Around 9 p.m. on Sept. 6, I climbed off an empty bus in Gorham, New Hampshire, ready to begin the last gap of the Appalachian Trail that Iâd left unfinished during my thru-hike attempt last year.
I was dropped off at Libby House Hostel, set up my tent in the backyard and opened a box that Broccoli Rob had sent me. I was desperate to put on my winter gear, considering it was quite cold near the New Hampshire-Maine state line.
My stomach was in knots the next day. The terrain was much different from the 277-mile gap I had just finished, but regardless of difficulty, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I met many northbound hikers on the trail. These would be the people Iâd most likely be hiking alongside until my final day on the trail.