© Onna Voellmer, The Redheaded Nomad
100 Miles on
the AppalachIan Trail
BAXTER STATE PARK AND THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS
"Everything is wet. The ground is saturated, sometimes water running down the trail. It’s steamy, so humid. "
Our hike begins at the Hunt Trailhead to summit Katahdin. The Hunt Trail starts out in the forest, overgrown with moss and ferns, lichen and fungus. Everything is wet. The ground is saturated, sometimes water running down the trail. It’s steamy, so humid. The forest slowly gives way to large granite boulders. High steps, scrambling, and a bit of hand over hand, until the mountain comes into view.
We reach Thoreau Spring and stop to rest. A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter. He’s wearing a running vest too, soNeon asks if he’s running the trail. He says he does run trails, but not this one. He tells us that he did not start running until he was 63. He’s 82 now. We can’t help but look amazed, because he’s in such awesome shape, and doesn’t look anywhere near 82. We chat about strength training, building core and glute strength to protect the knees and back. He comments that it’s an interesting thing, “training for longevity”. We all nod in agreement.
We reach Thoreau Spring and stop to rest. A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter. He’s wearing a running vest too, soNeon asks if he’s running the trail. He says he does run trails, but not this one. He tells us that he did not start running until he was 63. He’s 82 now. We can’t help but look amazed, because he’s in such awesome shape, and doesn’t look anywhere near 82. We chat about strength training, building core and glute strength to protect the knees and back. He comments that it’s an interesting thing, “training for longevity”. We all nod in agreement.
"A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter."
We reach Thoreau Spring and stop to rest. A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter. He’s wearing a running vest too, so Neon asks if he’s running the trail. He says he does run trails, but not this one. He tells us that the did not start running until he was 63. He’s 82 now. We can’t help but look amazed, because he’s in such awesome shape, and doesn’t look anywhere near 82. We chat about strength training, building core and glute strength to protect the knees and back. He comments that it’s an interesting thing, “training for longevity”. We all nod in agreement.
"Training for longevity... This resonates deeply with me"
Training for longevity... This resonates deeply with me—learning and relearning how to be healthy—how to work with my broken parts to be stronger. Another mile leads us to the summit of Katahdin. I’ve been here once before, up Pamola Ridge and the Knife’s Edge. It’s a spectacular mountain.
We reach Thoreau Spring and stop to rest. A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter. He’s wearing a running vest too, soNeon asks if he’s running the trail. He says he does run trails, but not this one. He tells us that he did not start running until he was 63. He’s 82 now. We can’t help but look amazed, because he’s in such awesome shape, and doesn’t look anywhere near 82. We chat about strength training, building core and glute strength to protect the knees and back. He comments that it’s an interesting thing, “training for longevity”. We all nod in agreement.
Our camping reservations are at Abol Campground, so we descend Katahdin on the Abol Trail. A few more miles the next day leads us out of Baxter State Park and into the 100 Mile Wilderness.
It has hardly been a day, and yet entering the 100 mile wilderness makes Katahdin seem like part of a different adventure, a story I remember. That is, except for the soreness I still feel in my legs, a deep ache in my thighs from the steep descent down the Abol Trail. We walk until just before dark. Campsites are scarce here. We finally locate a spot and settle in for the night.The ground is lumpy. So many roots hidden beneath the duff.
"I notice all the mushrooms,
crazy cool mushrooms. There is no sky, just a dim green light."
The 100 mile wilderness is old logging land. As someone from the Pacific Northwest, this is the first thing that I notice, and then I notice all the mushrooms, crazy cool mushrooms. There is no sky, just a dim green light. The trail is rocks and roots and mud. My line of sight is my feet, and my goal is to not stumble or trip as I carefully move my feet over, around, and through the maze of rocks and roots. It’s an obstacle course, and the focus it requires is mentally exhausting. The boards over the wet bog lands are welcome—I can just walk across them. I focus on my walking, pausing for a “wow” at house-sized boulders, stacked rock stairs, and everything covered in moss. It is a bit fairytale-like.
I find myself feeling elated at the beauty and the light in the open woods where I can see off into the distance, and becoming irritable and sad in the woods that are overcrowded with thin trees and undergrowth. I remind myself, with each step, to keep a proper pelvic tilt, to engage my core and glutes in order to protect my lower back and my knees. This becomes my focus, and helps ease how claustrophobic the crowded woods make me feel. I miss the sky, and yet this opportunity to perfect my walking brings me great joy.
"it literally feels like a soft pair of hands is lifting me up the stairs. "
And this is how the miles pass—I rock the bottom end of my pelvic bone upward, engaging my core and glutes. I feel it working most on the the steep staircases. At one point, where the upper part of the hamstring meets the glutes, it literally feels like a soft pair of hands is lifting me up the stairs. This is when I’m sure I’m doing it right. The words “training for longevity” echo through my thoughts.
We reach Thoreau Spring and stop to rest. A hiker comes in from a different trail. He is also wearing sandals. This is always a conversation starter. He’s wearing a running vest too, soNeon asks if he’s running the trail. He says he does run trails, but not this one. He tells us that he did not start running until he was 63. He’s 82 now. We can’t help but look amazed, because he’s in such awesome shape, and doesn’t look anywhere near 82. We chat about strength training, building core and glute strength to protect the knees and back. He comments that it’s an interesting thing, “training for longevity”. We all nod in agreement.
The light is fantastic here—in the 100 Mile Wilderness—the crazy mushrooms, the lakes, the moss, the boulders, and even all the crazy roots. Focusing on proper walking is helping me to appreciate the beauty here more. When the body feels good, it helps the mind to feel good too.Their relationship is a dance that adds another layer to “training for longevity”.
Onna Voellmer - Artist & Adventurer
You can follow more of her adventures on Instagram @theredheadednomad
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Author
Onna Voellmer
Tags
Appalachian Trail
BAXTER STATE PARK AND THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS
LUNA Sandals
BAXTER STATE PARK
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