On October 15th, Nadine and I reached the end of our grand journey at the summit of Mount Katahdin. It took us 6 months, 1 week, and 1 day to hike the 2189.1 miles of the Appalachian Trail, through 14 states, from Georgia to Maine.

We’ve hiked through all four season as the wilderness grew around us from a brown, leafless landscape in Georgia, to a green tunnel of foliage in Virginia, and then back again with the most remarkable fall colors we’ve ever witnessed in Maine. We’ve encountered countless walks of life, both big and small, as we trekked north including frogs, toads, mice, squirrels, otters, grouse, owls, coyotes, deer, bears, and moose. We’ve experienced generosity from total strangers at ever stop along the trail, some even welcoming us into their homes to forget the tribulations of the trail for an evening. We’ve met countless new friends along the way that have helped us persevere when times were tough and will forever be a part of our lives. We’ve smiled and laughed, screamed and fought, cried tears of both joy and frustration, but here we are at the end of this long adventure.

This journey is one we’ll never forget and, who knows, we may even repeat some day in the future. For the time being, however, we’re putting our feet up to rest and enjoying the simple luxuries of modern living. That is, until we grow bored, once again, and head out on our next grand adventure.

On a side note, it has been difficult keeping up with the blog while, at the same time, maintaining focus on the goal of Katahdin. We have, however, been keeping meticulous notes on our daily itinerary and experiences, as well as, taking hundreds of photos along the way. In the next few months, we plan to continue updating this blog with our adventures from the Appalachian Trail as well as past adventures. If you’d like to follow along, please remember to check back often or subscribe to get reminders when we add new posts.