A chilly morning couldn’t compete with the warm food waiting for us in town. As if that wasn’t enough to get us out of our tents, we had the pleasure of waking up to a fantastic lake view. The steam was rising off of the surface. I watched ripples in the water navigate through the shallows and lake grass. I figured it was a bass or some kind of fish hunting. We stood on the shore admiring the way three diving ducks were working as a team for their breakfast. I enjoyed the morning sunshine, some of the first we’ve had in a long time. It was a beautiful way to start the day.
We left around 7:30a and hiked the 4.7 miles to the road that will take us into town. Just over a quarter mile off of the trail is an off-the-grid campsite/hostel for thru-hikers called the Hiker Hut. We had packages mailed there. Both of us got new shoes; mine were replacements for my worn out trailrunners and Warthog’s was a warranty claim. His bottom sole was coming off from his toe to about mid foot. He called the Vasque warranty department (one lone woman) and it was by far the easiest warranty process we’ve dealt with yet. All she needed were photos of the defective product. Once those were received, she asked for an address to mail the new shoes to. It was all so hassle free and taken care of in a matter of hours. The woman even overnight shipped the boots so there was no chance they would arrive too late. I have a high appreciation for Vasque. Something I’ll be sure express yet again when we get back. They are great boots and offer amazing costumer service. I highly recommend them.
The Hiker Hut was an adorable compound. There were so many gardens and flowers, it would make Momma Warthog proud. Catherine and her other half, Steve, started it as just a campsite for their personal use during the summer. At some point they started to open up their property to thru-hikers. There is an outdoor shower with hot water and everything. Hikers can camp on the property, rent a single bunk, or a private bungalow. It was the kind of place that would be hard to leave. I could see how one would easily get pulled into the temptation of the warm campfire, the food cooked on cast iron skillets, and remote wooded location. We couldn’t stay though. We had breakfast to get to.
After the Hiker Hut, we hitched into Rangely, ME. The people who picked us up was a family with a teenage daughter. They brought their daughter up in front and had the four of us in back. It was tight, something we are used to. They drove a Subaru. We joke that if it’s a Subaru, they will probably stop. It’s disappointing anytime a car drives by without stopping. However, it’s particularly disappointing when a Subaru drives by because they have such a good reputation for helping us out. It’s a broad generalization, I know, but… Subaru drivers – you have generous hearts. Thank you for those.
We ate at the Moose Loop Cafe. As is normal in town, we weren’t the only hiker table. Across from us sat our friends; Bartender, EZ, and three or four other hikers plus one mom. It always feels like a family reunion on town days because we are concentrated together. In the woods, you may leapfrog someone for a few days, but you may also not see another hiker for most of the day. In town, you see them all. It’s fun to catch up during these moments.
The IGA grocery store was over a half of a mile down the road. I’m sure most people will read that and think, “Oh. Not too far for you.” Let me tell you… yes, it is too far. I don’t want to walk a half of a mile to the grocery store with a backpack on, do you? But I did, because we had to.
On our way a woman popped out of the restaurant she was working at and called us over. She had “Trail Magic” bags in her car to hand out. It had things like q-tips, travel deodorant and toothpaste, garbage bags, suckers, etc. There were some really great items in there. I’m not going to lie, it felt a little like trick-or-treating leaving with a bag of goodies or maybe like the gift bags that you used to get from a friends’ birthday party when you were a kid. Only, this gift bag came with a toothbrush and matches. Things I think kids wouldn’t exactly appreciate. Maybe walking to the grocery store has its’ advantages after all.
We only needed to resupply for two days. Normally it would be for longer, more like four days, but this allowed us to be light as we pushed up over some mountains. Snow Monkey stayed outside of the grocery store with the backpacks while we all took care of business inside. The store put out a picnic table for staff and thru-hikers to use. There were outlets on the side of the building, so of course, we charged up everything we could. One lesson you learn as a thru-hiker is to look for the outlets. We also ate lunch there. Rather, I ate lunch there. Everyone else was still too full from breakfast. Not me. I was incredibly hungry again.
As we were standing on the side of the road hitchhiking, a woman in the parking lot called us over. She and her husband would give us a ride back to the trail. They are from New Hampshire originally and recently bought a farm here in Maine. They were extremely talkative as we drove back. It was the man’s dream to hike the AT, so he was particularly excited to be driving us.
It was 3p when we were getting back on the trail. We walked by a sign that warned hikers about the upcoming section. “If you are leaving after noon, turn back now.” I wouldn’t have even seen the sign if Snow Monkey hadn’t pointed it out. I looked at my watched and realized how late it was. “Ummm….” I said. His answer, “Eh… I think we’ll be fine.” We all laughed. I’m sure we will.
We were about to hike Saddleback Mountain, a series of rocky balds that are above the tree line. It’s sort of like Franconia Ridge in the Whites, just not as grand. After climbing up what seemed like a maze of roots, we got on top of the mountains.
The further we went up, the colder and windier it became. I kept putting layers on. The views were beautiful. Although, after the Whites, I’m not sure anything can compare. I’m just glad we could have views. I’m glad we could finally see Maine. It’s been so cloudy lately, this would have been a disappointing task if we hadn’t been rewarded with a view. We were up on top for the last hour or so of sun. We stood looking at the shadow of the mountain stretched across the treetops of the valley below. I waved my trekking poles to see if I could pick out the movement. I couldn’t, that wasn’t a surprise. Looking at that big shadow made me feel so small but so victorious. At first, I honestly felt like the mountain was not going to happen. Not because it was large, I was just tired. After a couple of hours of plugging away, we were finally on top. During those hours we got to see an incredible sunset. I would have liked to stay at the summit to watch the whole thing, it was just too cold and windy to stop. I kept getting blown over.
Throughout the course of the night Warthog, Snow Monkey, and Wonder Woman would all fall. Wonder Woman’s foot slipped on a big boulder she was climbing up on. Her body started to fall backwards. I was behind her and saw her slipping so I held her in her spot. Snow Monkey fell walking down a rocky side. I think he slipped on wet rock. His foot kicked up a small tree that was growing in a bit of soil between the cracks. Then Warthog fell while we were coming down. It was big boulders. He wasn’t paying attention and tripped. He fell on his side and started rolling down. I watched his body coming towards me. He was on a larger flat boulder and was reaching the edge. His head was going straight for the sharp edge of another boulder. I grabbed him to help stop him and most importantly, grabbed his head. I was worried about a head wound out here. Luckily, nothing and no one was hurt. He flung the phone when he fell, but we were able to find that.
Lately, the trail has made me feel like we’ve “leveled up”, like you do in a video game. Obstacles are getting bigger and slightly more difficult to overcome. You have to be incredibly careful where and how you place your feet. We fall a lot more now. You can’t fully trust anything, not even the tree you are holding onto as you lower yourself down onto the next rock. There is mud and water you are jumping over. There are rocks and ledges you are climbing up and down. There winding trails you have to follow. It’s all just a bit harder and has been that way for a few weeks now. It’s exhausting, honestly. However, we know we are getting stronger. My body is hardening in a different way now. My hands and feet are becoming more calloused. My legs are more defined. We are becoming better hikers out of this, there’s no doubt about it. In the meantime, we are just a little uncomfortable.
We got into camp after dark. It took us a while to find spots, as is the case when you come in late. You just can’t see things like you can when it’s light out. When we finally got settled, we crawled into our tent and pulled out dinner, which was sandwiches and chips from town. It was a really cold night so cold sandwiches didn’t really soothe anything. I just wanted something hot. Exhausted and freezing, we went to bed. I pulled my down sleeping bag tight around my face, grateful for the protection and warmth it provided. I had been cold, but now I am cozy.
-ansel