I saw Katahdin for the first time today! Rockhound, Chestnut, MoonPie and I caught a view of most of the mountain from Antlers Campsite. The top was lost in the clouds, but the rest was clear and seemed so close! From where we’re camping tonight, the end of the trail is 40 miles away!

We had some great walking along rivers and lakes much of the day. There was a stop at White House Landing Camp where Bill, one of the owners, acted like a total jackass to us. We showed up 6 minutes late for the unadvertised end-of-lunch so he treated us like crap from the second he saw us until his wife/girlfriend Linda had some words with him. He stormed away and Linda treated us wonderfully, making up 1 pound hamburgers for us and redeeming the camp in all of our eyes. I picked up food for the final day or two until we get out of the wilderness. At this point I’m so sick of eating bars and freeze-dried meals—I just want real food again! I picked up some ramen noodles and a handful of candy bars to tide me over.

We’re camped tonight beside a sand beach, listening to distant thunder and fighting persistent no-see-ums. All of us retired to our tents/tarps/hammocks early to avoid them but are hoping to go out and catch a glimpse of the Perseids meteor shower if the clouds clear later. MoonPie’s a bit unhappy—her bug netting is just mosquito netting and doesn’t keep out these tiny bastards with their sharp teeth!

I’ve been looking forward to going home for the past 700 miles, but now am really feeling the impending end of the trip. The woods are beautiful up here. The views are awesome, the loons and moose exciting and different. I’m ready for the trip to end but definitely going to miss being out here with friends.

35 more miles before Heather comes up for the final climb! I’m so excited to see her! My brother’s left a couple of messages on my cell phone this week. I miss him and wish he could be here to complete the journey we planned together for years.

Okay, late night change of plans. MoonPie just crashed in my tent to get away from the flying teeth!