Northern Leg Complete
From the Abol Bridge. This is the view after emerging from the 100-mile Wilderness.
It took four months and 25 days, but my trek from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to Mount Katahdin, Maine is done.
Tim ready to hike Katahdin.
Perfect Hiking Day
The summit was windy, with clouds trying to photo bomb us.
Profile of the AT’s Hunt Trail on Mt. Katahdin.
Monk and Bear stow away in the backpack to climb Katahdin.
I have aching knees, numerous scrapes, and plenty of sore muscles. I also have a multitude of memories that will remain after the pain fades.
Time will provide some perspective on this trip, which means I’ll have at least one more post about the northbound hike.
For now, know that I couldn’t have persevered without the support — practical and emotional — that all of you supplied.
Boulder field. There were 2 miles of boulders to overcome on this climb.
This is when you know you have work to do to gain your reward.
Maris and I are driving back to South Carolina, which will give me some reflection time. Meanwhile, we’ve included many shots of our adventures in Maine for you to enjoy.
TJL
Posted in Uncategorized by Tim Liszewski with 2 comments.
Reflections From Maris
Greetings All ,
I flew into Bangor, ME on Saturday (9/26) and rented a car. The plan was to rendezvous with Tim at the Abol Bridge and Campground trail head, a location that was deep in Baxter State park. I had no idea where I was going or how to get there except that it was outside a town called Millinocket. I had made reservations at the Appalachian Trail Lodge
Please don’t feed the bears, but a drink’s okay!
unsure if Tim would be finished with the 100 miles wilderness, but was confident that we would meet up somehow.
On my hour and a half drive to Millinocket, I received a call from Tim stating that he was out of the woods, had lucked out on a ride and would meet me at the Lodge in Millinocket. Yeah, what a relief! He was safe and I wouldn’t have to find my way to some remote spot in the dark.
Monk tells Berry Bear and the others what they’ve missed.
We reunited and had a delicious dinner at the Appalachian Trail Cafe. The Cafe has a tradition of Through-Hikers signing the ceiling tiles at the completion of their hike. It was very fun to see Kyle’s (Shortbus) name there as well as other hikers Tim met along the way.
Class of 2015 Through- Hiker Tile at the AT cafe.
Tim decided not to summit Saturday as planned since the hike through the Wilderness had taken a little longer than expected. He wanted to clean up, eat up and rest up before his final mountain climb of the trip. Sunday was a beautifully clear, sunny, warm day. Tim and I decided to take a short (for him) 4-mile hike so I could see some of the Maine woods.
Time and Carebear ready to take a hike.
We took a picnic lunch with us on our hike and in the middle of a wooded glen we had a picnic and…he proposed! I gave him a book of Thich Nhat Hanh’s called ‘True Love’ and asked him to marry me! We both said yes!
Tim and the kids enjoy a picnic lunch with a surprise for Tim.
And then he had a surprise for me. We’re engaged!
A little back story to the engagement ring: A week ago Tim sent a package home with instructions to me not to open until his return. He asked me to bring it along to Maine. The package was an engagement ring he had bought in Rangely, Maine and had sent home so it would not get lost. The ring is sterling silver with two bands running parallel which then overlap.
The hike and the ring are a great way to visualize his trek and how our paths have also run parallel and overlapped. The Blueberry Ledges Trail that we hiked on Sunday had a little taste of what he had experienced hiking the AT — we rock hopped steep granite boulders, scrambled across streams and walked some smooth, even paths through fields of blueberry bushes. Unfortunately, all the bushes were stripped of their berries by hikers and other wildlife.
We hike Blueberry Ledges trail in Baxter state park. 4.4 miles.
Sunday night we stayed at a wonderful Inn called Parks Edge Inn in Millinocket. Our room was a 3-bedroom suite with full kitchen, bath and living room. It even had free wi-fi and cable. We were pretty tired out from our hike and had a yummy dinner of a double order of ribs (for Tim) and spinach lasagna for me at the AT Cafe.
We went to bed early so we could get up at 6 AM in preparation for Tim to start his 10.4-mile hike to summit and descend Mt. Katahdin.
Posted in Uncategorized by Tim Liszewski with 1 comment.