Somewhere in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness, a thru-hiker just logged their biggest day of a five-month trek: 23.2 miles, ending at Abol Bridge with a clear view of Mount Katahdin — the Appalachian Trail's northern terminus — and just three days of walking left.
The day started with farewells to section hikers at camp, then rolled through quiet, gently graded trail where the first golden leaves were starting to drop. The only real climb was up to Rainbow Ledges, a set of granite slabs with wide views over the surrounding mountains — and, on a clear day, a first proper look at Katahdin sitting on the horizon. For a hiker who's been chasing that peak since Georgia, it's an emotional sight; the writer described the mountain as getting closer "by the hour," and stopped there for lunch to take it in.
The emotional checkpoint of the day was Hurd Brook Lean-to, the last shelter in the legendary 100-Mile Wilderness and effectively the final shelter on the regular AT before Baxter State Park. Finding it empty, and with the afternoon still young, the hiker pushed on the extra three miles to Abol Bridge — the last stop before the park — and turned a planned short day into their longest yet, arriving before 6 PM.
Abol Bridge offers two paid camping options: Abol Pines and Abol Bridge Campground. Choosing the latter paid off — fellow thru-hikers OnIt and Horsepower were already there, a welcome sight after a day of near-total solitude. The evening ran on s'mores and end-of-trail talk, with Katahdin looming huge in the distance. The next day would be a short hike through Baxter State Park, then the summit push. That night in the tent was, fittingly, the last of the hike — five months of home, packed up one final morning.
For anyone dreaming of an AT thru-hike or even a section of the wilderness, this stretch is the heart of it. The 100-Mile Wilderness between Monson and Baxter State Park is the AT's most remote stretch in the East — no resupply points, no road crossings for days — so whether you're hiking it end-to-end or sampling it as a multi-day trip, you need to carry all your food and plan carefully. Permits are required for Baxter State Park and camping is tightly managed, especially in the busy September window when thru-hikers converge for their summits. And you don't need five months: a day hike up Katahdin via the Hunt Trail (the AT's final approach) gives you the same dramatic finale, or you can hike the Rainbow Ledges to Abol Bridge section as a gentler taste of the wilderness.
Why it matters: this is a reminder that a hike's best moments often come from unplanned decisions — pushing three miles past the last shelter and stumbling into friends, s'mores, and the best view of the whole trail. Anyone can chase that feeling, at any scale.
