437 Miles Later: How My Appalachian Trail Hike Ended | Part 5 | The Finale | AT2020

The finale. Part 5 of my 2020 Appalachian Trail journey — over the great green sweep of Hump Mountain, past hundred-foot waterfalls, through Laurel Fork Gorge to Watauga Lake, where friends arrived, my old boots got a viking funeral, and the trail gave me one last wild gift: a bonus loop through the Joyce Kilmer–Slickrock backcountry, ending with a jump off a rock into Calderwood Lake. I didn't make it to Katahdin. I didn't even make it to Damascus — I came off the trail to go finish my degree. And I wouldn't trade a single mile. Six weeks, 437 miles, four states' worth of mountains, and more flowers, mushrooms, newts, snakes, storms, strangers-turned-friends and shelter-log poetry than I could fit into five videos — though I tried. If this series moved you even a little: the trail is still there. It will wait for you. But don't make it wait too long. And this isn't goodbye. Watch through the final shot — the next chapter is already being planned. ⛰ CHAPTERS 0:00 — the finale begins: Day 32 0:29 — the Overmountain Victory Trail (1780) 6:36 — Hump Mountain — the long green mile 8:25 — the stone I carried, almost home 11:53 — Day 33 · down from the Roan 15:43 — Jones Falls (100 ft) 20:58 — a viking funeral for my boots 24:59 — a note from a fed-up hiker 25:47 — Kincora — Bob Peoples' legendary hostel 29:38 — Laurel Falls, Laurel Fork Gorge 30:15 — Day 36 · new boots, 425 miles in 30:46 — friends arrive for the finish 31:40 — the stone gets a swim in Watauga Lake 35:24 — golden hour on Watauga 37:12 — the bonus loop: Slickrock–Citico backcountry 41:34 — Slickrock Creek falls 43:27 — one last jump 🥾 SEEN ALONG THE WAY Cow parsnip · black-eyed Susan · daylily · rosebay rhododendron · wild black raspberries · oyster mushrooms · golden spindle fungi (mycologists — ID them in the comments!) · American toad · red efts · a burying beetle · Jones Falls · Mountaineer Falls · Laurel Falls · Slickrock Creek 💬 Thank you for walking this whole journey with me. Every part of this series is on the channel — start from Part 1 if you just arrived:    • I Stopped Waiting Around and Walked the Ap...   And tell me: what's the trail you've been putting off? Go. Just go. ——— 🎒 ABOUT THE GEAR — because people always ask: I didn't have any fancy gear. Everything I carried was the imitation Amazon-brand version of something expensive. There's so much people think they have to do before they're allowed to start — plan the mail drops, buy the ultralight everything, dial in the perfect food bag, get into the perfect shape, wait for the perfect time. Here's what's actually true: you take what you think you'll basically need, and you learn as you go. You'll find that some things are missing. You'll find you carried things you never touched once. That's not failing at it — that IS it. You will never have the perfect pack, or the perfect food bag, or the perfect state of health, or the perfect time. You just go, and the trail itself teaches you the rest. The thing is to just go. ——— 🥾 THE NEXT CHAPTER: In 2020 I came off the trail at mile 437 to go finish my degree. I've since earned my master's degree in nursing — and now I'm going back to finish what I started: Shenandoah National Park, northbound into Pennsylvania. I'm posting the planning, the gear lists, and the full species logs from each film over on Patreon as I go, if you want to come along: patreon.com/c/sunshinesatellite #AppalachianTrail #ThruHike #RoanHighlands #WataugaLake #LaurelFalls #JoyceKilmer #Hiking #Backpacking #GetOutside #TrailLife