Since early spring, we have followed the thru-hike of our former photographer Jonathan Welch as he worked his way north on the Appalachian Trail.

We read along with his blog as he battled snowstorms, insects, blisters, fatigue and heat. Our legs ached with his as he climbed over tree roots and rocks, and our souls soared with vistas few of us will ever see. We laughed along with some of the trail characters he met and brought to us.

Today he sits at the northern terminus of the trail, Mt. Katadin in Maine's Baxter State Park.

Of course, for him, the trail is not over – if indeed it is ever over for anyone who heeds her call – Welch says via Facebook chat this morning he plans to visit family in the next few days, then get back on the trail at Dalton, MA and finish the hike southbound to Pennsylvania.

We will certainly follow the rest of his adventures here.