Author: umcapp

Today was my first day over 20 miles since Vermont, and boy it felt good to be able to move again! The trail has become much more gentle with only one big climb this morning: Pleasant Pond Mtn.I chose this picture as an ode the sun which has finally decided to stay out for more than a few hours at a time. It actually looks like I’ll have decent weather for an entire week! Coming from a bunch of hikers who have been constantly soggy for weeks, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!This afternoon I climbed up Moxie Bald where I got to have an extended blueberry-picking break. That’s my new favorite way to spend the afternoon, and they are abundant on open summits. This afternoon brought the first of a series of river fords. In Maine, it’s so remote that there aren’t bridges over rivers. Instead, hikers take off shoes and wade across.Monson and the last resupply before the 100 mile wilderness are tomorrow!

Today, I crossed a major milestone on the AT–crossing the Kennebec River. It is a very wide river with a dam upstream, making fording it very dangerous. To keep hikers safe, the ATC sponsors a ferry service to canoe hikers across the river and keep us from having to ford. The ferry service only runs for a few hours each day, so I had to bust out 14 miles by noon. The outcome? Mission accomplished!Also check out West Carry Pond that I passed this morning. If anyone would like a history lesson, look up how it was used in an early war against Quebec.After my big mile morning, I was ready for a lazy afternoon. I hung out at a hostel just across the river called the Caratunk House where I feasted on homemade pulled pork and milkshakes.Goodnight from the other side of the Kennebec!

I often listen to worship music in the morning while I hike. It has become a very sacred time between me and he Lord to be both moved by both music and nature while I walk. There is a song by Housefires called Mountain to Valley that I particularly like, and today I got to walk from the mountains to the valley!

It was freezing cold this morning in the saddle right before the Bigelows and just as windy as the Whites on top. I had great views of Sugarloaf (ski mountain) that I walked across two days ago and Flagstaff Lake-a huge body of water!Because most of he hikers were either still in Stratton or had pushed on yesterday, I spent most of the day hiking alone. It actually ended up being a good time to reflect on all of the miles that have already come and gone. I passed mile 1000!

Check out this view of Flagstaff Lake when I got down to the shore.Tonight I’m camping with some section hikers who are physicians. It’s always fun to talk about medicine with others who have already walked the path.

The rain really did show up today and it poured for hours. I was thankful dry and enjoyed a slow morning at the Stratton Motel. We went to get breakfast, did laundry, and just hung around.

This afternoon, the rain slowed from a downpour to what I like to call the “hiker drizzle.” I decided that if it wasn’t going to pour, I best get on with hiking as my time to summit Katahdin fast approaches.

I did all of the “work” of the climb up to the Bigelows and camped just below the peak by a beautiful pond.Overall, an uneventful day on the AT besides the wonderful conversation I got to share with others waiting out the rain.

When I was in 9th grade English at CAK, we studied Greek mythology and the story of the sirens that caused a ship wreck because of their voices calling sailors in from sea. The town of Stratton did that to me today. I started rolling early with plans to come in, charge my devices, eat a meal, resupply, and leave by noon.

I am writing to you tonight from the Stratton Motel. Oops.

My last big mountain of Maine before Katahdin (18 miles over treeline) was supposed to be tomorrow, but there is a 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms. With the gentle convincing of Trout, the owner of the local motel and a former thruhiker himself, I decided to wait the weather out in town where there are hiker-sized breakfasts. However, before I got to town, I passed a huge NOBO milestone-2000 miles! My own 1000 mile marker is just 1.25 days away.But back to Stratton…staying in town today has allowed several of my friends to catch up and new ones to roll in as well. We had a great time watching the muddy mess our clothes made in the washer and making a hiker playlist at the local grill.My Katahdin summit date is pretty well set at this point, which means I’ll have to make up the miles that I’m missing today and tomorrow soon. However, I know I’m strong and the terrain is a piece of cake after the Bigelows.

From my motel paradise that will serve as a storm shelter tomorrow, I bid thee goodnight.

This morning I set off into the terrain where Inchworm lost her way with extra careful attention to the blazes and a solemn tone.

I was also the first one out of camp and therefore the “silk blazer,” or hiker charged with knocking down all the spider webs across the trail from the night before. It’s a wonderful feeling to have cotton candy in my glasses.Not too long into our hike, Earth Heart and Knots caught up and we completed the first stream ford of Maine together. Anywhere else there would be a bridge across this river, but the Maine way is to just hop and wade across.A few mountains later, we reached the place where the final connection was made to finish the AT in the late 1930s. It’s crazy to think how many lives this path has changed over the years, my own included. I believe the Lord has created his people to go on pilgrimage with him (Israelites in the desert, Jesus in the wilderness, John the Baptist, the list goes on…). I have no doubt the AT is one of those pilgrimages and am so thankful to be able to share that with others.And no day on the AT in Maine is complete without climbing 2500 ft in 2 miles just to go over some mountains. Gotta love it!More adventuring tomorrow while I set up my tarp in a relatively root-free ditch by a spring on trail. Earth Heart and Knots have continued on, but I have decided to call it a day and hang out with some SOBOs and their pit bull, Bruce.

Today contained an ambitious mileage goal for Southern Maine terrain, but I really wanted to try and catch some of my lady friends so off I went into the sunrise.

I spent my morning walking with a new friend, Tracks. I enjoyed learning about his story and how his two thru hikes (PCT and now AT) have shaped his life perspective. Here’s the back of his head while we gaze at the mountain we had to climb that afternoon: Saddleback.About 6 miles and several hours, here’s the reward for all of our efforts:Let me tell you about this next picture…I broke my trekking poles (thankfully not my leg) a few days back and had new ones overnighted to a hostel right off the trail. I picked them up and since it was Sunday, needed to carry my old ones (that I refuse to part with) dozens of miles to the next town. This awesome family on top of Saddleback saw my plight and offered to mail them home for me! What amazing trail magic! I must say, the culture of the AT is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. I’ve almost grown to expect perfectly timed kindness like this and can’t wait to apply that to my life at home in new ways. It’s almost like a taste of heaven!My walk across the Saddleback ridge continued into the sunset where I got some great views of the Bigelows and other peaks to come.I stopped at the Poplar Ridge shelter, the last place that Inchworm (a woman from Brentwood, TN who lost her way on the AT and passed away before she ever made it back in 2013) was seen. There was a memorial in the shelter dedicated to her; I spent some time praying for her family and friends that she left behind.

On a more positive note, I did manage to catch up with four awesome women that I look forward to hiking with in the coming days: Earth Heart and Knots, two ladies around my age, and River and Puddles, two ladies my mom’s age. There have not been nearly as many women on the trail as I had hoped or expected (at least around me), so some girl time was a welcome treat!

I’ve made it through the boulder scrambles of Southern Maine, now it’s time for the state’s highest peaks (besides Katahdin, of course). And guess what? It’s raining!

The warmup mountain of Maine’s big boys was Old Blue, a lovely climb when I’m toting up 12 pounds (yes, my appetite has increased to something ridiculous) of food. Check out the view of fog:About 5 soggy miles later, I encountered a rarity in Maine-trail magic! While rapidly consuming a soda, I got to interact with a really cool SOBO from Canada. It was a good time to help him reflect on the challenges he’s encountered so far on the trail and look forward to the miles to come.It was time for me to move ahead of the hikers I’ve been with for the past few weeks and meet some new faces, and I got to sit and look at this beautiful lake on my temporarily solo journey. What a neat place to reflect for me too:

Man, what a restful day. The Human Nature Hostel in Andover, ME was simply too nice to leave behind. I’ve had a great day of sleeping in, sewing up holes in my gear and trying to glue the soles of my shoes back together, and eating nonstop.

I made some mail drops for the more remote areas of Maine with some other hikers…here’s our food explosion. The rest of the day has been rather uneventful besides watching Into the Wild and chowing down on chips. But check out how cool this place is!It’s a geodesic dome hand-built by a former thruhiker with amazing views. Perhaps the most blissful moment I’ve had on trail was using the roofless outdoor shower under the stars last night. Before we sinned and needed to wear clothes, I imagine that’s what life was like!

Even with a 90% chance of rain tomorrow, it’s back to the trail and onto Stratton!

The alarm went off at a record 4:30 am today. Why? Because we want to get out of the woods! There is a new hostel that runs a shuttle 45 minutes from the trail to Walmart and that sounded like too good of an opportunity to pass up. Since the terrain can unexpectedly drop our pace to 1 mile/hour, we started early. Check out the view from Moody Mtn (a pain in the butt to climb) just after sunrise:We did make it in plenty of time to the road and enjoyed some pancakes that a local dropped off while we waited for the shuttle.Up next was a shuttle through the middle of nowhere to Mexico, ME. There is no Mexican restaurant, but there is the last Walmart on the AT. For NOBOs, this is the last chance to be hiker trash outside while we repackage food and eat deli items on the sidewalk. Always great fun! While there was no Mexican in Mexico, the one and only restaurant in Andover hosted an all you can eat Mexican buffet tonight! I was too busy stuffing my face to take pictures, but here’s the crew hanging out on the porch afterwards. After that much food consumption, I have declared tomorrow a much-needed zero day. Southern Maine has been treacherous in the rain and my body needs time to put itself back together after all of my falls (yes, there have been more).