so we crawled over the log! 

In order to finish on time, we hiked from sunrise to sunset!

 Some of our favorite times were spent inside our tent.  After all it was our home for a full 5 months.  Becky jokes that she might have to set it up in her room in CalTech if she gets too stressed out:)

The lakes are gorgeous in Maine.  After 5 months of rain, heat, and a couple river dunkings my camera is on the edge of life; however, trust us, the beauty of the AT is unbelievable.

 

The mahoosuc notch is a 1 mile stretch that typically takes hikers 3 hours to complete.  One outward bound group took 11 hours to complete this 1 mile stretch of trail, because it was raining.  We survived! 

Ohhh, the view less rainy summits. 

Rainy mountains are beautiful in their own way, but when it's sunny, you can't help smiling the entire day!

Ohhh, our epic falls.  Neither one of us is a particularly balanced hiker even after 2000 miles.  Luckily we escaped with only a couple bruises and scratches.

In order to pass the time, in between dreaming about ice cream, we liked to come up with wacky songs. Here's a sample.
*Mama K is what some thru-hikers call Katahdin

A Hiker's Full Belly (To the tune of Wagon Wheel) by Maple and Oak

Heading up north to the land of the rain,
Hiking our way from Georgia to Maine.
Staring up the trail, praying to see moose.
Made up the coast in thousands of hours,
Climbing up mountains and smelling the flowers
Hoping to God that we'll see Katahdin soon.
(Chorus)
Oh rock me mama like a hiker's full belly,
Rock me mama like a sky so sunny.
Hey Mama K*, rock me.
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain,
Rock me mama like uneven terrain,
Hey Mama K, rock me.

Runnin' from suburbia and a boxed in life,
Born to be livin' on the edge of a knife,
Maple has the heart, Oak has the soul.
Ohh that materialistic world was getting us down,
So we threw on our packs and hiked out of town,
We ain't livin' that life no moooore.
(chorus)

Got caught in the whites for a bit too long.
The power of those mountains, hiking fast seemed wrong.
But now were heading north to the land of the lakes, where the spring water tastes like tea?
But we gotta get a move on before the sun,
Because Katahdin's calling our name and were starting to run,
And if we die trying at least we'll die freeee.
(Chorus)



So there it is a glimpse into our life as an AT hiker.  Overall it was definitely the most grueling activity in our lives, but by far the most rewarding.  Yes, on the AT you are always thinking of Katahdin and the next town stop full of ice cream.  However, to keep your sanity you have to grow to love the small beautiful memories along the way.  In life, there's no need to constantly strive to be the best... Its ok to sit next to a lake realizing that this is where you're suppose to be in life a smelly decaying mushroom on one side and your twin sister on the other.  

Thanks for all of your support and well wishes on this adventure!!

Best,

Amanda and Becky (Oak and Maple)