Appalachian Trail, Week 4…
(at Goose Eye Mountain)
The ‘Main’e Challenge
"As I loiter at a picnic table outside a grocery store in Rangeley, Maine, I think about the mental and physical fortitude it requires to be in this position and the strength it will take to push forward. After tackling Mahoosuc Notch— commonly referred to as the hardest mile on the Appalachian trail— I contended with endless miles of roots, boulders, and mud to get to the spot I’m in right now. While some may say that my journey will get easier after this point, the cold— an unchanging, uncontrollable force of nature— is making its way into the mountains of Maine. I can deal with most physical challenges that present themselves, but the mental challenge presented by the cold will be my biggest opponent on the way to Katahdin. Although I fear the frostbitten mornings and frozen nights, I realize now that being uncomfortable is simply a step that must be taken to complete the journey of a lifetime. I am tackling alpine mountains and endless lakes this week, but I am soon approaching the one-hundred mile wilderness and the final stretches of the trail!
With pure isolation and great conversation, Katahdin here I come"
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