I’ve fallen behind on the blog thanks to the frequent lack of cell service/wifi in Maine, which offers some of the most remote wilderness on the entire trail. Although we have by now finished our thruhike, I will continue updating the blog every few days with the notes I typed up on my phone each night before sleep in the final sections, all the way to the grand finale <3
- Sticks
Day 150: 10.1 miles hiked (trail mile 1946.3)
Ghost Pipes
Ranger got us a hot breakfast from the Mills General Store Diner across the street which seems to be the central hub of this small town of Andover, population under 1000.
Speedy picked us up at 8:30 and had us on trail by 9am along with Hangin’ and Belch. We hiked strong and lunched at a shelter.
White Twisted Stalk
Wild Blueberries
In this stretch we’ve feen a fair amount of a curious berry we identified as White Twisted Stalk (aka Watermelon Berry) and of course the small wild blueberries we have been stuffing ourselves with that are often found among beautiful clouds of lichen
We got caught in a mild thunderstorm on the way down the last mountain of today’s 10-mile stretch and waited at the crossing for Speedy. These short days have been a nice treat and chance to allow our bodies to recover from the wear and tear the Whites and the Southernmost part of Maine bestowed upon us.
Day 151: 13.3 miles hiked (trail mile 1959.6)
For breakfast we had another classic meal from the general store diner. Speedy picked us all up at 7am and we were on trail by 7:30. As we were hiking, we saw a beautiful male grouse right on trail.
On top of Bemis Mountain, we found dozens of loaded blueberry bushes. We spent a half hour filling a ziplock bag with about four cups worth of wild blueberries which we plan to use to celebrate our last morning at the hostel tomorrow with homemade blueberry pancakes.
Speedy picked us up from an overlook point with a beautiful view over some big lakes. It must be a popular destination because there was both a vintage corvette club and a motorcycle club enjoying the view.
Back in town we all walked down the street from the inn for ice cream from a local ice cream shop. I had sorbet with sour gummies and skittles on top. Ranger got us calzones (sans cheese) for dinner from the Mills General Store which were pretty good. Back at the inn we bathed and turned in early.
I love these bronze toned mushrooms!
Day 152: 0 miles hiked (trail mile 1959.6) 12th Zero
For breakfast we made breakfast with Hangin’ who added the wild blueberries we picked on top of Bemis mountain yesterday to the batter. The convenient store sold us a to-go cup of real maple syrup, hash browns and farm eggs, too, making it a proper feast.
Hangin’ whipping up some gourmet wild blueberry pancakes
We spent the entire day doing absolutely nothing to the best of our abilities.
This evening, we collaborated with Hangin’ and Belch on cooking an elaborate veggie taco dinner using about a dozen different canned vegetables from the general store.
After, Ranger and I spent a bit of time on the porch just holding hands and talking. A quiet, easy moment such as this is a rare treat on this long journey we’re on. Hangin’ and Belch put on the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie and Ranger joined them until it was time for bed.
Day 153: 14.9 miles hiked (trail mile 1974.5)
Speedy drove us back to the trail at 8:30 and Professor T came along for the ride from the West Bethel Inn. Speedy provided us with this much needed respite when we needed it the most after the challenges of southern Maine. We left overflowing with gratitude for this incredible trail angel and the magic he brought to our experience of Maine.
Belch, Hangin’, Sticks, Ranger, Miles (& Lucy), Speedy
We hiked with Belch and Hangin’ all morning and stopped for lunch at South Pond which had an unofficial campsite and two canoes with paddles. We took a paddle around the pond and investigated a beaver home on the other side.
Later, we hiked past the parking lot nearest Rangeley, Maine, and on to the Piazza Rock Lean-To. We are now in the land of ‘Lean-To’s’ as Maine calls its shelters.
Piazza Rock had a nice mix of platforms and dirt tenting sites and to my surprise Ranger expressed preference for a tent platform. We found a spot a bit tucked away from the busiest part of the shelter vicinity and took care of our camp chores. Since we are so close to finishing the trail, we are doing everything we can to keep our clothes and gear from falling apart completely. I have so many holes in my shirt and large patches that are fully threadbare on my back where the pack rubs, but at this point it has become a personal challenge to wear this shirt for the entire thruhike. It would feel wrong to change into a new shirt now, after all we’ve been through together, me and this shirt.
Day 154: 16.9 miles hiked (trail mile 1991.4)
We got going out of camp around 7am this morning, knowing that Grasshopper and AZ were going to catch up with us at some point this morning on the way up Saddleback Mountain. They caught us just before the sharp climb to the summit which turned out to be clouded in, very windy, and cold. This was the most severe conditions we’ve experienced above tree line in quite some time, which says a lot about how lucky we’ve been, because it honestly could have been much worse.
AZ, Grasshopper, Ranger
After AZ turned back around and headed to his car we carried on with Grasshopper and summitted The Horn and Saddleback Junior. The clouds eventually cleared up, lending us some excellent views.
At a creek crossing we took some time to soak our feet in the cool water. An aluminum boat could be seen crushed like a can among the flood debris in the center of the river, a warning sign for how strong these rivers can be in times of heavy rainfall. We are lucky to be hiking Maine during a relatively dry period, making for easy river fording.
Sticks and Grasshopper
At one point we passed right by a family of grouse. The chicks blend in so thoroughly with the forest textures that you can hardly see them when they’re standing right in front of you! We passed Poplar Ridge Lean-to, the shelter where we later learned that Gerry Largay (Inchworm) had spent her last night on the AT in 2013 before accidentally getting off trail and becoming fatally lost in the Maine wilderness.
We braked for lunch at the purportedly haunted (or otherwise occupied by ancient spirits) Redington Stream campsite, where we did pick up on a bit of an unsettled feeling, although it’s hard to say if some of the Guthooks comments weren’t the source of that, then pushed on to the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To, arriving at camp at about 7:45. It was a big day with nearly 6,000 feet of elevation climbed.
Day 155: 13.5 miles hiked (trail mile 2004.9)
Last night was chilly, in the mid to low 40’s. Back in Virginia we sent one of our quilts home in order to free up space for more food. Ever since, we have been sharing a quilt, supplemented with a small fleece blanket, and although we have been determined to just finish the trail this way, this is not a choice either of us would make again as the shared quilt has not offered enough coverage to stay comfortably warm when temperatures drop into the thirties or even the low forties. If we get the chance to do another thruhike we’ll probably opt for 10 degree quilts for the cold season (0 degree was definitely overkill) and then swap those out for 30-40 degree quilts for the summer.
We departed camp with Grasshopper around 7am and descended a steep trail to a river crossing. The trail immediately took us straight back up to another mountain range: the Crockers.
Grasshopper on the ascent
Cute lil mushrooms
On South Crocker we ate lunch on an overlook and saw a few more grouse chicks. While perched on the overlook a falcon soared playfully above in the updrafts of the mountainside. We passed 2000 miles today which means our journey is nearing its bittersweet end.
Grouse chick
2000 miles hiked!
As we hiked down to the parking lot for Stratton, AZ and his dog Rangeley met us about a mile out from the trailhead and hiked with us back to the parking lot. Here we were greeted by Elizabeth and Meta with a giant spread of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other snacks and drinks!
AZ, Elizabeth, Grasshopper, Meta, Sticks (& Rangeley under the table)
We hung out awhile, talking and grazing on snacks, and then AZ drove us to the Hostel of Maine where we had made reservations for a private room. The hostel is spotless and beautiful—a log cabin mansion that caters not only to hikers but other mountain adventure sports. Right now, the season seems to have them filled up with primarily hikers.
We ran into Gadget and a few others from the AT. There was a donation-based spaghetti dinner prepared that we ate with the others sitting at tables in the dining room, and a complete resupply with great selection available that we also took advantage of. We spent most of the evening taking care of chores and relaxing.
Day 156: 10.4 miles hiked (trail mile 2015.3)
After the 7am buffet style breakfast with bagels, boiled eggs, and fresh baked muffins, we took our time enjoying the hostel, feeling no rush to get back to the trail today. I ate a muffin while soaking in a hot bath which was an indescribably luxurious experience. While I lounged, Ranger chatted with a section hiking couple from Rhode Island and hung out by the fireplace with other thruhikers.
AZ picked us up at 11am and took us back to the trailhead where Meta and Grasshopper were waiting. He and Elizabeth and their dog Rangeley (named for Rangeley, Maine) joined us for the first couple miles in. Rangeley is a young labrador with a silvery brown coat. He enthusiastically ran ahead and then back again, attempting to pick up and carry every stick or log in sight no matter its length, which was hilarious.
Rangeley tried very hard to make this “stick” work
AZ and Elizabeth have become our friends and we are so glad our paths crossed on the AT. After saying goodbyes, we hiked strong up the initial climb into the Bigelows. We stopped with Meta and Grasshopper for a late lunch at a pleasant, elevated stealth site on a bed of pine needles with a partial view.
We have enjoyed the Bigelows immensely and got to take in many fantastic views. This is the final mountain range over 4,000 ft until we summit Katahdin at the end of our thruhike!
It started raining around 4:30pm and didn’t let up for the rest of the night. Thankfully the heaviest rains held off until 9pm when we were already cozy in our tent at the Safford Notch Campsite.
Day 157: 16.8 miles hiked (trail mile 2032.1)
The rain finally tapered off around 7am and we left camp at 8. There were lots of blueberries on top of Little Bigelow Mountain which we snacked on while hiking. Our whole descent from Little Bigelow had fantastic views of the ponds below, where we were headed.
Snack break with Meta and Grasshopper
For lunch we stopped at Rocky Beach just past Little Bigelow Lean-to and dried out our tent while waves crashed on the sandy beach. Meta and Grasshopper arrived moments later and laid out their tent to dry, too. We could see a family picnicking on a small beach on another part of the pond with their motorboat docked near the shore.
Rocky Beach even had waves breaking on the shore
As the day wore on, we began to rethink our 23-mile goal. So, when we ran into Meta and Grasshopper 17 miles in and saw their tent set up on the edge of East Carry Pond, we decided to stay. We poked around a little deeper into the woods and found a wonderful tent site. We all ate dinner perched on a big rock sticking out of the water.
A sandy beach just before our tent site
Meta shared a mini bottle of fancy whisky with Ranger, and we stayed there enjoying each other’s company as the sun set over the pond. A little family of ducks swam past, foraging for dinner. Since all our food bags were down to almost nothing, we hauled all four bags up on the same line and turned in just before sundown.
Meta and Grasshopper, sipping whisky on the pond
How lucky we feel to have such wonderful tramily. These past few weeks have been especially nice since we know so many of the people ahead and behind us now, so no matter where we end up, we run into people we know.
As Ranger and I were doing our nightly tick check we heard the clamoring steps of a large animal in the woods not too far from our tent site. We scrambled out of our tent to try to catch a glimpse by headlamp (and partly out of fear of being trodden on) but it was already gone. It had to have been a moose!
