Tell My Mom Not To Worry (Maine)
**UPDATE** I’m making an A.T. photo book! You can view and purchase it here.
You’re looking at the majestic Mt. Katahdin, I hiked for more than 5 months, through 14 states and over 2000 miles to get to this beautiful mountain and it was worth every step. My brain is scattered with so many thoughts and emotions from this great adventure that I really don’t know where to begin. This one is going to take a long time to digest. Thanks to all my new friends I met along the way and to the many people who provided the random acts of kindness (trail magic) on such a regular basis. Hiking the Appalachian Trail has renewed my thirst for travel and seeking out new experiences, I can’t wait to see where I end up next.
‘Lodestone’
Page Pond
‘Rocky’ and ‘Playboy’
View from Gentian Pond Shelter.
This ladder did not help with my fear of heights.
I’m sure this is the work of a beaver, but I have seen hikers this hungry.
‘Cheese’, named for her camera ready smile not the food.
‘Little Brown’
‘Corn Patch’
‘Papa Smurf’ chatting with David at Pine Ellis.
‘Stambler’
Roots and rocks, that’s Maine.
‘Dirt Road Dave’
On a board walk through a bog.
‘Dessert First’
‘Hobbit AT 85’
‘Backgammon’ and ‘Fields’
2000 miles down, 178 to go.
An odd place to find a white blaze.
Crossing the Kennebec river by canoe is the official way to stay on the Appalachian Trail.
‘#1 Son’ and ’96’
‘Black and Tan’ taking a break at one of the many waterfalls in Maine.
Sneaking a view from an old fire tower.
Lunch break.
This is what your legs look like after you fall in a bog. I think ‘Snow White’ is still laughing at me. The smell was horrible.
One of many river crossing in Maine.
A waterfall on the Gulf Hagas side trail.
Me (‘Rooster’) and my dear friend ‘Snow White’.
‘Trinket’
I’m barely awake at this point in the day.
Hanging up our wet gear at White House Landing.
Boat ride back to the trail.
‘Ace’, ‘Hobo’ and ‘Crab’
The start of our final night hike.
Early morning at a dam.
Sneaking a peak of Mt. Katahdin during our second breakfast.
‘Dutch’
A view of Mt. Katahdin from Abol Bridge.
‘Snow White’ setting out on our final day.
‘Shagman’ negotiating some huge boulders.
‘Dutch’ devouring a Moon Pie.
Hiking above the clouds.
The sign.
‘Rock n’ Rolls’ mom (and dad) hiked to the summit to share in their sons amazing accomplishment.
Emotional ‘Snow White’.
‘Rock n’ Roll’
‘Shagman’
‘Dodger’
‘Rock n’ Roll’, ‘Fungi’, and ‘Veggie Scraps’
‘Black and Tan’
‘Motor Boat’ and ‘Pebbles’
‘Patches’ celebrating with a little champagne.
‘Patches’ and ‘Motor Boat’
‘Pebbles’
‘Fungi’, ‘Veggie Scraps’ and their dog ‘Luna’ (dogs are not allowed in Baxter State Park).
The only photograph I really ever wanted.
These are so damn awesome Ben!!!
Seriously.
The opening shot is killer and then it just keeps going.
BENVIE! I am so proud of you! These last ones especially make me teary thinking of how you guys must have felt. Love the one of the mom and son, and of snow white by the sign. And the one in the am with the fog. And your dirty legs. I can’t wait to see where this goes and where you’ll hike next!
Awesome job, Ben. Pics are great, but the accomplishment is greater. I remember you letting me in on the plan a long time ago…great to see it come through. Maybe you should walk out to Manitoba and tell me some stories.
Great post Ben! What a fabulous accomplishment! I love the hugging mom shot too, and as usual, your landscape images are stunning.
I got so happy to see your final photos. One rainy day down the road, you will look at them and remember every single detail. Tell Snow White congrats from the collective Appletree.
It was the adventure of a lifetime, no?
the pics look awesome!!! it’s so cool to have some professional pics from summit day! thanks so much!
Ben,
We are so blown away by your photography. We saw you, Snow White and Wazi at the West Hartford General Store in VT. Thanks for sharing your pictures. It took us emotionally right back to the trail. Congrats, be well, and keep snapping photos, they meant a lot to us.
-Hit
Ben,you’re photos are extraordinary! My son is currently hiking the trail and your pictures have allowed me to feel closer to his experience and given me a window to the majesty he is a part of! I hope that one day, circumstances will permit my husband and I to walk the trail, but until then, I have done so vicariously through your gifted eyes.
Thank you!
Some of the best photos of the trail I have ever seen. Congrats.
We saw you on 3/1 just past Tray Mtn, Ga in the deep snow and cold and soon after found your trail journal. We ‘follow’ many hikers but with your pictures words were not needed. Whenever you’d post I’d immediately send an email to our friends that read ‘BenBen’ and the wait for the comments. Congrats. (we enjoy the wedding pic’s as well)
Impressive, impressive, impressive!
Congrats on making it the distance, and documenting it with such fabulous pictures. I hope a book deal or museum/gallery exhibition is in your future.
Congratulations to you ALL! Absolutely wonderful photography. You’re a genius behind the camera. Best wishes!
Puertorican Prince – thanks for taking us on your adventure with you. Fantastic accomplishment, stunning photographs. Bitter sweet ending for us as well. Drop in on us in Singapore or at least book into the lake house next July. Thinking of you. Ali, Peter, Miles and another boy on the way!
I’ve followed this blog for many months now and I thank you for sharing.
Great pictures…It almost feels like I was there…Almost….
Congratulations to you and to Snow White!!!! Such amazing photography, you are fantastic. Thanks for sharing your adventure with the rest of us. I liked the photo of Hobbit. Did you know he also spent a night at our house? Glad to see he made it into Maine.
Short ‘N Sweet
every pic evokes emotion . congrats on your hike.
A huge congratulations to both Rooster and Snow White!!Of course all who made it to the big K. I’m home now trying to fit in as best I can. That is not easy to do after 2200 miles on the trail. I wish you both the best. Frost
Congrats, Ben! What a great adventure. Love seeing your images from it all.
A big fat massive congratulations Mr. Benvie. This was an accomplishment of a lifetime and I loved looking through the photos. I can see a story in every picture.
CONGRATS!!!!!!
Rooster thanks for including me in on your last day of your trip. It was a real pleasure. Maine is the best pics yet. Thanks again, Dutch
Ben
I have been following your adventure from the beginning.
I was able to hike a while this year and met a couple of the people you have in the summit photos, Veggie Scraps and Fungi. It was indeed an emotional event to see some of my brief friends complete this portion of their dreams.
This collection of photographs you have compiled are the best I have seen anywhere. Please continue to share them as an inspiration to others to hike the AT.
Simply beautiful. I’m so glad I got to take part in this great adventure with you. Sniff, sniff, I miss you already.
P.S. yes I’m still laughing about the bog. Sometimes when I’m having a crazy day at work, I revisit the image of you landing in that thing and it instantly cheers me up.
Beautiful, touching, memorable photographs! Thank you for sharing your talent. Congratulations on the completion of your hike~Journey
Fantastic to have such quality shots of the people and the experience. My overall favorite was the bear with the backpack. I hope to walk the AT with my son in 2012. I hope your travels take you to the Bibbulmun Track in my backyard one day. Congratulations.
That’s a hell of a trip, Ben. Fantastic work, as always. Have I ever mentioned that knee-highs are very flattering on you? Congratulations on a monumental accomplishment. Fin
Wonderful! Loved Pebbles pix. Cute one of Rocky and Playboy. Wilderness scenes gorgeous. I’m lucky to be a Mainah!
Most excellent photos. They brought many smiles to my face recognizing folks :O)
Thank you Rooster these are amazing!!!
I don’t know if I met you this year, but I hiked with most everyone in your photos at some point. Snow White is one of my favorites! Your pics are amazing, wish even one of mine turned out as well. Congrats!
I found your link on FB from RedHat. We finished the AT on 8/11 and I am very envious of your shots. I wish we’d taken our SLR’s on the trip and taken more shots in Maine. Wow, absolutely beautiful.
Congratulations!
Oh, and I am very happy to Little Brown and Corn Patch in there. We hiked with both of them for quite awhile.
Wags, is that the same Wags who hiked last year?
Congrats Rooster/Snowplow/Ben!! So glad to see you made it! (Also glad to see you finished up with Snow White.)
Good luck with new adventures, hope they’re awesome.
Ben, congratulations and again, you have the best AT thru-hike photos ever taken — a fact, bud.
I happened to find your site.
I shoot a Canon 7D.
I have never hiked any part of the App. But have hiked a good bit in the Smokies.
I appreciate the great pictures, you inspire me.
Do you have a suggestion of a part to hike. What are some of your favorites?
Thank you, for remembering to take and share the photos when your feet must have hurt, when your legs felt solid from cramp and your shoulders burnt from the pack.
Such great pictures of an amazing achievement!
Victor
Wow!!!! Incredible photos! Beauty + adventure = win!
Congratulations! Amazing pix!
Hello Rooster,
Great photos, especially memorable are the ones on Katahdin as Dodger and I summitted it the same day as you. Quite a day! In looking at the photos the first time, I missed the one you took of me on the rocks going up, 019. That is one reason why I didn’t celebrate too much on the summit as I knew that I still had to get back down in one piece.
Thanks for posting.
Shagman aka Keith
Hey Rooster,
Just got my AT Journey’s magazine and see you have four photos in it. Had to go on line and review your pics there. Met up with Cowboy, Subby and Lil Buddha at Trail days. Summitted Katahdin on July 22, With Lil Buddha and GPS. Thanks for the memories
Lucky
Hey Snow Plow/Rooster,
Couldn’t sleep tonight and the foot of snow outside made me remember the snowstorm at Blueberry Patch were we built our beautiful snowman and everyone decided to jump me on exiting the privy. Thank you for taking pictures the whole trip. I might have mocked you for it, but I appreciate them now more than ever. Congratulations on your summit! Best of luck on your next adventure!! What ever happened to Cowboy? Keep on Keeping on.
I have really enjoyed your AT pictures. My husband, Lorod, was a thru-hiker this year and his pictures are good, but yours are fantastic! Thanks for sharing them on this blog. When either of my kids decides to get married, I’m contacting you! Congratulations on completing the hike!
Great photos, man. I hiked in ’09 did a little trail magic this year, and was hoping to find some of the hikers I met this year on here. I met Fungi, Veggie Scraps and Luna when I did a super short weekend trip and ran into some other people doing trail magic at Overmountain Shelter. I’m glad to see their summit shot there.
Stunning, thank you!
Photos bring back such good memories! Thanks for taking them, they came out amazing. Patrick ofeasTN… that was one of the best trail magic memories I have! Thanks everybody for being part of such a great summer! seeya down the trail…
This is Crazy! Congratulations on the book publication. It looks beautiful……. What an adventure!
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Thank you for taking your skills, your passions, and your tools with you on your journey. Will be visiting your website more often.
May the Hike be with You!
Your photos are awesome. It’s great when I find a professional photographer that hikes and takes photos. The photos are miles above the rest and I LOVE IT! Congratulations on a great accomplishment. And, thanks for posting all the photos and blogs and sharing your life with the public.