100 Mile Wilderness & the Appalachian Trail
Photo: Jamie Walter
The 100-Mile Wilderness is a section of the Appalachian Trail between the town of Monson and Abol Bridge, which crosses the West Branch of the Penobscot River at the foot of Mt. Katahdin. In the lore of hiking the AT, the 100MW is known as a demanding section that pushes both the body and the spirit. A dense forest canopy, short, steep climbs and descents, and lots of water are its hallmarks. This region lies within the traditional homelands of the Wabanaki peoples. Later, it was owned primarily by paper companies. Today, it is a mix of privately-owned working forest interspersed with parcels held by conservation organizations.
Contrary to its name, the 100-Mile Wilderness isn’t exactly 100 miles. Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductee and Waterville native Stephen Clark is credited with calling it the 100-Mile Wilderness while he was editor of the Appalachian Trail Guide to Maine from 1964 to 1982, but he coined the term to signal to hikers that the stretch ahead of them posed particular challenges, such as having no places to resupply, rather than provide an exact mileage.
Today, the 100-Mile Wilderness remains the longest stretch of the Appalachian Trail without resupply. And while the trail intersects with roads and other signs of modern life, cell phone coverage is limited and unreliable, and hikers continue to describe the section as one of the most challenging of the nearly 2,200 miles.
Author: Stephanie Bouchard
