Brandon McMath: takes a picture as he crosses the Maine state line on the Appalachian Trail. This is the final state along the trail. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Appalachian Trail continues to be the current home of senior Brandon McMath who has been hiking the trail since March.
McMath has finally reached the homestretch of his journey as he crossed the state line into Maine the other day.
He has walked almost 1,900 miles from the beginning of the trail in Georgia.
McMath spent his Fourth of July above tree line in the White Mountains a few miles away from the Maine state line.
“There were no fireworks, but someone did have some apple pie for all of us, so that was kind of American, I guess,” McMath said about his holiday.
Throughout the journey, he has made new friends and kept up with them along the way; however, the friends he had been hiking with for quite a while now have had to get off the trail due to Lyme disease and other infections.
“I’ve kind of been left solo, but I have met some cool new people,” McMath said.
However, McMath’s brother plans to join him for a few days on the trail this upcoming week.
As he approaches the finish line of the trail, McMath has been running into many southbound hikers who have just recently begun their journey to hike the trail down to Georgia.
“They (southbound hikers) are like three weeks to a month in, and all of us northbound hikers are three and a half to four months in, so it’s cool being able to see what you were like at that point,” McMath said.
“You tell them about all the cool stuff you have seen and get them hyped up for all the stuff ahead of them.”
With less than 300 miles to go, McMath believes he will be done in about 20 days.
“I have no idea what it is going to be like to finish,” he said. “We talk about it sometimes wondering what it is going to feel like, and I think it is going to be one of those feelings you just can’t describe. It’s definitely going to be a major change going right back to school.”
To read up on the last bit of McMath’s journey and see more pictures, check his blog at www.AUontheAT.com.
