Monson, Maine - Mile 2,066

We are getting close - only 115 miles to go! It's called the 100 mile wilderness, but it's really 115 miles. But what's 15 more miles for a thru-hiker.
We had great weather and good views from the Bigelow range, which was our last big climb. We still have some mountains and views coming up, but the days of doing multiple 4,000 foot mountains are over. The 100 mile wilderness is mainly flat. (Of course, what our guidebook shows as flat can really have endless ups and downs, but not big enough to register as a climb). The terrain is not easy; we go over rocks and roots and around puddles and we ford streams and rivers. We took the ferry across the Kennebec River, which was a milestone on the AT. We also hit our 2,000th mile on the trail.

We had a big thunderstorm come through last night, so the trails were wet and muddy again. Luckily, we planned to stop at Monson, our last trail town, to dry out. Finally, the end is really in sight.

 Overlooking Horn Pond, and North and South Horn of the Bigelow Range

 Lunch on the summit of South Horn

West Peak of the Bigelow Range - 4,145 feet

 Y-Knot on West Peak

 Heading towards Avery Peak

 Fragile vegetation in the high altitude zone

Flagstaff Lake, from the Bigelow range

 Sign marking the 2,000 mile mark on the Appalachian Trail

 Picking blueberries on Little Bigelow Mtn

 Maine - the land of wild blueberries. There are so many along the trail!

The actual 2,000 mile mark changes every year, but this road sign stays the same.

 First moose sighting in Maine

 Hikers waiting for the ferry across the Kennebec River

 The 'ferry' arrives - actually a canoe

Y-Knot's self-portrait in the ferry

 Disembarking on the other side

 One of the many beautiful ponds in Maine. There are loons on most of the ponds, and we can hear them calling. The ponds are isolated and undeveloped, which is good for the loons and other wildlife.

 Early morning fog on Moxie Pond

Fording another stream

Crossing the Piscataquis River, after a night of heavy rain