Maine

Hello! Today I am taking a well deserved zero day in Rangeley, Maine. I am very thankful for a day of rest. Last night, and tonight, I'm staying at Gull Pond Lodge, a hostel run by a very happy older man named Bob. The hostel is located right on Gull Pond, and has great swimming. I hope to be able to hop in again today if the weather calms down. It is turning out to be a well planned day off, wet and gusty here. Real food has been awesome too! The last two days, I have lived off a bad resupply from the general store in Andover. I was rushed into buying food (literally had minutes), and ended up with a diet consisting mostly of poptarts, oreos, gummy bears, slimjims, and macaroni n' cheese. So, entering Rangeley I went to the IGA supermarket, and knowing I could use the kitchen at Gull Pond Lodge, I bought stuff for tacos and omelets! Breakfast was good this morning.

I've hiked 103 miles since Dad left Wednesday. They were rough days, and my body took a beating. I feel like I've been punished. Maine hasn't let me go a single day without falling and scraping an arm or leg. About two hours after Dad left, I was descending Wildcat Mountain down to Carter Notch when I snapped a hiking pole. I leaned a little too much on the right pole, and next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with a scraped up leg and three sections of hiking poles, instead of two. That didn't do much for my spirits. I have found the most challenging days emotionally on the trail are the days after a visit from family and friends. It has been hard adapting to hiking with one pole. This combined with rugged terrain of Maine has led to more tumbles in the last 5 days than I have had the entire trip.

It is hard to complain though. Minor cuts and bruises are easy to deal with, and just part of the hike. Maine is such a rewarding state as well, and my favorite so far on the trail! If ever there was a place I would want to revisit, it would be here. My first or second day into the state I climbed the Baldpates. These mountains are fun to climb, and the above treeline peaks made for amazing views. I could see the White Mountains to the South, the mountains yet to come in the North, and plenty of other ranges to the East and West. Descending East Baldpate, I realized that I was completely surrounded my mountains in every direction. There was not a direction you could hike from off that peak without hitting a climb in the next 20 or 30 miles. What a great view!

Another plus to Maine has been the ponds. They are everywhere, and make for great swimming! Two days ago was a tough day. I was coming to the end of 20 miles which had consisted of several climbs, and one was of the most challenging days since entering Maine. Anyway, the trail skirted around Long Pond, and in the distance I heard some people camping down by the water. Cresting a hill I saw two cans of beer with a Hershey bar sitting on top of them, right in the middle of the trail! I guess they had left them there for a hiker to enjoy, and I sure did enjoy them. Hooray for trail magic! 0.3 miles away from the shelter I came up to a swimming area at the edge of Long Pond that faced to the West. It was late in the afternoon when I sat down on the bench and soaked in one of the most beautiful sights of the trail so far. The pond was calm, ducks were swimming on the water, mountains set in the background, and the sun set orange over the water. It was peaceful, and a great end to the day! I love Maine.

There hasn't been many other Northbound hikers around me lately. I think the Whites spread everyone out. Some took days off afterwards to give knees a rest, some started to hop around and skip sections of trail, and others have just slowed down or sped up. I met Walking Man and Grace n' Glory at Speck Pond Shelter. They're a nice older couple who started from Springer, but I didn't stay with them for very long. Several AMC groups have been around, as well as many trail crews doing maintenance. Southbounders have been coming for a while now, but I think the main bubble of them has passed by. So there has been company, but no one to hike with. That's o.k. I have a good book to read, and am nearly to the end; no problems with a little alone time. I am sure I'll be ready for some company soon though.

I'm anxious to get home and see everyone! Two more weeks of hiking, and I will be done with my first section! The total mileage count now is around 940 miles, and I have 220 miles to go from Rangeley, Maine. Today is day number 59 on the trail since I began on June 6th. I'm really enjoying the last stretch of trail in the Northeast; 100 mile wilderness coming up soon, then Momma K! Thanks for all the support and encouragement! It helps out a lot when I'm struggling though the rough spots during the day to think of that. Hope yall are doing great! I am not sure how many more posts I'll be able to make, but I'll do my best to keep this blog updated. Cell phone reception can be hard to come by, and there aren't many town stops from here to the end. Thanks again for the interest :)

The Kid