Hiking the Good Hike

7/19 Day 138 Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to – 13 miles

 Started our morning out with a climb up Moxie Bald Mountain, just the way I like it; seriously, I’d much rather have a morning climb than an evening one. This morning was cool and misty, with not a sight to be seen anywhere besides more fog. We hiked slowly, happy at least that it was just cloudy and no rain. The blueberries along the ridgeline were also an added bonus. Later we forded the west branch of the Piscataquis River, which we found some enjoyment in simply trying to pronounce its name, but not so much the ford, not that entertaining. Got to camp fairly early this evening but decided to stop for the night while Guisseppi decided to move on to get the next ford out of the way tonight. The sky looks like rain and we’ve heard stories of the Piscataquis flooding deeming it impassable; however, there were also rumors of no camping on the other side so we decided to hang back. The boys decided to stay back with us and attempted to go swimming in the canyon which we’d heard was good for swimming but getting to it was near to impossible, safely. The boys, Sharpshin and Kestrel, came back a little disheartened but they found their water; the sky opened up and made everyone’s decision easy about whether to tent or to stay in the shelter. The ground was one giant puddle and luckily our roof didn’t leak. Guess we’ll see if we made a mistake in the morning, for now, here’s hoping the rain stops by day break.

7/20 Day 139 Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to to Monson, ME – 9 miles

We were on trail by 0600 in hopes to get to town early. Everything was wet and slick but the river wasn’t impassable, just a little high. We donned our crocs and were met by Guissepi just getting out of his tent on the other side. After we dried our feet and pulled our boots back on, we were on the move again. We weren’t just heading to town; we were heading to our very last trail town. L. Moose and I were attempting a 4 mile hitch when Sharpshin and Kestrel joined us. We got lucky as the guy in the trail-head parking lot across the street volunteered to take us all. The 4 of us piled in the back of his truck and away we went, into Monson, Maine. Our ride informed us that there was a festival in town that night called the Swap Meat. It was 0930 and people were already set up along the road with smokers full of delicious smelling meats; it was our lucky day. Forgetting food for a brief minute, the first thing on the agenda was a place to stay for the night. We stopped by the Lakeshore House on the way to the gas station just to see what it was all about but Rebecca, who was really nice, informed us they were full. SOBOs were in love with Lakeshore a. it was part pub, and b. it had a water trampoline in the middle of the lake. However, a friend of ours informed us that Shaw’s was for “real hikers”, which, no offense to the other, it kind of was. It was quiet, it was cozy, and there were hikers everywhere, no pub guests to stare at us, or smell us, or judge us. But back to Rebecca, she actually called Shaw’s for us and reserved us the last 2 private rooms available, which was awesome. Now, on we go to the only gas station/grocery store in town for pizza by the slice and bottles of pop/soda for you northerners.

Once we got settled in to Shaw’s, we started our last rounds of taking turns hopping in the shower and waiting for the washer and dryer; we have this system down to a science. Kestrel and Moose took the first showers while Sharpshin and I collected clothes for the laundry, wearing borrowed hostel clothes while ours were incapacitated. Next, we checked out what food supplies Shaw’s had to offer before we would later tackle the gas station for the rest. Once showers opened up, Sharpshin and I got our one turn to be clean while Kestrel and Moose then became in charge of flipping the clothes over into the dryer. Now that we were as clean as we could be, we headed back to the gas station. Our last resupply was going to be different. Poptarts, danishes, little debbies, peanut butter, marshmallow cream, pasta sides—you get the picture. We did get a surprise, though. While our arms were full and still searching, in walks Laser Death Kill, Long Spoon, Ember, and Taillights! I couldn’t believe it. We’d been told they were close but I didn’t think they were that close or that they would speed up that much to catch us. Granted, they were all 4 faster than me; they just liked to have a good time. Yells and hugs were given all around in the tiny gas station and we told them we were staying at Shaw’s. Unfortunately, Shaw’s had filled up but they were able to pay for tent spots and we spent a good part of the afternoon in the back porch area catching up with our old friends; it was a great reunion. And don’t forget the Swap Meat. We ate a lot of barbeque and brisket and even bought some good beef jerky to take with us. We even ended the night with fireworks provided by the good town of Monson, Maine, surrounded by our fellow thru hikers. This was our first, and last, trail festival, and sadly our last trail town; it was fitting.

Love and prayers,

Wide Load

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”  Oscar Wilde

7/16 Day 135 Stratton to Little Bigelow Lean-to – 15.3 miles

We decided to have breakfast across the street at the Stratton Diner—pancakes, bacon, eggs, the usual. Then we caught a right back to the trail with Sue for a grand start at 0940. We started our morning off with a 2000 foot climb up the South Horn and on to Bigelows. According to all the southbounders back at the hotel, the Bigelows were horrendous and we should prepare for the worst; but according to northbounders, these were some of the last big mountains before Katahdin which meant to get excited, and a little sad. Okay, so back to the Bigelows, they weren’t the worst climbs we’d ever seen but they definitely had some nice views. Today was another hot one and the last 7 miles turned out to be tougher than expected. The best surprise of the day, however, was the blueberries. There were blueberries everywhere and they were delicious. Sharpshin and Kestrel joined us at the top and we filled a whole peanut butter jar. Finally it was time to move on to the shelter for a nice evening surrounded by a lot of south bounder company. Plus we had made it 5 whole days without rain and crossed our 2000 mile mark!!!

7/17 Day 136 Little Bigelow Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean-to –17.7 miles

Today was a beautiful day from start to finish. The morning started with a cool swim in Flagstaff Lake. The water was so clear, surrounded by rocks, trees, and mountains. What more do you need? We were finally getting to see all the beauty that Maine had to offer. We enjoyed easy hiking around the waters followed by lunch at West Carry Pond Shelter with more easy and fast hiking. I wanted to get to Pierce Pond early to swim and relax and enjoy; also, to pay our respects to a fallen thru hiker. Parkside was a 20 year old NOBO who drowned on June 15, 2012 while attempting to swim across Pierce Pond. I read that his ashes were carried to Katahdin by those that hiked with him. Since his death, his mother has made huge strides in educating the hiker public as to the dangers of swimming immediately post hiking due to potential electrolyte imbalances and muscle cramping. A memorial is set up in front of the shelter at Pierce Pond, overlooking the water, and reminding hikers to not take a single second of life for granted.

After taking everything in for a few minutes, I decided to go hop in the water and take in the views. This place is absolutely beautiful; just so hard to believe that anything bad could happen here. I didn’t swim far, staying close to the edge. When Moose came down to the ledge I swam over to stand on a rock and kept noticing something touching my leg; when I looked down I saw a lovely little leech trying to attach itself. Let’s just say I wasn’t in the mood to swim anymore. Besides, Giussepi showed up and it was great to see him again. He had taken a short day and just returned from placing his pancake order. You see, Pierce Pond is famous for another reason. There’s a man by the name of Harrison who has ran a sporting camp for 28 years 0.3 miles from the shelter; hikers can walk up there in the evening and place their pancake order and he’ll have it ready for you in the morning. I can’t wait. After talking with Harrison for a while, the four of us went back to the shelter for a lovely evening, watching a storm roll in across the water. I even got to hear my first loon that night.

7/18 Day 137 Pierce Pond Lean-to to Bald Mountain Lean-to – 18.7 miles

Breakfast at Harrison’s was amazing—12 “patriotic” pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausage links, juice and milk. I didn’t think I was going to finish…but I did. Harrison told me that I would be the only thru hiker to not finish and I couldn’t fail again. We sat and talked with Harrison, and his dog Trudy, for a while but we had a schedule to keep. The ferry quit running at 11 and we didn’t want to risk missing our canoe ride. When you start out in Georgia, you think about all those things that seem so far away, like the Whites, and the ferry ride, and here we are, walking towards the Kennebec River. The canoe/ferry has become part of the official trail with a white blaze painted to the bottom. The Kennebec is wide and there’s no notice as to when the dam up stream is going to be released; sadly, some thru hikers in the past did die while to trying to cross this river. Two by two we signed our waivers and crossed over to the other side. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We picked more wild blueberries atop Pleasant Pond Mountain. The day seemed to drag on as we were just getting tired these days but we eventually made it to Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to where we caught up to Highliner, Tarzan, Pack Rat, Norseman, some SOBOs and sectioners.

"Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly."  Micah 6:8