AT Maine

A 3-day overnight hike on the Appalachian Trail in Maine where my dad grew up.

When my brother turned 12 he got to go, and as soon as I turned 12 in June that August …my turn. I was all excited for it and was intent on doing it better than my brother who went before me. Boy was I in for a surprise when my dad slapped a 13-pound backpack on my shoulders. It wasn’t heavy at first but the more we walked, the heavier it got. I must have taken a break every 15-20 minutes when we first got started.

Late on the first day, it was getting dark and we were trying to find a place to stake our tents but everything was real overgrown and there wasn’t anywhere to camp for the night. I was gassed and I felt like I couldn’t take another step. After some prodding and encouragement from my dad (which didn’t work), I finally broke down and started to cry. I remember my dad putting my backpack on one should and his on the other to give me a break, we climbed a little bit higher and finally found a nice mossy area to pitch our tent.

The next morning when we woke up we went just a little bit further on the trail and were met with the surprise that we made it to the top of the mountain. There were plentiful amounts of edible blueberries growing from the bushes up top and the view was so gorgeous. Had I given up earliest I never would have seen it. Sometimes when I think I cant go on, I remember that I can! Even when I don’t think I have enough to go on, deep inside I know I have the strength I need.