“This is it,” Erin said to me the next morning. We were still in our sleeping bags, but were itching to get going. We were only 3.5 miles from Abol bridge and it's like we could feel the pull of family and friends.
“Dude, this is it,” I said. “It’s going to be weird, not seeing you every second of every day.”
“I know. I got used to you,” Erin said. In two days, we’d be waving goodbye to each other and going separate ways for the first time in five months. Erin was going to go back with Cara to New Hampshire before flying to Ohio, and I was going to go with Ben and his dad to Delaware.
“I mean, we’ll see each other in like a week in Ohio, right?” I said, trying not to get emotional.
“Right,” Erin nodded, also looking a little misty, “and then, like, all the time, for the rest of our lives until we move into houses with connected porches.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“Of course.”
Somehow while we’d hiked through Maine, Ben and I had formed a plan for our new life together. We’d go to Delaware for a few days, and then drive Ben’s car to Ohio to my dad’s house. From there, we’d go up to Cincinnati to look for apartments and then Ben would go back to Wisconsin to get his stuff and I would figure out a way down to Florida to get mine. That last detail, where I’d have to face Kevin and Ben would be seeing his ex-girlfriend, made me anxious, but I was trying not to focus too hard on anything past Katahdin.
I unzipped my sleeping bag with a flourish. “Let’s finish this thing.”
That day was a reunion party from the minute we started on the trail. The first person we saw, as we started our day, was a complete surprise. Coming towards us, with a huge smile on his face was Mike.
“I told you I’d wait and summit with you guys, too,” he said, a bit sheepishly. He told us that he had, in fact, summited on his 21st birthday, by himself and that it had, “kinda sucked.”
“I’m glad you’re here, man,” Ben told him.
Only a few tenths of a mile later, Cara and Chris came up the trail. The joy and relief on Erin’s face was instant.
Then, in another mile, Ben’s dad found us.
By the time we got to Abol Bridge parking lot, we were in full-on party mode. Pilgrim’s brother-in-law, Steve, Mike’s mom, and Lucky and Sparrow were there, along with Chris’s parents, Bill and Sue. We’d bonded with Bill and Sue when Erin, Cara, and I had hiked the Long Trail two years earlier and again at the wedding. We were delighted they’d made the trip up from New Hampshire.
Cara pulled Erin and I aside, “I know it’s a lot, but Bill and Sue rented a cabin and they want everyone to come stay after you guys summit tomorrow. They did the same for us when we finished the trail.”
“And we’re making you surf and turf!” Sue called over, “Everyone is welcome! Parents, hikers, everyone!”
Bill and Sue had both worked in mid-level jobs most of their lives before they started a business of their own building specialized computer cabinets. They’d recently sold the business for a lot of money and were enjoying being generous with their newfound wealth.
“I can’t believe this. Thank you,” I told Sue, the seemingly ever-present tears back in my eyes, “I would hug you, but, you know... I stink.”
She pulled me in, anyway. “We’re so proud of you girls.”
Cara pulled out a cooler of beers and there were rounds of cheers and picture taking. It felt like the celebration had already begun.
“I don’t want to be a bummer,” Ben said eventually, after the gathering had quieted down a bit, “but we still have over 10 miles left to hike today.”
There was a collective groan, but he was right. Even though we felt done there were 10 miles between Abol bridge and Katahdin Stream campground where we’d sign-in at the ranger station to hike Katahdin the next day. Ben wanted to hike with his dad, so they took off down the trail first. Pilgrim, Steve, and Mike went next. Erin, Sug and I looked around. Everyone else there was going to either meet us at Katahdin springs in the morning or at the cabin after we finished.
“I guess we should go, too.” I said.
“You know…” Erin started, “There’s another trail that is only 8 miles long…”
“Sold.”
* * *
When we had all made it to the campground and it was just the hikers again, we went to the ranger station. There we signed in as official thru-hikers, Erin, Pilgrim, Sug, Turbo, Ben, and I were numbers 10-15 to make it from Georgia to Katahdin that season.