Maine

Written by: Katherine ‘Ringleader’ Imp

Our journey to Maine has been anything but perfect. There have been extreme highs and extreme lows, some moments I wish I could relive, and others I wish I could forget. But I’m not sure I would’ve done it any other way. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: people have all different reasons for doing a thru-hike. For me, it was not about ‘leaving’ society, or finding myself, or being alone, or accomplishing a physical challenge. I love society, I know who I am and what I want to do with my life, I like being around people, and I’ve never really had a passion for proving myself athletically. I came out here because I wanted to be shocked. I wanted something different. I wanted an experience that would help me see the world, and myself, in a new and totallydifferent way.

The first 2 months of this trip were probably some of the worst moments of my life. My body hated me and I hated my body. I was looking for external satisfaction from the thru-hiker community, from Emily and Brandon, from the trail — and I wasn’t finding it. I wanted to leave and work at a B&B in the Greek Islands.

But I stayed.

I stayed because I wanted to understand why so many people rave about thru-hiking. And I knew that I would never understand the power of a thru-hike unless I stuck it out to the end.

Maine. We are in Maine. We are 15 miles from the 2,000-mile marker. We are 10 days away from summiting Mt. Katahdin. I am 13 days away from moving to my favorite city in the world. I am 14 days away from starting my career as a lawyer. I am 25-yrs-old.

These days the trip is purely introspective for me. I don’t need trail magic or music or social interaction or motels or ice cream to keep me going. I don’t even need a mountaintop view. I just feel high on life all the time. I feel accomplished. I feel satisfied. I am at peace.

I now understand the power of a thru-hike.