Appalachian Trail - Day 138 - Caratunk to Bald Mountain Pond

Day: 138

Date: Saturday, 09 September 2023

Start:  Caratunk (AT Mile 1047.0)

Finish:  Bald Mountain Pond (AT Mile 2065.8)

Daily Kilometres:  30.5 (Ascent 4400', Descent 3694')

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

Total Kilometres:  3357.7

Weather:  Mild and mostly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Continental breakfast 

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

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

Highlight:  It's not often that the last four miles of the day are a highlight, but today was an exception.  In serenely calm and clear conditions we climbed over Moxie Bald Mountain (2629') as the evening sun sank low and enjoyed stellar views in all directions from the vast open rock slabs on the summit.  We could easily see the Bigelow Range that we had traversed a couple of days ago along with many other mountains we may have also climbed but couldn't identify.  Ahead were other mountains we may yet have to climb.  Closer below were the mirror-like ponds and lakes of all shapes and sizes surrounded by forest and mountains.

Lowlight:  Dave had a bad morning, falling three times and filling the air with curses.  No harm done apart from some minor cuts and abrasions, but it reinforced his desire to have done with the trail.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke, finished packing and were ready for the continental breakfast at the inn at 6:30am when it opened.  Like everything else at the inn, it was well-organised and good quality and we ate our fill.  The inn provided a shuttle back to the trailhead, which we took along with three other thru-hikers, and were hiking by soon after 7:30am.

Our plan was to reach Bald Mountain Pond, about 19 miles away, by evening which seemed a little ambitious given we hadn't hiked that far in a day for a while (it also seemed ambitious to the three middle-aged thru-hikers with whom we shared the shuttle), so we were a little apprehensive.  However, the trail through the early autumnal forest wasn't too bad and we averaged the two miles per hour we needed.  There were the usual rocks, roots and bogs, but the gradients weren't too bad except for our two mountains of the day - Pleasant Pond Mountain and Moxie Bald Mountain - which slowed us up a bit, but weren't too technical and both offered fantastic views from their open rock slabs summits (see above).

Otherwise there wasn't much remarkable about the day apart from the beautiful ponds we passed and the Moxie Pond ford which we managed safely without getting our feet wet.  We may not be so lucky tomorrow with two more fords coming up.

We reached Bald Mountain Pond just before 7:00pm and were surprised to find no one else there, either camped or staying in the shelter.  It was an absolutely beautiful evening and we regretted not having been a bit earlier so we could enjoy the sunset over the pond.  We found a very nice tent site close to the pond shore and set up camp, washed and ate and were in bed by 9:00pm having had a very satisfying day.

Appalachian Trail - Day 137 - Carrying Place Stream to Caratunk

Day: 137

Date: Friday, 08 September 2023

Start:  Carrying Place Stream (AT Mile 2040.1)

Finish:  Caratunk (AT Mile 1047.0)

Daily Kilometres:  11.0

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

Total Kilometres:  3327.2

Weather:  Overcast and humid in the morning with some light rain, then very warm and humid and partly sunny in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Bunk room in Inn

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts

  Lunch:  Pizza pockets/Hot meat roll.

  Dinner:  Meatloaf burger & fries, ice-creams

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

Highlight:  Crossing the Kennebec River by canoe, another major milestone on the Appalachian Trail.  Back in 1986 when Dave first hiked the trail, you had to ford the river but, after a couple of drownings and more near-misses, the Appalachian Trail Conference arranged for a canoe crossing to be available and deemed it to be the official route.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The night was marked by thunderstorms with some lightning strikes seemingly very close, and quite a bit of rain.  We woke at 5:00am to a very wet tent fly but at least it was not raining.

We were hiking by 6:00am in the faint hope of reaching a hunting and fishing lodge three miles away where we knew hikers could get a good pancake breakfast, though you were supposed to book it in person the night before (it is close to a shelter/campsite on the AT), that only a limited number of hikers were allowed and that it started at 7:00am.  We didn't have our hopes up and just as well as we missed out on all counts - hadn't booked, were too late and exceeded the permitted numbers.

Just before we reached the very rustic lodge at 7:30am, it began to rain, so we ended up eating our pop tart breakfast on the covered verandah of the lodge and chatting to Matthew and Christine who had made it to the lodge breakfast.  They then left for the four mile walk to the Kennebec River and we soon followed as the rain let up and the humidity returned.

The four miles was not particularly easy walking after some of the better trail of yesterday, but we also knew they were our last miles of the day, which often seem to drag.  We reached the river around 10:00am and waited a short time to cross, two at a time plus the boatman, with us split between two trips.  The river was impressive, subject to fast rises and falls depending on dam operations upstream, and an AT milestone (see above).  We do feel like we are in the home stretch now.

We had booked two bunks in the bunkroom of a B&B Inn which goes out of its way to cater to hikers.  They picked us up from the trailhead near the river crossing and a few minutes later we were checking in and had our showers and laundry done by lunchtime.

We have a couple of days hiking to the hamlet of Monson from here and then tackle the 100 Mile Wilderness which takes us to near the end of the trail on Mt Katahdin.  We will need to carry food for 5-6 days for that last stretch, so spent a bit of time after lunch today making up a parcel of gear we do not think we will need for the remainder of the hike to lighten the load (a very little).  Julie then walked to the tiny Caratunk Post Office (run by one of the two guys who run the Inn) and mailed it to ourselves care of a post office in Boston where we will pick it up post-hike.

The balance of the afternoon was spent on admin and reading on the lovely big verandah of the Inn on a very warm breezy afternoon.

Later we took a shuttle to a pub a few miles away where we had dinner with Matthew and Christine before returning to the Inn and an early night.

Appalachian Trail - Day 136 - Little Bigelow Mountain to Carrying Place Stream

Day: 136

Date: Thursday, 07 September 2023

Start:  Little Bigelow Mountain (AT Mile 2022.3)

Finish:  Carrying Place Stream (AT Mile 2040.1)

Daily Kilometres:  28.9 (Ascent 2037', Descent 3780')

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

Total Kilometres:  3316.2

Weather:  Very warm and humid, partly sunny, with thunderstorms in late afternoon and evening.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & sausage rolls, pastries.

  Lunch:  Pop tarts/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals.

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

Highlight:  We had been told by a hiker we met going the other way yesterday that there was a group offering "trail magic" at the next road crossing and that they will be there until Friday.  So, we set off from our campsite at 6:30am, with a little over four miles to the road, with some optimism that we would get a good breakfast, though we didn't want to get our hopes up.  With a mile to go, a couple of day hikers confirmed that there was a big spread awaiting us.  It was put on by a group of friends who camp out at the trailhead for a few days each year, one of whom had been doing the "trail magic" for 22 years.  We enjoyed a couple of egg and sausage rolls each along with multiple cold drinks and other goodies along with interesting conversation.  It was a very good way to start our day.

Lowlight:  It was hot and humid most of the day (heat advisory for central Maine) making it unpleasant for hiking and also seemed to bring out the mosquitoes which made it doubly unpleasant.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We gave ourselves a 30 minute later start because of our late finish last night and were hiking by around 6:30am.  We were hoping for a good breakfast when we reached the road crossing ahead (see above), but first we had to cross over and descend from Little Bigelow Mountain.  It wasn't a particularly difficult or long descent, though Dave did slip on some wet rock and removed what little skin was left on one of his elbows, but it did require care and was slow.

With a mile to go, however, the trail flattened out and became easy walking and we reached the road and "trail magic" at 9:00am.

After eating and drinking our fill, we got back on the trail, eagerly anticipating that it would be easier for the next few days as we had been told.  It was easier, with a better surface and gentler grades, but the day's heat and humidity made it hard work, and we were bathed in sweat and drinking plenty at our breaks.

Most of the remaining day was spent passing a series of beautiful and peaceful large ponds/lakes with low hills in between.  Despite the rocks, roots and bogs that dominated long sections of the trail, it was easier walking and we were back to the two miles per hour average we managed before we hit New England.  It was nice to feel we were making good progress for a change.

During the afternoon we had our first moose sighting, though glimpse better describes the encounter.  Julie, up ahead, must have disturbed it, and it disappeared quickly with the sound of thunderous hooves attracting our attention.  Julie got a brief glimpse of its rear end while Dave saw the big black shape galloping through the distant forest.

We reached a good tentsite beside a small stream at the nice time of 5:45pm and decided to call it a day, having gone a little further than anticipated.

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!