Appalachian Trail - Day 135 - ME Route 27 to Little Bigelow Mountain

Day: 135

Date: Wednesday, 06 September 2023

Start:  ME Route 27 (AT Mile 2010.0)

Finish:  Little Bigelow Mountain (AT Mile 2022.3)

Daily Kilometres:  20.1 (Ascent 4862', Descent 3317')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3287.3

Weather:  Very warm and humid and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast buffet

  Lunch:  Turkey, ham & salad subs 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  The 360 degree vista from the summit of Bigelow Avery Peak (4088'), named for Myron Avery who first had the idea of creating the Appalachian Trail, was spectacular and made the climb worthwhile.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We enjoyed the hostel's excellent buffet breakfast, shared with a number of other hikers amidst some good conversation, at 7:00am, so a bit of a sleep-in.  Our French Canadian friends, Matthew & Christine, were also staying there and were shuttled back to the trailhead with us after breakfast. They hike faster than us, though Christine is on anti-inflammatories for a foot injury, so soon disappeared into the forest ahead of us.  They seem to be on a similar schedule to us through to the end of the trail, so we will likely see them again.

Given that we didn't start hiking until around 8:30am, and that we had about 5000' of climbing in front of us as we tackled the Bigelow Mountain range, we didn't have high expectations of how far we would get today.  After a couple of relatively easy miles we climbed more steeply to a lookout from where we could see the beautiful Horn Pond far below, before we descended to walk along its shore and then began the serious climbing.  Up, up, up to the Horns (3831') then a long technical descent before another long climb through the gnarly moss-carpeted conifer forest until we emerged above the treeline to reach West Bigelow Peak (4145') with great views and where we took a lunch break.  We could see the peaks we had climbed in a chain behind us and the peaks we still had to climb up ahead.  Awesome and sobering at the same time.

It had been a hot sweaty climb on a very humid day but, thankfully, there was a nice breeze at the higher altitudes and that made the hiking and day much more tolerable.

After lunch, there was another long descent before we climbed to Bigelow Avery Peak and more good views (see above).  By this time it was starting to get late and we decided that we would collect some water, which was scarce along the range, as we headed towards Little Bigelow Mountain, the final peak in the range, then look for somewhere to camp.  Both finding water and finding a campsite proved difficult, but we managed both in the end, eventually nestling the tent in a tight spot on a sloping root-covered spot at about 7:00pm.

It got dark as we set up camp and ate dinner by headlamp but we were satisfied with our 12 miles and the scenery we had enjoyed throughout the day.

Appalachian Trail - Day 134 - Spaulding Mountain to ME Route 27

Day: 134

Date: Tuesday, 05 September 2023

Start:  Spaulding Mountain (AT Mile 1996.5)

Finish:  ME Route 27 (AT Mile 2010.0)

Daily Kilometres:  21.1

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3267.2

Weather:  Very warm, humid and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Hostel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - exhausted and the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported

Highlight:  None really 

Lowlight:  We thought we had left summer behind, but there was a late burst today, set to continue for another few days, that had heat advisorys issued for our area.  Dave struggled in the heat and humidity.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Another 5:00am alarm and we were on the trail soon after 6:00am on a mild morning.  We started with a solid climb through the forest to the summit of Spaulding Mountain (4010') and then after a drop to a saddle up onto the shoulder of Sugarloaf Mountain (where we decided not to take the steep side-trail to the summit).

We thought we had a relatively short day (approximately 14 miles) and hoped to reach a road crossing around 4:00pm where we were going to get shuttled to a hostel near Stratton where we had booked a room.  However, everything seemed harder and to take longer than expected.

From Sugarloaf there was a difficult and, at times, scary steep descent to Caribou Valley which took a lot of time and care.  Then, after crossing the Carrabassett River, the climb up to South Crocker Mountain (4050') was very steep and long and Dave started to flag badly in the heat and humidity.

We took a break at the summit then descended into a saddle before climbing to North Crocker Mountain (4228') which we reached around 1:30pm, about an hour later than hoped.  Our navigation app had a comment that the remaining 5 miles from the summit to the road was easy hiking.  It didn't have the usual steep technical descent, but it had plenty of rocks and roots, and our pace was slow, particularly as Dave was very tired.

Eventually, we reached the road shortly before 5:00pm and our shuttle picked us up 20 minutes later.  They dropped us in the village of Stratton where we bought some supplies and take-out dinner before being taken to the hostel.

Despite being later than we wanted, we still managed to have dinner, shower and do (much-needed … after a hot sweaty day) laundry before 8:30pm.

We passed the 2000 Mile mark today and now have less than 200 to go.  After the Bigelow Mountain range tomorrow (in forecast hot weather), the trail is reputed to be flatter and easier for a while.

Appalachian Trail - Day 133 - Eddy Pond to Spaulding Mountain

Day: 133

Date: Monday, 04 September 2023

Start:  Eddy Pond (AT Mile 1981.6)

Finish:  Spaulding Mountain (AT Mile 1996.5)

Daily Kilometres:  23.8

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3246.1

Weather:  Mild to warm, humid and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent 

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles and now on anti-inflammatories for his painful left knee; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Our early morning traverse of the Saddleback range was fantastic.  We were above the treeline for much of it and, apart from the occasional wispy cloud/fog that breezed through, we had superb views in all directions, including of the ski slopes to the west and the ski village below.  We felt like we had the world to ourselves.

Lowlight:  None really, apart from Dave accidentally deleting this blog post before it was posted and having to rewrite the whole thing the next night.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We set the alarm for 5:00am to maximize our daylight hiking hours as the days become shorter, and were hiking by 6:00am.  Our goal was to cover about 16 miles so that we had a shorter day on Tuesday when we planned to resupply and stay in a hostel.  However, we were conscious of the trail likely being very arduous so weren't confident we could do it.

We started with a climb up to Saddleback Mountain (see above) from where we followed a ridge, with deep saddles to Saddleback Horn and Saddleback Junior, mostly above the treeline and with great views all of the way.  The descents and ascents were hard and slow, but the scenery compensated.

After Saddleback Junior we had a long descent through the forest to Orbeton Stream.  We managed to rock-hop across Orbeton Stream without getting our feet wet before ascending steeply to Lone Mountain after which we had some nice flattish trail until we found a campsite near the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To soon after 6:00pm, having achieved our goal distance for the day.

Appalachian Trail - Day 132 - ME Route 17 to Eddy Pond

Day: 132

Date: Sunday, 03 September 2023

Start:  ME Route 17 (AT Mile 1964.9)

Finish:  Eddy Pond (AT Mile 1981.6)

Daily Kilometres:  26.7 (Ascent 3412', Descent 2969')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3222.3

Weather:  Mild and partly sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Muffins 

  Lunch:  Ham, chicken & cheese subs

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Not really a highlight, but at one point in the early afternoon we had just been passed by two female section hikers who we had chatted to earlier and, as the four of us walked along in single file, we caught an overweight middle-aged guy carrying a big pack and wearing headphones, though we could not see them.  The girl in front made various attempts to alert the guy of our approach but he remained oblivious until the last second when he let out a loud shriek of terror with his arms and trekking poles flailing around ready to fend off what ever was about to attack him.  Not very amusing at the time, but we all had a good chuckle later.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our shuttle driver arrived at our motel on time and we were hiking by soon after 7:00am on a beautiful calm morning.

We were hoping for an easier day of hiking and this turned out to be the case, though it started with a significant climb.  From there, although we were constantly dealing with roots, rocks and bogs, the gradients were generally good, though punctuated with some short sharp climbs and descents.  Although still gnarly trail, it was easier walking than recently and it was nice to cover the ground at a better rate.

At the lower elevations some foliage was starting to show autumn colours and parts of the track were littered with the oranges and yellows of newly fallen leaves.  Our journey has taken us from the stark bare trees of late winter in Georgia through the blossoms of spring, the green leaves of summer and now into autumn.  It brings home to us how long we have been on the trail and how lucky we have been to see the seasonal changes up close and personal, even if we didn't always appreciate it.

The trail today passed a number of peaceful ponds, both big and small, and we kept our eye out for moose, but only saw some moose droppings.

Towards the end of the day we crossed a major road and then began our ascent of Saddleback Mt, which was a gradual climb at first, but became steeper and more technical as we got higher.  We never intended to reach the summit today and, instead, aimed for Eddy Pond where there were supposed to be some tent sites.  We arrived at the serenely peaceful pond around 6:00pm and found a site near the shore.  It was nice to finish at a reasonable hour and we watched the sun gradually set behind the mountain across the pond as we set up camp and cooked and ate dinner.  Magic!

Appalachian Trail - Day 131 - Day Off in Rangeley

Day: 131

Date: Saturday, 02 September 2023

Start:  ME Route 17 (AT Mile 1964.9) but staying in Rangeley.

Finish:  ME Route 17 (AT Mile 1964.9) but staying in Rangeley.

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her walk this afternoon.

Total Kilometres:  3195.9

Weather:  Mild and sunny

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast burritos

  Lunch:  Steak & cheese sub & fries/Chicken & bacon salad & fries.

  Dinner:  Nachos/Burger & fries, ice-cream & peach pie.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - stiff neck and swelling and bruising on forehead from fall two days ago.

Highlight:  None really.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

A lazy sleep-in morning followed by some time working out a revised schedule for our remaining 2+ weeks hiking, before we walked downtown for an overpriced breakfast at a local cafe.

After that, we wandered along to the Rangeley Trail Festival which was pleasantly low-key with a few stalls, some entertainment and speakers in the morning sunshine.

We picked up some supplies there along with replacement shoes for Julie (last pair didn't last long) then walked to the town supermarket and bought our supplies for the next few days and some lunch.

In the afternoon, Julie went for a walk around the nearby lake while Dave did some admin with track and field from Zurich and college football games on TV in the background.

Our French-Canadian thru-hiker friends arrived in town late in the afternoon and checked into our motel and later we walked downtown to the pub for a very pleasant dinner with them.

Appalachian Trail - Day 130 - Bemis Mountain to ME Route 17

Day: 130

Date: Friday, 01 September 2023

Start:  Bemis Mountain (AT Mile 1960.1)

Finish:  ME Route 17 (AT Mile 1964.9)

Daily Kilometres:  8.1

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3195.9

Weather:  Cold night then mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Trail mix

  Lunch:  Toasted Reuben sandwiches & fries, ice-creams.

  Dinner:  Pizza, Peach pie & ice-cream.

Aches:  Dave - still struggling with painful left knee and the usual niggles; Julie - emerging large lump and bruise on forehead and stiff neck from yesterday's fall.

Highlight:  On a perfect sunny calm morning with great visibility, we had expansive views in many directions while crossing the open rock ledges on the Bemis Mt Second Peak.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

When going to bed last night our intention had been to make an effort to put in an 18 mile day, hopefully on less mountainous terrain, to reach a road that gave easy access to Rangeley, where we have a room booked for two nights.

Our alarm woke us at 5:00am on a very cold morning and we quickly decided that Plan B would be better than Plan A.  That is, hiking 5 miles to an earlier road crossing where we could get more indirect access to Rangeley.  The "cons" were that it would cost us the best part of a day in our schedule and cost us more dollars for a shuttle.  The "pros" were that we would get comfortably to Rangeley in daylight, have a less stressful day's hiking (where would have been watching the clock all the time), and we could sleep in for another 90 minutes and wait for the sun to hit our tent.  The last argument was the clincher.

Having made the decision, it was a nice change to have a leisurely pack-up on a beautiful sunny morning amongst the pine trees.  We were camped near a shelter (lean-to, in Maine) but, apart from the South African/Swedish couple who arrived half an hour after us last night, there was no one else camped within the vicinity of the shelter or staying in the shelter.  Very unusual and, perhaps, indicative that all of the late-starting southbound thru-hikers have now passed us.  Anyway, it was a lovely spot and nice to have it to ourselves.

We started hiking around 8:00am following a mostly rock-shelved ridge northwards to the North Peak of Bemis Mt with lovely views along the way.  Occasionally there were mud bogs and small technical ascents and descents, but generally very pleasant hiking.  In the distance we could see the highway which was our goal, but first we had to descend to cross Bemis Stream far below.  The descent was slow and taxing in parts, but we made it safely then had to carefully cross the stream on a logjam upstream from the trail crossing to avoid getting our feet wet.

There was a final longish climb up to the road where we waited for our shuttle driver, who had texted to say he was late (price reduction confirmed), at a scenic lookout with dramatic views over some large lakes and back to Bemis Mountain.

We were dropped off at our motel at 1:00pm in the cute little outdoors/tourist (and upmarket …. with prices to match) town of Rangeley, which lies scenically on a peninsula between two large lakes.  

Our room wasn't ready, so we left our packs and wandered into town for a relaxed lunch and a look around capped off with a large ice-cream by the lake.  We have discovered that there is a Trail Festival in town tomorrow, so our timing is good.  It's a long weekend in the US (Labor Day), signifying, unofficially, the end of summer for many and the town is busy with tourists.

On our return to the motel we checked in and did the usual chores before returning downtown for dinner.

So far, Plan B seems to have been the right choice.

Appalachian Trail - Day 129 - Hall Mountain to Bemis Mountain

Day: 129

Date: Thursday, 31 August 2023

Start:  Hall Mountain (AT Mile 1947.3)

Finish:  Bemis Mountain (AT Mile 1960.1)

Daily Kilometres:  18.9 (Ascent 4656', Descent 4465')

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3195.9

Weather:  Cool and sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - left knee sore and other niggles; Julie - head and neck injuries after she slipped going downhill and fell head first into a tree trunk driven by the weight of her pack resulting in a goose egg lump on her head, a bloody forehead and sore neck.

Highlight:  None really

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We got away at about 6:45am with a wet tent from rain overnight.  We were hoping to cover about 16 miles today but after the first 4.5 miles took nearly four hours we became more pessimistic.

We had two slow, steep and technical ascents and descents, the second over Moody Mt (2379'), and the ford of knee-deep Black Brook that cost time because Dave didn't want to get his boots and socks more wet than they already were, so crossed in his camp shoes.

After a breakfast break on the other side of the brook, warming up in the sun, we followed the trail steeply up to Old Blue Mt (3600'), another slow climb with some good views on the way up.  However, most of the time we were in mossy, gnarly and boggy conifer forest and there were no views from the summit.  It was on the descent from Old Blue Mt that Julie had a nasty fall (see above), though she resumed hiking almost immediately.

We took a mid-afternoon break at a lookout and reassessed our day's plan, deciding to head for some tentsites on Bemis Mt, which we reached around 6:30pm.  It was a cold evening and we set up camp, washed and ate as quickly as we could so we could get into the warmth of our tent and sleeping bags.  Autumn is coming!

Maine is wearing us both down and neither of us is really enjoying it so far.  Maybe we were too ambitious in our schedule, but it has also been historically boggy on the trail after record summer rains and this has slowed us down and made the hiking less pleasant.  From his position in the rear, Dave can hear Julie regularly cursing as she sinks ankle-deep in mud once again.  We may need to add a few days to our schedule to make life easier.