Wednesday 9/20; Maine 17 to Little River Pond Campsite (1956.2-1964.6)
Gotta love a late start! We slept in a bed for 3 nights, showered for 3 days, and had a delectable breakfast this morning after waking an hour later than normal! We planned this because our shuttle didn't leave until 10, and it was glorious! The giant blueberry walnut pancakes at The Red Hen were so tasty! The hiking today was relatively easy, though after two days without full packs we felt very heavy. We still managed about a 2 mile/hr pace and made our goal.
I learned some health related news yesterday about a sweet friend and it tore my heart up a little. I was reminded that one of the reasons I came out here was for all the people who can't. Cancer sucks in all its forms. Shameless plug: If you're able, I'd really love you to consider a donation to either Cure Childhood Cancer or MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in honor of our hike.
Thursday 9/21; Little River Pond Campsite to Stealth at Eddy Pond (1964.6-1973.0)
Well today sort of sucked. We had a big climb up Saddleback and relatively early in the day, I expressed concern with making it over before dark. This caused Bean to worry and us to argue. When I arrived at the next meeting place, he had decided that he was most comfortable with calling it an early day...To which I started crying. While I genuinely appreciated his honesty, I continue to feel guilty and incapable because I'm holding him back. It's frustrating and he doesn't understand, which makes the whole situation more frustrating. So, we stopped early. I'm down and a little pissed. Mostly at myself and my lack of athleticism, but also at him for not helping me believe I can do it. Really, if we'd made the decision, I'm pretty positive I would have made it. It would have been a long day, and we'd have gotten in to camp late (why Bean chose to stop), but we'd have made it.
If I'm being honest, at this point I'm ready to be finished. It's not that I'm not enjoying it, I still am overall. The sleeping on the ground isn't bothering me, the setting up a tent daily isn't bothering me. I'm just tired. And sore. And I'm ready to rest my body and mind. That said, I didn't realize how you're I was today. We put the tent up and I crawled in and fell asleep before even taking my bedding out of my pack. Woke up after almost an hour, set up my bed, and slept for almost another hour. I guess maybe it's good we stopped early.
So up and over Saddleback first thing tomorrow.
Friday 9/22; Stealth at Eddy Pond to Spalding Mountain Lean-to (1973.0-1988.1)
You know how yesterday was stressful and we argued and I cried? Well, it turns out that I napped for 2 hours, slept for almost 11, and then we pushed today to land where we had planned originally. So, there's that. Apparently I really needed to sleep. There is something to be said for learning how to let your body lead. We have certainly worked on that out here. If your body says, "No, I'm finished," You stop. And if you feel fantastic and can push an extra 1, 2, or 5 miles, go for it! It's a hard lesson, though, because we want to be with friends/tramily, or be strong. But really, we're strongest when we follow our body's lead.
We had planned to camp about 3.5 miles back tonight, but the guidebook was marked incorrectly and we walked right past our intended spot. In order to call a spot camp, you really need two things; water and a flat spot big enough to put a tent. The last Campsite by this definition was 20 minutes walk behind (approx .5 miles), and we don't typically back track. 2,200 miles is enough! So we opted for a rarity and pushed ahead of our plan to the shelter. We arrived at about quarter to 7, which now is nearly dark. We set up camp quickly, made dinner, and now I'm writing before sleep. It's 8:07. We've learned to do things pretty quickly it here.
So, hopefully we'll head into town tomorrow for a resupply. We're getting close friends! We reminisced a little today about the fact that the first days/weeks in this endeavor feel like a lifetime ago. It's so crazy to think back at how far we've come! Looking forward to writing more about those things from my comfy chair in a few weeks.
Saturday 9/23;Spalding Mountain Lean-to to Stratton, ME (1988.1-2001.6)
Yep, you see that correctly. We hit the 2,000 mile mark! Really, there are no words to adequately share our emotions and feelings. Well, currently Fresh is happy to have made it through these last two big days, over big mountains, and into town for a big dinner tonight. See, I didn't know how badly I needed food until it became apparent that I might not reasonably get a "town meal" (what we call a meal from anything other than our packs). Then, I cried. I think because I was probably dehydrated, and I have definitely been a bit calorie deficient the past couple of days. I'm eating as much as I have been, but for some reason these last few days I've been so hungry! So it all came crashing down tonight. It didn't help that we arrived at the trail head (the road) at about 6PM. This is pretty late in the day to get in for a meal, resupply, hopefully a shower, and back out to set up camp. Though we probably could have managed it. We enjoyed a nice meal in a little inn, and visited with friends. Yard Sale and I showered. We'll do laundry and resupply in the morning, and head out for a short day out (about 5 miles).
The Bigelows are or next range, and then we'll flatten out a bit before hitting Mt. Katahdin. While I've very much enjoyed the views, I'm looking forward to some easier hiking for a minute. These back to back very hard days are getting to me. Bean seems to be happy as a clam, as ever, which makes me think there's something wrong with one of us...
Sunday 9/24; Stratton, ME to Horn Pond Lean-to (2001.6-2006.7)
What a leisurely Sunday today was. We didn't set an alarm which is rare. We're not really sure why because we wake by 6:30 regardless. But it's an exceptionally nice feeling to wake naturally and not have to jump up and go. We didn't get moving until 7:30, and then we got breakfast and started laundry before resupplying and eating lunch. We didn't get back in trail until 2:25 PM, and still made our mark! It was a pretty great day. I think I ate more calories than I've had in a day since last Thanksgiving. But oh my gosh did my body need it! I really didn't realize how much!
Tomorrow we'll see the first summit of The Bigelows. We hear they're largely under-spoken and that we have a real treat coming. I hope so! These will be the last "big mountains" we climb before we summit Katahdin. Gotta make 'em good!!
Monday 9/25; Horn Pond Lean-to to Little Bigelow Lean-to (2006.7-2016.9)
The Bigelows did not disappoint! Really beautiful views. The haze was a bit unfortunate, but still, the 360 degree views were just incredible. The leaves continue to change giving us more color as the days progress; seeing them from above only makes the views better. There was quite a bit of climbing to get up there, and we both tried to get after it first thing. We did, and took a long break on the first peak, Bigelow West. This makes the day a bit hard as we've set the bar for the day. It worked out today and we got our miles in, but tomorrow we've planned 17. Long breaks first thing won't do. Driving us, though, is the promise of a short walk into Caratunk the day after tomorrow, and a room at a local Inn! We'll get there early enough to enjoy the afternoon with a room and a shower! Plus, we'll get new water bags--we busted all but one. This is entirely normal, but we've never been down to one, one-liter bag before. It's a real pain.
At one point, we stopped late in the day to check out a view. It was hazy and the sun was directly in our eyes, but if you shielded the sun, you could see the rays coming through the clouds over Bigelow Avery Peak, which we'd just descended. It was a gorgeous view with those rays reminding me of hope and goodness. Here's to lessons in these last days.
We rolled into camp quite late, but spent a little time with some very nice people. We meet Ham Jam and Pac Man the other day, and they seem very nice! And tonight we bet another Bean (apparently short for LL Bean). We'd heard there was another on the trail, and now we've met him! Really nice guy!
More tomorrow!
Tuesday 9/26; Little Bigelow Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean-to (2016.9-2034.6)
And...we fought. All. Day. Long. If anyone ever tries to tell you hiking with a partner is easy, they're lying. It was the same argument we've had since the beginning. Pace, expectations, and attitude. It sucks. And the kicker is that today was an absolutely gorgeous day! Blue skies, puffy clouds, amazing ponds, FLAT trail! It should have been a great day. And I don't even know what started it. I got super upset when we couldn't camp next to a pond about 6 miles back that had a small beach. I wanted to go swimming and enjoy the afternoon. Oh well. We made our target, albeit just before dark. But we're here and we haven't got far in the morning to catch the ferry across the river (don't get too excited--it's a canoe) to go to town. We'll stay a night, resupply, get new water bags (sorely needed!), and eat. And we're on the hunt for a milk shake. Bean loves milk shakes, and the place we were banking on is shutting down a few days early.
Side note: we're camped next to a pond tonight. We can hear coyotes in the distance, and loons a bit closer. Bean told me many weeks ago that he wanted me to hear one, and here it is!
Wednesday 9/27; Pierce Pond Lean-to to Caratunk, ME (2034.6-2038.6)
since we made it to the shelter last night, we had about 4 miles to get into town this morning. We'd made reservations to sleep in a bed (and SHOWER! gosh, we're gross!), And to pick up a package in town which contains our new water bags (very important)! So we got up leisurely and took our time this morning, and then wandered into town. We called the gentleman at Sterling Inn to pick us up, did some chores, and got in line (aka sat around on the porch) to go to the post office. The caratunk House B&B, which we'd intended to stay with, informed us after we'd shipped the package there that they would close early. So we hoped the post office had held our item, but because it was sent by Amazon, it didn't go USPS and hadn't arrived yet. We hope it arrived later today and that the owner received my voice mail to leave it on the porch so we could pick it up on our way out of town tomorrow. Here's to hoping...or we'll lose half a day of hiking.
Otherwise, today was a pretty good one. The weather was really good which was a pleasant surprise. Rain has been expected. It's been so stinkin' hot up here, you all just wouldn't believe it! But we're supposed to cool down a little in the coming days, which will hopefully make for some comfortable hiking weather at mostly low elevations, and a clear summit day on Katahdin. We're getting excited, but it's so entirely surreal to be discussing the end. I've complained a lot, but the truth is... I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I've grown, we've grown, and we've learned so much about ourselves, life, the world around us. These next days are going to be hard ones: A little sweet, and a little sour. More to come as we begin to close out this chapter of The Kolesars' Epic Adventure of 2017!
Thursday 9/28; Caratunk, ME to Pleasant Pond Lean-to (2038.6-2044.3)
We truly believe everything happens for a reason. We didn't stay the B&B because he chose to close early. It was frustrating since we'd sent a package there, which we'd done only because the entry in our guide book said he'd be open to the 30th. Anyhow, The Sterling Inn was simply perfect! Eric (the proprietor) picked us up no questions asked and took us to his charming, clean inn, where we rested, visited, and ate dinner (which Eric's son Zach went to pick up because a large group of us wanted dinner and the restaurant couldn't deliver). Highly recommend a stay at Sterling!!
Which brings us to today. Long story short, the Platy bags were at the post office, and not at the B&B. I was frustrated waiting all day, not knowing if we'd get them and possibly have to hike out without them, but we got them when the post office opened at 2PM and called it a short day. Six miles to the shelter, easy hiking, and friendly faces, along with absolutely B-e-a-utiful fall weather made it a great day!
I was a little saddened this morning when Bean and I were talking and he shared with me that he isn't sure if he knows that I've enjoyed this experience. He says he feels like all I've done is complain. While there have been some pretty cruddy days, many of them in fact, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. The kind of growth we've experienced it here, this growth can't be gained anywhere else, under any other circumstances. It's a privilege we worked hard to earn, and one we don't take lightly, to be out here representing what we believe is the best of our community. I'm so glad we've done this, and together! All that said, I don't feel ashamed that part of me is ready to be home. Yet a large part of me is freaking out a little over the fact that we're almost finished. I'm not ready to move on to whatever is next. So for now, we'll stick with trying to live for the moment, and looking forward to the Hundred Mile with friends (hopefully Yard Sale and GWAG!). And remember that my favorite thing about today was the fall leaves on the trail. Not crunchy yet, still red and orange leaves littering the walk like giant confetti, with blue sky stretching out above, and sunlight dappling on top of the leaf litter.
Friday 9/29; Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Stealth at the river (2044.3-2063.3)
What a gorgeous day (aside from the poor sleep last night and frigid morning)! Seriously though, we woke to cold, clear weather. Getting out of the sleeping bag is tough on mornings like these, but we had a great day! It never really did get warm, but it warmed up enough once the breeze died down to be very comfortable hiking weather. We had a couple of (what are now referred to as) baby climbs. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 foot mountains, with us climbing 1,200 or so feet. I never thought I'd see the day when I called that easy, but relatively, it was exactly that. After we finished the second, "Moxie," the trail was largely flat. We booked it the rest of the miles to camp and made it to our goal. Our first 19 mile day in I can't even remember how long! I hurt for it, but eh. It's the last days. If I weren't hurting, I'd probably think I was doing something wrong. Aleve down, hopefully it kicks in quick and I sleep all night. Pushing the long day today means 12 into Monson tomorrow and a zero on Sunday before heading into the Hundred Mile Wilderness. This will be 100 miles of backcountry trail, and when we finish it, we'll be just a few miles from the base of Katahdin. It's crazy to be getting ready to prep for this. We've got mail drops in Monson already, and we're set to rest up before heading out (with Yard Sale and GWAG)! Camped tonight with Ham Jam and Pac Man--we like them. Maybe we'll spend some time with them in the hundred, too. Only missing U-Turn, The Colonel, and Sweet Tea and Morning Glory. Missing the tramily a whole bunch lately!
Saturday 9/30; Stealth at the river to Monson, ME (2063.3-2075.3)
Since we made it to the campsite last night, we only had 6 or so miles to hike today into town. Which means...ZERO DAY!! The day was pretty easy. We haven't had to ford any of the streams so far that are marked as fords. We're late enough in the season that the water is low and we can rock hop. We received some trail magic from Anne and Strider in the form of hot dogs (the first red hot dog I've ever eaten), sodas, chips, and cookies. Such sweet people! Then we pushed into town and were able to call for a ride from the trail head (cell service when you don't expect it is always a plus!). We arrived at Shaw's Hostel ready to figure out a room and relax. Which we did. Bean went to get in the shower and I flopped down on the bed to play on the phone (WiFi!!), And then I heard a tiny little scratch at the foot of the bed. I turned around to see tiny puppy paws and a little puppy head peaking over the foot of the sleigh bed...and I melted! He's an Aussie (same as our late fur baby, Stitch), and we've come to find out that his name is Indie (short for Indigo). He's so stinkin' adorable!
The rest of the day was spent chilling out, eating 3 entrees and a dessert between the two of us for dinner, and reminiscing over this amazing journey. Tomorrow, we rest!
Sunday 10/1; Monson, ME Zero (2075.3)
Ummm...It's October. Holy wow, how did that happen?! It's like we hiked away the majority of a year or something. Oh wait, we did!
Good zero! Loving Shaw's (Poet is pretty great, as is Hippie Chick!). Would come back here for sure! Flabbergasted beyond words that we enter the hundred tomorrow, and in 8 days we'll be finished with this epic adventure. C-R-A-Z-Y!
We set up a good drop for the hundred mile with a few other people. This means we don't have to carry all our food which is a pretty giant deal! We eat a lot at this point, and carrying that much food for 8 days is HEAVY! So, we're not.
Next posts will likely be post summit. Catch y'all on the flip side!
Gotta love a late start! We slept in a bed for 3 nights, showered for 3 days, and had a delectable breakfast this morning after waking an hour later than normal! We planned this because our shuttle didn't leave until 10, and it was glorious! The giant blueberry walnut pancakes at The Red Hen were so tasty! The hiking today was relatively easy, though after two days without full packs we felt very heavy. We still managed about a 2 mile/hr pace and made our goal.
I learned some health related news yesterday about a sweet friend and it tore my heart up a little. I was reminded that one of the reasons I came out here was for all the people who can't. Cancer sucks in all its forms. Shameless plug: If you're able, I'd really love you to consider a donation to either Cure Childhood Cancer or MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in honor of our hike.
Thursday 9/21; Little River Pond Campsite to Stealth at Eddy Pond (1964.6-1973.0)
Well today sort of sucked. We had a big climb up Saddleback and relatively early in the day, I expressed concern with making it over before dark. This caused Bean to worry and us to argue. When I arrived at the next meeting place, he had decided that he was most comfortable with calling it an early day...To which I started crying. While I genuinely appreciated his honesty, I continue to feel guilty and incapable because I'm holding him back. It's frustrating and he doesn't understand, which makes the whole situation more frustrating. So, we stopped early. I'm down and a little pissed. Mostly at myself and my lack of athleticism, but also at him for not helping me believe I can do it. Really, if we'd made the decision, I'm pretty positive I would have made it. It would have been a long day, and we'd have gotten in to camp late (why Bean chose to stop), but we'd have made it.
If I'm being honest, at this point I'm ready to be finished. It's not that I'm not enjoying it, I still am overall. The sleeping on the ground isn't bothering me, the setting up a tent daily isn't bothering me. I'm just tired. And sore. And I'm ready to rest my body and mind. That said, I didn't realize how you're I was today. We put the tent up and I crawled in and fell asleep before even taking my bedding out of my pack. Woke up after almost an hour, set up my bed, and slept for almost another hour. I guess maybe it's good we stopped early.
So up and over Saddleback first thing tomorrow.
Friday 9/22; Stealth at Eddy Pond to Spalding Mountain Lean-to (1973.0-1988.1)
You know how yesterday was stressful and we argued and I cried? Well, it turns out that I napped for 2 hours, slept for almost 11, and then we pushed today to land where we had planned originally. So, there's that. Apparently I really needed to sleep. There is something to be said for learning how to let your body lead. We have certainly worked on that out here. If your body says, "No, I'm finished," You stop. And if you feel fantastic and can push an extra 1, 2, or 5 miles, go for it! It's a hard lesson, though, because we want to be with friends/tramily, or be strong. But really, we're strongest when we follow our body's lead.
We had planned to camp about 3.5 miles back tonight, but the guidebook was marked incorrectly and we walked right past our intended spot. In order to call a spot camp, you really need two things; water and a flat spot big enough to put a tent. The last Campsite by this definition was 20 minutes walk behind (approx .5 miles), and we don't typically back track. 2,200 miles is enough! So we opted for a rarity and pushed ahead of our plan to the shelter. We arrived at about quarter to 7, which now is nearly dark. We set up camp quickly, made dinner, and now I'm writing before sleep. It's 8:07. We've learned to do things pretty quickly it here.
So, hopefully we'll head into town tomorrow for a resupply. We're getting close friends! We reminisced a little today about the fact that the first days/weeks in this endeavor feel like a lifetime ago. It's so crazy to think back at how far we've come! Looking forward to writing more about those things from my comfy chair in a few weeks.
Saturday 9/23;Spalding Mountain Lean-to to Stratton, ME (1988.1-2001.6)
Yep, you see that correctly. We hit the 2,000 mile mark! Really, there are no words to adequately share our emotions and feelings. Well, currently Fresh is happy to have made it through these last two big days, over big mountains, and into town for a big dinner tonight. See, I didn't know how badly I needed food until it became apparent that I might not reasonably get a "town meal" (what we call a meal from anything other than our packs). Then, I cried. I think because I was probably dehydrated, and I have definitely been a bit calorie deficient the past couple of days. I'm eating as much as I have been, but for some reason these last few days I've been so hungry! So it all came crashing down tonight. It didn't help that we arrived at the trail head (the road) at about 6PM. This is pretty late in the day to get in for a meal, resupply, hopefully a shower, and back out to set up camp. Though we probably could have managed it. We enjoyed a nice meal in a little inn, and visited with friends. Yard Sale and I showered. We'll do laundry and resupply in the morning, and head out for a short day out (about 5 miles).
The Bigelows are or next range, and then we'll flatten out a bit before hitting Mt. Katahdin. While I've very much enjoyed the views, I'm looking forward to some easier hiking for a minute. These back to back very hard days are getting to me. Bean seems to be happy as a clam, as ever, which makes me think there's something wrong with one of us...
Sunday 9/24; Stratton, ME to Horn Pond Lean-to (2001.6-2006.7)
What a leisurely Sunday today was. We didn't set an alarm which is rare. We're not really sure why because we wake by 6:30 regardless. But it's an exceptionally nice feeling to wake naturally and not have to jump up and go. We didn't get moving until 7:30, and then we got breakfast and started laundry before resupplying and eating lunch. We didn't get back in trail until 2:25 PM, and still made our mark! It was a pretty great day. I think I ate more calories than I've had in a day since last Thanksgiving. But oh my gosh did my body need it! I really didn't realize how much!
Tomorrow we'll see the first summit of The Bigelows. We hear they're largely under-spoken and that we have a real treat coming. I hope so! These will be the last "big mountains" we climb before we summit Katahdin. Gotta make 'em good!!
Monday 9/25; Horn Pond Lean-to to Little Bigelow Lean-to (2006.7-2016.9)
The Bigelows did not disappoint! Really beautiful views. The haze was a bit unfortunate, but still, the 360 degree views were just incredible. The leaves continue to change giving us more color as the days progress; seeing them from above only makes the views better. There was quite a bit of climbing to get up there, and we both tried to get after it first thing. We did, and took a long break on the first peak, Bigelow West. This makes the day a bit hard as we've set the bar for the day. It worked out today and we got our miles in, but tomorrow we've planned 17. Long breaks first thing won't do. Driving us, though, is the promise of a short walk into Caratunk the day after tomorrow, and a room at a local Inn! We'll get there early enough to enjoy the afternoon with a room and a shower! Plus, we'll get new water bags--we busted all but one. This is entirely normal, but we've never been down to one, one-liter bag before. It's a real pain.
At one point, we stopped late in the day to check out a view. It was hazy and the sun was directly in our eyes, but if you shielded the sun, you could see the rays coming through the clouds over Bigelow Avery Peak, which we'd just descended. It was a gorgeous view with those rays reminding me of hope and goodness. Here's to lessons in these last days.
We rolled into camp quite late, but spent a little time with some very nice people. We meet Ham Jam and Pac Man the other day, and they seem very nice! And tonight we bet another Bean (apparently short for LL Bean). We'd heard there was another on the trail, and now we've met him! Really nice guy!
More tomorrow!
Tuesday 9/26; Little Bigelow Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean-to (2016.9-2034.6)
And...we fought. All. Day. Long. If anyone ever tries to tell you hiking with a partner is easy, they're lying. It was the same argument we've had since the beginning. Pace, expectations, and attitude. It sucks. And the kicker is that today was an absolutely gorgeous day! Blue skies, puffy clouds, amazing ponds, FLAT trail! It should have been a great day. And I don't even know what started it. I got super upset when we couldn't camp next to a pond about 6 miles back that had a small beach. I wanted to go swimming and enjoy the afternoon. Oh well. We made our target, albeit just before dark. But we're here and we haven't got far in the morning to catch the ferry across the river (don't get too excited--it's a canoe) to go to town. We'll stay a night, resupply, get new water bags (sorely needed!), and eat. And we're on the hunt for a milk shake. Bean loves milk shakes, and the place we were banking on is shutting down a few days early.
Side note: we're camped next to a pond tonight. We can hear coyotes in the distance, and loons a bit closer. Bean told me many weeks ago that he wanted me to hear one, and here it is!
Wednesday 9/27; Pierce Pond Lean-to to Caratunk, ME (2034.6-2038.6)
since we made it to the shelter last night, we had about 4 miles to get into town this morning. We'd made reservations to sleep in a bed (and SHOWER! gosh, we're gross!), And to pick up a package in town which contains our new water bags (very important)! So we got up leisurely and took our time this morning, and then wandered into town. We called the gentleman at Sterling Inn to pick us up, did some chores, and got in line (aka sat around on the porch) to go to the post office. The caratunk House B&B, which we'd intended to stay with, informed us after we'd shipped the package there that they would close early. So we hoped the post office had held our item, but because it was sent by Amazon, it didn't go USPS and hadn't arrived yet. We hope it arrived later today and that the owner received my voice mail to leave it on the porch so we could pick it up on our way out of town tomorrow. Here's to hoping...or we'll lose half a day of hiking.
Otherwise, today was a pretty good one. The weather was really good which was a pleasant surprise. Rain has been expected. It's been so stinkin' hot up here, you all just wouldn't believe it! But we're supposed to cool down a little in the coming days, which will hopefully make for some comfortable hiking weather at mostly low elevations, and a clear summit day on Katahdin. We're getting excited, but it's so entirely surreal to be discussing the end. I've complained a lot, but the truth is... I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I've grown, we've grown, and we've learned so much about ourselves, life, the world around us. These next days are going to be hard ones: A little sweet, and a little sour. More to come as we begin to close out this chapter of The Kolesars' Epic Adventure of 2017!
Thursday 9/28; Caratunk, ME to Pleasant Pond Lean-to (2038.6-2044.3)
We truly believe everything happens for a reason. We didn't stay the B&B because he chose to close early. It was frustrating since we'd sent a package there, which we'd done only because the entry in our guide book said he'd be open to the 30th. Anyhow, The Sterling Inn was simply perfect! Eric (the proprietor) picked us up no questions asked and took us to his charming, clean inn, where we rested, visited, and ate dinner (which Eric's son Zach went to pick up because a large group of us wanted dinner and the restaurant couldn't deliver). Highly recommend a stay at Sterling!!
Which brings us to today. Long story short, the Platy bags were at the post office, and not at the B&B. I was frustrated waiting all day, not knowing if we'd get them and possibly have to hike out without them, but we got them when the post office opened at 2PM and called it a short day. Six miles to the shelter, easy hiking, and friendly faces, along with absolutely B-e-a-utiful fall weather made it a great day!
I was a little saddened this morning when Bean and I were talking and he shared with me that he isn't sure if he knows that I've enjoyed this experience. He says he feels like all I've done is complain. While there have been some pretty cruddy days, many of them in fact, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. The kind of growth we've experienced it here, this growth can't be gained anywhere else, under any other circumstances. It's a privilege we worked hard to earn, and one we don't take lightly, to be out here representing what we believe is the best of our community. I'm so glad we've done this, and together! All that said, I don't feel ashamed that part of me is ready to be home. Yet a large part of me is freaking out a little over the fact that we're almost finished. I'm not ready to move on to whatever is next. So for now, we'll stick with trying to live for the moment, and looking forward to the Hundred Mile with friends (hopefully Yard Sale and GWAG!). And remember that my favorite thing about today was the fall leaves on the trail. Not crunchy yet, still red and orange leaves littering the walk like giant confetti, with blue sky stretching out above, and sunlight dappling on top of the leaf litter.
Friday 9/29; Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Stealth at the river (2044.3-2063.3)
What a gorgeous day (aside from the poor sleep last night and frigid morning)! Seriously though, we woke to cold, clear weather. Getting out of the sleeping bag is tough on mornings like these, but we had a great day! It never really did get warm, but it warmed up enough once the breeze died down to be very comfortable hiking weather. We had a couple of (what are now referred to as) baby climbs. They were somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 foot mountains, with us climbing 1,200 or so feet. I never thought I'd see the day when I called that easy, but relatively, it was exactly that. After we finished the second, "Moxie," the trail was largely flat. We booked it the rest of the miles to camp and made it to our goal. Our first 19 mile day in I can't even remember how long! I hurt for it, but eh. It's the last days. If I weren't hurting, I'd probably think I was doing something wrong. Aleve down, hopefully it kicks in quick and I sleep all night. Pushing the long day today means 12 into Monson tomorrow and a zero on Sunday before heading into the Hundred Mile Wilderness. This will be 100 miles of backcountry trail, and when we finish it, we'll be just a few miles from the base of Katahdin. It's crazy to be getting ready to prep for this. We've got mail drops in Monson already, and we're set to rest up before heading out (with Yard Sale and GWAG)! Camped tonight with Ham Jam and Pac Man--we like them. Maybe we'll spend some time with them in the hundred, too. Only missing U-Turn, The Colonel, and Sweet Tea and Morning Glory. Missing the tramily a whole bunch lately!
Saturday 9/30; Stealth at the river to Monson, ME (2063.3-2075.3)
Since we made it to the campsite last night, we only had 6 or so miles to hike today into town. Which means...ZERO DAY!! The day was pretty easy. We haven't had to ford any of the streams so far that are marked as fords. We're late enough in the season that the water is low and we can rock hop. We received some trail magic from Anne and Strider in the form of hot dogs (the first red hot dog I've ever eaten), sodas, chips, and cookies. Such sweet people! Then we pushed into town and were able to call for a ride from the trail head (cell service when you don't expect it is always a plus!). We arrived at Shaw's Hostel ready to figure out a room and relax. Which we did. Bean went to get in the shower and I flopped down on the bed to play on the phone (WiFi!!), And then I heard a tiny little scratch at the foot of the bed. I turned around to see tiny puppy paws and a little puppy head peaking over the foot of the sleigh bed...and I melted! He's an Aussie (same as our late fur baby, Stitch), and we've come to find out that his name is Indie (short for Indigo). He's so stinkin' adorable!
The rest of the day was spent chilling out, eating 3 entrees and a dessert between the two of us for dinner, and reminiscing over this amazing journey. Tomorrow, we rest!
Sunday 10/1; Monson, ME Zero (2075.3)
Ummm...It's October. Holy wow, how did that happen?! It's like we hiked away the majority of a year or something. Oh wait, we did!
Good zero! Loving Shaw's (Poet is pretty great, as is Hippie Chick!). Would come back here for sure! Flabbergasted beyond words that we enter the hundred tomorrow, and in 8 days we'll be finished with this epic adventure. C-R-A-Z-Y!
We set up a good drop for the hundred mile with a few other people. This means we don't have to carry all our food which is a pretty giant deal! We eat a lot at this point, and carrying that much food for 8 days is HEAVY! So, we're not.
Next posts will likely be post summit. Catch y'all on the flip side!
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