BANGOR – A New Hampshire man has completed a hike of the Appalachian Trail in just over four months, raising more than $5,000 for the Maine Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“A.J.” Whitney, 29, of Rye walked for his uncle, 65-year-old Anthony Vafiades of Bangor, who was diagnosed with MS about three years ago.

“It still hasn’t hit me that it’s over. I’m used to getting up and walking all day,” Whitney said Saturday in a telephone conversation during a celebration at the Brewer home of his uncle, Robert Wilks.

A software engineer who’s between jobs, Whitney said he always wanted to hike the 2,168-mile trail and that Vafiades’ diagnosis “gave him a purpose.”

Although most hikers take six months to make the trek, Whitney said he “really streamlined it,” averaging about 14 miles a day.

He said he encountered every weather condition, including snow, sleet and hail, and temperatures ranging from the teens to 100 degrees.

Chronicles and pictures of Whitney’s journey are available on his Web site, www.hikeforacure.org.

Donations will be accepted through Oct. 15. Checks should be made out to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and mailed to 91 Alehson St., Rye, N.H. 03870.