With 179 miles of the Appalachian Trail left to complete, I have been busy this summer getting ready to tackle what will be a big challenge. First, I will hike the 90 miles northbound from Great Barrington, Massachusetts to Bennington, Vermont. This won’t be easy but those miles should toughen me up for the final stretch of my A.T. sojourn when I will jump up to Maine for the big one – 69 miles of some of the most difficult mountains on the entire 2,194 length of the Appalachian Trail.

I will start at Grafton Notch and head north, climbing Baldpate and Wyman mountains on the first two days out. Then a steep descent into Sawyer Notch and immediately a very steep climb up Moody Mountain and back down to a trailhead, where I will then head into Andover for a night.

Next up will be Old Blue, then Bemis, and after a less daunting, but certainly not easy section of about 14 miles, a tough climb up Saddleback Mountain, then the Horn and Saddleback Junior. The final stretch for me will be Spaulding, and then one of the toughest, steepest climbs in Maine – South Crocker and North Crocker. My last miles on the Appalachian Trail will be the long, long descent down to the trailhead at Maine 27 near the little village of Stratton.

I have been preparing for this hike all summer hiking on the Appalachian Trail here in Georgia. I have backpacked 87 miles in Georgia, starting at Amicalola Falls State Park with the Approach Trail and ending at Bly Gap just over the Georgia – North Carolina state line. The hiking has been wonderful but difficult — Georgia is not easy, especially with the summer heat and humidity. But those miles down here in my home state are a walk in a park compared to what is waiting for me in Maine. I am well aware of the challenge ahead – I hiked 219 miles in New Hampshire and Maine last year, summiting Katahdin on Aug. 31. So I know what’s coming. And I can’t wait.