The End of the Trail

Mission Accomplished!

Well, I did it. On Friday, October 3rd, along with a big group of hiker buddies, I reached the summit of Mt. Katahdin. Backpacking nearly 2,200 miles through 14 states in 204 days, this has been simply the most amazing experience of my life. I hope that through my blog, photos, and videos, I have inspired others to get outside... you don't have to hike 2,000 miles, but just get out there and walk. It is awesome!

A beautiful day atop Katahdin with many friends

It was not an easy climb, a 4,000 foot gain over five miles

The views surpassed anything that we had experienced

Here are some video clips strung together from the last couple hundred miles and to the conclusion:

The last few weeks of the journey featured some beautiful scenery, and for those of us who chose to not rush to finish the trail in record time, we were rewarded by spectacular colors during the peak of fall foliage in Maine.

Life after the trail... for me, it's been several weeks of doing nothing, allowing overused joints and tendons to heal. I'm not sure my achilles tendons will ever be quite the same or if the numbness in the big toes will subside. It is still strange to be back in the city, to wake up in the morning and not have to hike anywhere. But I miss my trail family, and I will always treasure the very special experiences and all the struggles we shared.

I am forever grateful to all the wonderful people who helped and supported me along the way. Without the help of friends, family, and complete strangers, it would not be possible to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. My faith in mankind is restored! And thanks to all the generous donors, we were able to meet my fundraising goal to help out my cousin... A Kidney For My Cousin

I'm working on one last video upload, a compilation of my favorite clips and photos, to be posted in the next few weeks, while I figure out what the next adventure will be... Stay tuned!

Much love,
Fitty Shrimp

Of Moose and Maine

It's so hard to believe I've finally made it to Maine, and there are just 188 miles to the summit of Mount Katahdin! It has truly been an unbelievable journey, and I would not trade this experience for anything.

Saw my first moose the other day...

That's the mom, on the right, just coming out of the pond.

I came to the realization a couple weeks ago that I am tired, and my knees and feet hurt every day. It takes ten to twelve hours of sleep every night just to be able to get up and hike again the next day. In short, I believe I am ready for this to be over. I guess six months of living in the wilderness is enough.

The White Mountains of New Hampshire, while stunningly beautiful, were very hard on these old legs.

A Presidential Traverse from Mt. Washington over Jefferson, Adams, and Madison, not for the timid.

Looking back at Mt. Garfield... just, Wow!

Lakes of the Clouds Hut, one mile south of the Mt. Washington summit.

And then, once crossing into Maine, the terrain is no more forgiving than in the Whites.

Mahoosuc Notch, one full mile of crawling over, under, and between scrambled boulders.

Quick rest break by Ethan Pond.

Many of my fellow hikers have been skipping sections of the trail (yellow blazing), and some have determined that they cannot make it to the end of the trail before the closure of Baxter State Park on October 15th, so they've gone to Mt. Katahdin and are now hiking southbound to the point they left off (flip-flopping). Another common practice is "slackpacking," where the hiker's things are shuttled to a point forward on the trail to be picked up, or the hiker is shuttled to a point forward on the trail and hikes back to the point where the backpack was left. Sure, this makes things much easier, but I decided early on that I am BACKPACKING to Katahdin, carrying my 35-pound pack all the way, no matter if it takes a bit longer. I'm proud to say I have remained true to my hike!

At this point, it looks like I'll get to summit Katahdin during the first week of October with many good friends I've met along the way, which will be very special to me.

Knights of the Order of the White Blaze

I'm not sure what emotions I'll feel when I finally reach the conclusion of this journey; I'm sure there will be many. In a few days, the trail will take me into what is known as the 100-mile wilderness, a stretch just before the end where there are no towns or even road crossings. So this is likely my last update here until I get home. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me along the way and offered words of encouragement.

I'm still a few dollars shy of my fundraising effort to assist my cousin Rich with his medical expenses, so if you'd like to participate, please check out the fundraising site,

A Kidney For My Cousin.

One thing the trail has taught me is that no goal is too great. If you have a crazy dream, just go make it happen! Here are some links to my most recent two Youtube video updates (there will be one or two more at the end of the hike!).

Video #18 - Killington, Moosilauke

Video #19 - Presidential Traverse

And, finally, a few more pictures of the amazing scenery. Happy trails, everyone!

Fitty Shrimp