Miles: 12.7; Elevation gained: 3,300

Jay Camp is already a bit up the south side of Jay Peak, and it was another 1,600 ft to the summit. It was a gorgeous day as you can see below, and it’s a pretty gradual climb. The view is outstanding, and there’s water at the peak lodge at the top of the gondola. We chilled on the big deck, soaked up sun and water, and headed north for the final haul.

Descent from Jay is treacherous, but why end with a whimper? There was still 1,700 feet of elevation after Jay. For whatever reason, I had in my mind that once we hit Jay we’d kind of coast to the border, but…  The most notable part of the day in my mind was that we encountered not one single hiker – not coming or passing us. My theory is: 1) there are no day hikes anywhere on that stretch, even up the north side of Jay, as there isn’t any logical place to start, and 2) it’s getting a bit late in the year for sobo thru hikers and even if not it was a Tuesday which is kind of a weird day to start off on a long distance hike. (Yeah – I know… when I’m dead and gone they’ll remember me for the intricate logic and insight of what I just wrote here.

The last three summits are Doll, Burnt and Carleton, and it’s a nice, mellow descent to the border, which sits a bit above 2,000 ft. Naturally, our arrival was a bit anticlimactic, as things are when you build them up in your head, especially when you know you’re 2-3 days from the end of a 26 day hike that spread over two summers and the word “Canada” is a constant scroll in your mind’s eye as frankly, you’ve nothing else to do but walk and the mind just goes wherever. As for the border itself, it was pretty cool – I’ll let the pics and captions below do the talking.

As for the entire LT, I’ll probably return to this page later and fill in a bit, but it’s a great trip, and I would think particularly so if you don’t pick an August that receives 19 days of rain! We now know what trench foot is however so we’re not getting caught on that snag again. Overall, I had planned on 25 hiking days with 4-5 rest days, and we ended up with 26. Rest was forced on me in ’18 because of the high ankle sprain, and that is indeed why we could not finish in one bite. Hence another lesson: take a pause when you tee up the next playlist on your phone – you’re not a passenger in a car!

So I recommend it if you really like hiking and you don’t mind sleeping on hard, uneven surfaces; filtering and carrying all your water; relieving yourself in the woods and outhouses; letting your body and hair get Rick James funky; getting wet to the point that you are going to bed that way, waking up that way, and hiking that way; being alone with your thoughts for hours on end, etc. Being fit helps too – hiking fit is even better. Anyone read/see A Walk in the Woods? You don’t want to be those guys, and you’re not Bill Bryson so you won’t write a funny book that sells millions and gets made into a movie starring Robert Redford.

On the positive side, it’s a an accomplishment that, unlike so many endeavors in life, is a concrete thing you can point to – I started here, and I ended there and it’s done. You are 100% immersed in nature, and there is something profound about having all landmarks and references be natural ones save for the occasional road or power line, and take in only natural scents (including your own). I also refer back to one of these posts in which I talked about the culture of thru hikers – how one can wipe out any reference to one’s past, friends, family, career, reputation, and even your given name. You automatically have a pretty unique bond with anyone you meet on the trail – you’re both doing something not many people do, and there’s an understanding that comes with that. You don’t need to talk about anything other than the trail and all the things that come with it, and you don’t find that limiting, because the task at hand is difficult, requires focus, and can be done a bunch of different ways with a wide assortment of gear, food, pacing, and so on. Finally, you really appreciate four walls, a mattress, and a shower when you get out. Pringles and beer work too.

Oh, people always ask about the AT. My thought on that is that March to October is an awfully long time not doing all the other things in life that I enjoy. But I’ll admit it’s a a bit of brain worm nibbling away in there. Never say never.