tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13084740908894062232024-02-19T09:50:53.614-06:00Keith and Linda's Excellent AdventureA blog of our day to day experiences while thru-hiking all 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. A lifelong dream finally becoming a reality - we begin hiking March 14, 2012, and hope to finish in early September.Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-81965981739070328032012-09-13T22:13:00.000-05:002012-10-03T22:14:20.376-05:00A Thru-Hiker's Closing Ceremony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We woke up, ate breakfast, and headed to the nice, hot showers again. I had not washed my hair yesterday, although I was dying to, because I didn't want to get chilled. It was still chilly this morning, but my plan was to wash my hair, and then go loiter in the camp store, drinking hot coffee, and letting my hair dry in there where it was warm.<br />
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The shower was divine, and the coffee was even more so. The man in the store was very friendly, and I think he was happy to have some company. He let me loiter all morning. When the sun finally came up pretty good, I went and sat in it out under the canopy where we had all gathered the day before. The sun felt so good.<br />
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As I was sitting there, I was watching a lady who was camping in a RV right down near the river by the bridge. All of a sudden she grabbed her huge camera, and began running for the bridge. I wasn't sure what she saw, but I wanted to see it also, so I ran for the bridge as well. When I got up there, I ran to where she was, just in time to see her taking pictures of two beautiful bald eagles, just as they flew over the river, and right in front of Katahdin. What a perfect morning this was shaping up to be! We chatted a while. They come here every year to camp. Her husband fishes while she takes pictures. Yesterday morning, she took a photo of a bull moose right across from where our tent was. Too bad we missed that!<br />
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I was waiting until the restaurant opened at 11, because I was going to be first in line for a good, hot lunch. Keith came over after he showered, and joined me in my vigil. Soon, there were about 10 hikers waiting with us. Everyone was going to eat lunch, and then hike on to Baxter State Park, which is where Katahdin is located. After we ate, Dania and Swamprat showed up, and we loaded our packs into her car, and hit the trail. The trail was particularly beautiful, following the Penobscot River for a ways, then stream after stream, then several waterfalls, and finally some beautiful ponds, right before we reached Katahdin Stream Campground, where we would be camping tonight.<br />
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When we reached the campground, Dania was there with coolers of beer and Coke, and she had snacks. Other hikers joined us, and we had a little celebration. Big Foot and Big Naranja were there, and they had summitted that day! Huff and Puff also joined us. They would summit tomorrow with us. Later, Ninja Kindle walked up, and he had just come down from the top! We then hiked over to the park office and registered with the ranger as thru-hikers. Keith and I were number 413 and 414 northbounders for the year. It was good to be official! We were also invited to a celebration tonight at 7 at the Birches Campground. We were told to bring a bottle cap and spork, and our book of matches we got in Georgia. I told him we had never gotten a book of matches, so the ranger gave me one, and it said "Georgia Appalachian Mountain Club" on it. We checked out the log book at the ranger station, and saw many familiar names that had already summitted - among them, Lighthouse, and Secrets and Shenanigans.<br />
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We found out that there was plenty of room for us to have our own shelter, and so we ended up camping just 2 shelters down from Huff and Puff, and everyone had plenty of room. Dania and Swamprat headed back to their hotel in Millinocket, and at 7, we headed down to the Birches Campground with Huff and Puff. There about 15 thru-hikers gathered at a nice campfire, and when the park ranger showed up, he brought two cakes, a container of peaches, and whipped cream. Another hiker had brought a watermelon and strawberries. There was a section hiker there, named Bahama, who had been hiking the AT in sections since 2005, and tomorrow he would finish the whole thing. All of the other hikers were all northbounders, like us, who were finishing their hikes tomorrow. Bahama brought a very nice bottle of rum, and asked everyone to get out their bottle caps, and we all used those for shot glasses to make a toast. When the time came, the ranger asked those who had brought their books of matches to come forward, so we did, and we lit candles on the cakes. As it turned out, we had never met this ranger in Georgia, but some of them had, and he had given them matches way back then, and asked them to bring them to Maine, and look for him. He had planned to do this way back then! The cake, topped with peaches and whipped cream, looked amazing. The watermelon and strawberries were scrumptious, especially since fruit was something we never had on the trail!<br />
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It was just a really neat little closing ceremony for the whole AT trip. It was a really great group of folks. We had hiked with them all, at one time or another. Some we had met as far south as Georgia, and some we had only met in the past few weeks. We shared really great stories of our experiences, stories of other hikers along the way, and compared notes of where other hikers were. Everyone hoped that Boots and Melody would come walking in. We really did expect to summit with them, and wondered how close they were. The hikers that were with us tonight were Kindle Ninja, Big Foot, Big Naranja, PJ's, Detour, Easy Rider, Huff and Puff, Bahama, Trekking Pole, Claudia Van Damme, Deep, Mr. Noodles, Hopper, and a few others.<br />
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The younger hikers were planning to get up at 2 in the morning, and head up the mountain, hoping to summit at sunrise, which would be at 6 a.m. I couldn't imagine hiking up it in the dark! But I'm sure the sunrise would be amazing. <br />
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We made out way back to our shelter to get a good night's sleep. We had planned to meet Swamprat and Dania at 7 in the morning to begin the hike up to Katahdin. The weather was supposed to be PERFECT!<br />
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Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-15300725573376343152012-09-12T21:27:00.000-05:002012-10-04T11:40:09.062-05:00Out of the 100-Mile Wilderness!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a really peaceful night, we woke up, and Keith slipped down to the pond very early, hoping to see a moose. There had been moose droppings all over, so we hoped we would see one. He did not have any luck, and came back pretty quickly. I was amused, because as he came back up the hill from the pond, the red squirrels, who are very territorial, angrily chattered at him as he approached their section of the trail. I heard them chatter the whole way, one after another, as he approached the tent.<br />
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We quickly ate and packed up, hoping to get an early start on this day, because we knew if we made good time, we could reach Abol Bridge Campground, which was the end of the Wilderness. There was a camp store there, and we had recently heard that they had opened a restaurant, and that it had only been open for a week! What great timing! They also had showers at the campground! It all sounded really good.<br />
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We followed one beautiful stream after another today, and with each one, Keith was kicking himself that he had not brought a fishing rod. He said that was one thing he would do differently. If he had only known Maine was going to be nonstop ponds and lake and streams, he would have planned time to fish through the Wilderness. <br />
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At one point, we reached a side trail that said it went to Rainbow Lake, with a view of Mt. Katahdin. it was only .2 of a mile away, so I went over there to see it. I had been told by a friendly dayhiker that this was a view I would not want to miss. When I reached it, there was a small boat there, and a man who worked for the Maine Nature Conservancy had just arrived in it. I visited with him, and found that his job was to maintain the lakes that were within his region, which included 50,000 acres. He got from lake to lake by seaplane! What a job he had! He walked around some, and picked up any trash he could find (not much, as this was in the middle of nowhere), and then went back out on his boat. The view was gorgeous, as promised:<br />
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We hiked on, following another beautiful stream, and more ponds with huge rocks in them. These ponds were all formed from glacial activity, and the rocks were left behind as the glaciers advanced and retreated. The ponds were all crystal clear. We reached some small hills that were topped by smooth rock, and met a thru-hiker sitting there, studying his AT Guide, who was very, very quiet. We tried visiting, but he was a man of few words. As I was talking to him, I looked behind him, and caught another beautiful view of Katahdin.<br />
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We were getting closer and closer, and it was hard to believe that in two days we would be on top of that mountain, and then heading home. I kept looking at it, trying to imagine what the climb would be like, and it looked a lot like the mountains in the White Mountains of New Hampshire to me, which meant it would be tough.<br />
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As the day ticked by, I picked up the pace more and more, and the guys hurried also. I was really anxious to reach the camp store and get cold medication, throat lozenges and something icy cold to drink. My throat was better, but it still hurt. We finally came out of the woods, on to what is known as the Golden Road, a really long gravel logging road in Maine. We walked down the road a while, and then crossed over Abol Bridge, which crosses the Penobscot River. There, on that bridge, was the prettiest view yet of Katahdin.<br />
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We came down off of the bridge, and there was the campground! We had made it out of the Wilderness in 6 days! We joined a group of thru-hikers that were gathered under a canopy out on the edge of the parking lot. Everyone was in a celebratory mood, and hikers had already brought beer and snacks out of the camp store and were sharing them with everyone. Every once in a while, another hiker would come in off of the road, and we'd all cheer for them. After we were there a while, the very quiet hiker from earlier in the day arrived, and sat across from me, without saying a word. He also never made eye contact. We would meet kids like this from time to time, and you can't help but want to hang with them for several days, get them to open up, to assure yourself that they are okay. Most of these young hikers are out here alone. After a while on the trail, though, most learn to fit into a group, and travel together. I found out his name was Silent John. Someone had named him appropriately, it seemed. He was from Connecticut, and when I asked him if he was excited about finishing the trail, he said he wasn't sure. I never did get much more out of him. He stayed there and wrote in his journal for a very long time, and later on, ended up pitching his tent just a couple of campsites away from ours. Later on, I learned that I had managed to talk to him more than most people had on the trail. <br />
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A park ranger was there, and he was giving us all instructions on the best place to camp in Katahdin, and instructions we needed to follow to climb Katahdin. Huff and Puff had already reserved a shelter at the Katahdin Stream Campground in Baxter State Park, and asked if we wanted to share it. There was a possibility of there being too many hikers for the number of tent sites available, and so we jumped on the chance to share a shelter, because we wanted to make sure we had a place to sleep the night before our summit. <br />
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The restaurant was closed on Wednesdays (what luck!), but the young man that worked at the camp store came out and offered to make pizza for everyone, even though the restaurant was closed. He just kept making pizzas, and the hikers kept eating. After we all ate our fill, and enjoyed visiting, we went and picked out a primo campsite right on the banks of the Penobscot River, with an awesome view of the mountain we would be climbing soon. It was a beautiful sunset. We hit the showers, and they were awesome - very clean, and very hot! What more could we ask for after a week in the Wilderness?<br />
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Swamprat hitched a ride into the nearby town of Millinocket to meet Dania at the hotel that she would be arriving at on that same day. She would be bringing him back to the trail in the morning, and then the three of us would slackpack the nine miles to Baxter State Park while she kept our packs in her rental car. She would then meet us at the other end in Baxter. It was going to be an easy, awesome day of hiking tomorrow!Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-39357001828134510692012-09-11T23:41:00.000-05:002012-10-03T20:54:07.134-05:00Getting Close!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For once, I was kind of glad that mother nature forced me out of the tent early in the morning, because I was treated to a gorgeous sunrise. You can just barely make out the outline of our tent in this picture, set up on the shore of the lake. Luckily, the strong wind had died down during the night, but it was still quite chilly this morning, and we actually hiked for a while with long sleeves on. We have not needed to do this in quite a while.<br />
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Others camped at the lake are also planning on summitting on the 14th, and everyone is getting pretty excited about being done. It's so hard to believe that this journey is ending soon, and yet, we are all so ready to get home. We have all lost a bit more weight than we probably needed to, and just feel like we are worn out. A good rest is what we all need, and besides that, our toes are numb, our balls of our feet are swollen and hurt, our knees hurt, especially if we have a long downhill, and my back has gotten so bony, that I have to wear a moleskin pad on my tailbone to keep my backpack from rubbing it raw. (Sorry if that was too much information!) Luckily, I had the moleskin along in case of blisters, but I never dreamed I'd be putting it there! I also had to quit wearing my shorts, because the elastic waistbands were being rubbed by the pack as well, and becoming painful. The only thing that is comfortable now is my hiking skirt, which has a flat waistband, and that is getting to be too big. Swamprat's shorts are all about to fall off of him as well, with his belt loops meeting in the middle. Keith has also lost a lot, but luckily, his clothes are still fitting, because his shorts have elastic in the waist. However, his hip belt on his pack is cinched up as tight as it can go, and is becoming too loose on him. If he stays on the trail much longer, he will require a totally new pack to be able to hike. It is clearly time to take a break.<br />
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We are also getting pretty anxious to get to Katahdin. Especially now that we had reached really level trail, we thought we might be able to get to the end of the Wilderness a day earlier than we anticipated. We would just have to see if the terrain would be kind to us. <br />
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When I woke up, I felt a bit better today, and hoped that that would steadily improve. Not long after we began hiking, we passed a view of Mt. Katahdin over the lake, and paused to admire it. It was another beautiful day.<br />
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Today we hiked mostly level trail along a really beautiful stream before a challenging climb up Nesuntabunt Mountain, where we were treated to one of the best views of Katahdin yet. It was getting closer and closer everytime we got to see it. There were three other thru-hikers there that we had not met before. They were Atlas, Cheeks, and Walk 'n Eat. They were from Maine, Houston, and Austin, and we enjoyed trading stories with them before parting and going our separate ways. They were trying to summit the day before us, and so still planned on hiking another ten miles that day! We only had two to go, thank goodness! They would be hiking in the dark.<br />
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We made our way down this mountain, and for some reason, I kept getting the feeling that we had seen this trail before. This was the first time I had felt this way on the whole hike, and I was convinced that we had somehow gotten turned around and now were hiking south. Keith finally convinced me that that was not the case. We reached the most beautiful pond, named Crescent Pond, and it was a perfect mirror. We found one of the prettiest campsites yet, and that night was the quietest night I ever remember. I never heard any animals or birds all night, just very still and quiet. I was slowly feeling better, and managed to rest on this night. We are excited, that if the trail cooperates, we could reach Abol Bridge Campground tomorrow, and come out of the 100-Mile Wilderness!<br />
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<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-19144348335673634162012-09-10T23:07:00.000-05:002012-10-03T00:08:29.792-05:00Easy HikingThis is PJ's.<br />
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I asked him to pose like this for me, because we could not believe his feet. PJ's has hiked all of the way from Springer Mountain, Georgia in a pair of Teva sandals. His trail name is PJ's because way back down south, when the weather was cooler, he had a pair of pajama pants he would wear around camp when he was cold.<br />
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Not only were his feet muddy, from all of the recent rain, but they were rubbed raw in several places where the nylon straps rubbed his feet. It just hurt to look at PJ's feet. He never had a problem with the sandals, he said, except when he kicked rocks. <br />
We also noticed this on the trail today:<br />
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No joke - someone is hiking barefoot. There were two sisters who did this a few years back, and they wrote a book about it - "The Barefoot Sisters." As a matter of fact, they had done what is known as "yo-yo" hike - they had started in Maine, and then when they reached Georgia, turned around and hiked back to Maine. I only hope that we get to catch up to this mysterious barefoot hiker.<br />
Today we finally hit level trail after one nice small mountain to get over, called Little Boardman Mountain. As Keith predicted, I felt my very worst when I woke up. Although the trail was really nice today, and beautiful, I just could not enjoy it at all. <br />
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We stopped for lunch at the prettiest shelter yet, named Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to. It sat right next to a beautiful waterfall that flowed into a gorgeous swimming hole with crystal clear water. Keith made me more hot chocolate at lunch, and once again, that helped for a short while. My throat just made everything miserable for me today. <br />
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While we were eating lunch, a very brave mouse showed up at the shelter. He was very tiny, with abnormally large ears and large, black, beady eyes. He was really quite comical. He stood in front of me, and looked up, blinking, as if to say, 'Okay, what did you bring me?" I couldn't help but laugh at how brave he was. I opened up a small container of Jif, and you could tell he smelled it right away. Before you knew it, he had climbed up the side of the shelter and was sitting right next to me! He was acting like he was going to jump up in my lap, so I shooed him away, and he ran back down to the ground. I scooped out the peanut butter, and put the empty container on the ground, hoping to occupy him so I could quickly eat without him trying to get in my lap again. He proceeded to work very hard at licking the peanut butter out of the cup, which was pretty enjoyable to watch, because every now and then, he'd stop and try it get it off of his little paws, and it seemed like he was trying to get it off of the roof of his mouth. Hilarious!<br />
As I was watching his antics, quite amused, all of a sudden, a chipmunk showed up and chased him off. You could tell the chipmunk knew exactly where the mouse lived, which was under a large rock about 10 feet away. Apparently, these two were used to battling over hiker's handouts. It was surprising when the mouse didn't actually run for his hole, but instead stopped short and hid under a dead branch. The chipmunk, however, was tricked, and thought the mouse was in his hole, and he would stand just outside the mouse home, blocking the way. In fact, the mouse had come back out from under the branch, and was over licking up the peanut butter, out of sight of the chipmunk. The smallest creature had won out. While the chipmunk thought he had the mouse cornered, the mouse was actually feasting on Jif. We watched them for a while before heading on out.<br />
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The trail the rest of the day was more like a logging road, level and easy to walk on, all of the way to the shore of Jo-Mary Lake, where we camped at the Antlers Campsite. The wind was picking up and getting very cold as the afternoon went on, and although we made great time, and reached camp by 4:00, the wind coming off of the lake was really cold and blowing hard. We got in the tent and zipped it up tight to stay warm. Finally, tonight the heavy sleeping bags felt great! We were treated to a gorgeous sunset and sunrise, and that night the stars were as clear as I'd ever seen them - just breathtaking.<br />
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(Camped at Antlers Campsite, mile 2132.4)<br />
Only 51.8 miles to Katahdin!Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-22979604745087077302012-09-09T23:05:00.000-05:002012-10-02T23:33:15.890-05:00Our First View of Mt. Katahdin!It rained pretty steadily for a while last night, but stopped well before morning. About 30 minutes after we all went to bed, there was a large crack, and then you could hear a very large limb as it was falling from a tree. This was a sound that we had heard before on this trip, and we both held our breath and braced ourselves. When it finally fell, it sounded like it landed over by Swamprat's tent. He was about 50 yards away from us. I yelled over to him, to check on him, and he was fine. He said the limb had crashed down about 25 feet from his tent. Too close for comfort! He said, "Man, when I heard that crack, I held my breath and prepared myself for the worse!" <br />We had made it a habit to check for dead trees or branches above our tents whenever we chose a camping spot, because we were used to hearing limbs and trees come down in the woods, and never wanted to be a victim of that. What a terrible way to end a hiking trip. None of us had noticed any dead branches around, so the falling limb was a surprise. <br />I ended up having a miserable night, waking every hour or 2, to try a different form of medication, or drink cold water. My throat was really sore, making swallowing a miserable experience. It seemed that the more I tried to NOT swallow, the more I needed to swallow. In the morning, Keith made me some hot chocolate, and that helped some, although only temporarily. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNR_7JJ-W4mDbNaBRSf2gewBOfpDDW3f3ga4lMVl9d7lbZR8SzNV3Ov31Ats_jvxBLddMugu9DVTF3P4n7IKZqgmWGpNvujVqsPSpHR11qlJje9JnxWKNEBN-WLH9RChzq0mh0bYmd6Ys/s1600/102_4883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNR_7JJ-W4mDbNaBRSf2gewBOfpDDW3f3ga4lMVl9d7lbZR8SzNV3Ov31Ats_jvxBLddMugu9DVTF3P4n7IKZqgmWGpNvujVqsPSpHR11qlJje9JnxWKNEBN-WLH9RChzq0mh0bYmd6Ys/s320/102_4883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We had a pretty tough day ahead of us, with four sizable peaks to climb, but we also knew that we would see Mt. Katahdin today for the first time, from the top of one of them. We had about 4 miles of very easy gradual climbing before we hit the real mountain climbs, so we got that done fairly quickly. When we finally reached the first mountain, Gulf Hagas, we enjoyed seeing some of the rock work that the trail crews had done. As a matter of fact, today we saw some of the most impressive rock work to date. Just massive rock steps that went up the mountain for a very long way. This sure made the climbing better. <br />After we topped Hagas, we came to a Campsite that someone had left trail magic at - a large tupperware container full of homemade Molasses cookies. Keith said they were delicious. We also met a couple that were doing trail maintenance with weedeaters, and we were impressed at what a great job they were doing - clearing the trail really wide, and their weeding eating went on for a very long ways up the trail. Today, we had been blessed with beautiful weather, and we met some southbounders who they told us the view from the top was amazing. This was great news, as we were anxious for that first view of Katahdin!<br />We made it over Hay Mountain, and then start climbing up White Cap Mountain. It also had impressive rock work, which helped immensely. I was feeling badly, and couldn't keep up, and told the boys to go ahead, that I would meet them at the top. They hurried on, anxious to get up there, and before too long, I caught up to them. Keith told me, 'You can see Katahdin from the viewpoint." There were some other thru-hikers there, among them, PJ's, Detour, and Easy Rider. PJ's had actually worked at Baxter State Park before, and knew Katahdin very well. He had pointed it out for Keith.<br />(The long flat mountain right in the middle of the photo below is Mt. Katahdin).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgpiGGmzJau18X11dHNQ-_e3JhUeTbwKSKBi6Dhcusc08W6EnkaZ0mxkm0b5spFl92EPerWVoi7sIP0dG8P2hTdgPsEIOJe5zcYl4OIom1547zh1xAWyvGmWTqkR1wjWuRhLc1tcEM1w/s1600/102_4887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgpiGGmzJau18X11dHNQ-_e3JhUeTbwKSKBi6Dhcusc08W6EnkaZ0mxkm0b5spFl92EPerWVoi7sIP0dG8P2hTdgPsEIOJe5zcYl4OIom1547zh1xAWyvGmWTqkR1wjWuRhLc1tcEM1w/s320/102_4887.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Keith took me over to show me which one it was. We had just passed a sign at the bottom of White Cap that said Katahdin was 83.9 miles away, so I expected to barely be able to see it in the distance. As it turns out, it was the mountain that was closest to us! It just did not look that far away. It turned out that the trail wound in and out, around so many ponds and creeks between us and the mountain, that the trail was 83.9 miles long! Hard to believe.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoXjoaJOuZbgG5qBbPdc44kQhUVB_pVuq02uxl5LOB7wp5aJrmGqSIHcyvDmr1pgbCUUYHaODz0qFyDpJahl1e957mSndBWAOO4w_hP6aFpJS-Rt0W7lmlsxOO-9RtAaRK_7ox7oS-OY/s1600/102_4889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoXjoaJOuZbgG5qBbPdc44kQhUVB_pVuq02uxl5LOB7wp5aJrmGqSIHcyvDmr1pgbCUUYHaODz0qFyDpJahl1e957mSndBWAOO4w_hP6aFpJS-Rt0W7lmlsxOO-9RtAaRK_7ox7oS-OY/s320/102_4889.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5gNPhmoOpT1bbPFTKrRnmqKad11NjiR7r16FvcbIvl6ethk_aRYKmQ39X39Vsr3bVtZwjJ0ZgrLAPTtg1JE2zYlI-yKHzoexKkGQV7WJqTL1QYVpnM4Whlcf94bYuKR-srK83KGLmNk/s1600/102_4890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5gNPhmoOpT1bbPFTKrRnmqKad11NjiR7r16FvcbIvl6ethk_aRYKmQ39X39Vsr3bVtZwjJ0ZgrLAPTtg1JE2zYlI-yKHzoexKkGQV7WJqTL1QYVpnM4Whlcf94bYuKR-srK83KGLmNk/s320/102_4890.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLNU5NK5qe4MT93ZYoh7fLZwkDAHad7lkr9jqIewDM7pVVlxRlFRR_gvoq_LJuXpmErqskoX3lLYBz0uRlad87k1m7wt2M-F6CjNZ9tqWjOWfH3JqL4P-Hk9VgPjjZDIPqRYHbhVLB5w/s1600/102_4891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVLNU5NK5qe4MT93ZYoh7fLZwkDAHad7lkr9jqIewDM7pVVlxRlFRR_gvoq_LJuXpmErqskoX3lLYBz0uRlad87k1m7wt2M-F6CjNZ9tqWjOWfH3JqL4P-Hk9VgPjjZDIPqRYHbhVLB5w/s320/102_4891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We moved on, anxious for the reward of downhill that was so nice after climbing all day. We reached a shelter that a lot of familiar hikers were at - Jaybird, Pancakes, Mr. Noodles, Easy Rider, PJ's, and Detour, to name a few, but we didn't find any real level sites, and there was a river up ahead, so we hiked on, hoping to cross and find a nice campsite near the stream. As we approached the river, we could hear Mr. Noodles giggling on the river banks. He had brought a pack rod, and was catching trout right and left, giggling like a small boy. Pancakes was right there with him, and they were really enjoying the fishing, and were going to have fresh fish for supper.<br />Swamprat found us a great campsite, and we quickly pitched camp and turned in, as it had been a long, hard day. It had been another miserable day for me, but Keith had mentioned earlier in the day that the third day of his cold had been the worst. That would be tomorrow for me. I went to bed praying that mine would be better tomorrow instead of worse. I used up the last of Swamprat's cold medication.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTjR8YksCuZzn6DSPYEwDYnOtH411YZ5w4F6tL5PaD87E8Wm09f1jpYzslOQKPI6G4aP8tGwG5LhSL2YTrBAmUs8yjLTDh1NpvdGMxZcmS74OQQfGt9zxpBW65VHR6Q8n8FN5FfyldFU/s1600/102_4892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTjR8YksCuZzn6DSPYEwDYnOtH411YZ5w4F6tL5PaD87E8Wm09f1jpYzslOQKPI6G4aP8tGwG5LhSL2YTrBAmUs8yjLTDh1NpvdGMxZcmS74OQQfGt9zxpBW65VHR6Q8n8FN5FfyldFU/s320/102_4892.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQc8N4T19q_pmN9Mi8xRgXn8_NA37sNlGZqwJHxkK1WTpLa9vBdePSt9D74S8MAxAOAQwfQmtOeMsQ8EBM8MSy94-i8qGx63GPgAoODnQhwVc2L42NERcn3LHhOSGopzzw8lJs4VlZpM/s1600/102_4893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQc8N4T19q_pmN9Mi8xRgXn8_NA37sNlGZqwJHxkK1WTpLa9vBdePSt9D74S8MAxAOAQwfQmtOeMsQ8EBM8MSy94-i8qGx63GPgAoODnQhwVc2L42NERcn3LHhOSGopzzw8lJs4VlZpM/s320/102_4893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7DbihQQuANjUvblW8ylNE9QLMVakGpeBqwGJ7DScTuSEGkjs7yS3KftDuH3vxVW7hrb6Bu7omglZqdGX6IX1H1n2aGH67RgjPWmcyyIy_ne9Ianyt_sFKtvSu8fquGcA-3fmUtfligg/s1600/102_4886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7DbihQQuANjUvblW8ylNE9QLMVakGpeBqwGJ7DScTuSEGkjs7yS3KftDuH3vxVW7hrb6Bu7omglZqdGX6IX1H1n2aGH67RgjPWmcyyIy_ne9Ianyt_sFKtvSu8fquGcA-3fmUtfligg/s320/102_4886.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-12115183810419218262012-09-08T22:14:00.000-05:002012-10-02T23:29:56.203-05:00Getting Sick in the 100-Mile WildernessBelieve it or not, I have tried to keep the whining to a minimum throughout this blog. After all, I did CHOOSE to do this trip, so I shouldn't really complain about the discomforts involved. We all knew that getting sick on this trip was a real probability, but luckily, so far, we have only had mild colds early on - nothing really too serious, and we have all felt very lucky to be spared the stomach viruses and serious injuries that seemed to affect everyone else on the trail. <br />When we left the White Mountain Inn in Gorham weeks ago, Swamprat ended up getting sick with a sore throat and cold. There was a group of younger hikers there who were sick, including Mary Poppins, whom he had shared a room with. Swamprat had been pretty miserable for a few days before it improved. Then, about 7-10 days later, Keith came down with it. As much as we tried, we had done everything we could to avoid getting it, but it found its way to Keith. After Keith got sick, I remember counting up the days, and I thought to myself, "In about 10 days, we'll be entering the 100-Mile Wilderness. I really hope I don't end up with this cold in the Wilderness." I even thought about picking up some cold medication and sore throat lozenges just in case. Too bad I didn't follow through.<br />About 4 a.m. this morning, I woke up with a pretty bad sore throat. Yes, it seemed that my time had finally come. I had never picked up any sort of medication in town. All I had with me was aspirin and Ibuprofen. I took aspirin and went back to sleep, hoping that I would feel better when I woke up.<br />When we woke up, the sore throat was about the same. It looked like it might rain. We hurried and ate, packed up everything, and went down to the nearby stream to get more water. While we were down there, a chipmunk had climbed on to Keith's pack, which was still back at the campsite. It had nibbled on a large ziploc bag of Quaker Oats Granola Bars, tearing the packaging on one of the bars. When we returned, Keith discovered this, and decided to throw out that granola bar. He simply laid it down on the ground so the chipmunk could claim it. The chipmunk ran over, and grabbed the entire granola bar in its mouth, running around with it hanging out of the side of his mouth, dragging on the ground. It was quite amusing to watch. Then he stopped, and repositioned it, grabbing it exactly in the middle, balancing it perfectly, so that he could run back home and store his treasure. I got the impression that this chipmunk had run with granola bars in its mouth before. The chipmunks and red squirrels never failed to amuse us.<br />We began hiking, and still hoped to climb up and over the mountain before it rained. A heavy mist was hanging in the air, and it was as if we were hiking through a cloud. We could certainly forget about any views or photos until this lifted.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21WWo-f6y_50_xPNxoVhizGXmZ6LEdm2wL092Tbbl8azP6A6vypXpTyHggJNvtuIgCLadCQxqistBAXs8cf6p1mYKDW_KdjSkzdUP6gKdjDAB_PM6MKrp8TIz8bEVK6RDLw0TbIl2bG4/s1600/102_4879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21WWo-f6y_50_xPNxoVhizGXmZ6LEdm2wL092Tbbl8azP6A6vypXpTyHggJNvtuIgCLadCQxqistBAXs8cf6p1mYKDW_KdjSkzdUP6gKdjDAB_PM6MKrp8TIz8bEVK6RDLw0TbIl2bG4/s320/102_4879.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9oF4HtXB2UKzcl3u3FtTByju-9gLma0YPcMM-natVdZuw0HsOif3GsGI4v5Cp4svFI-NV0MlLrjbMWhhBzxYeq5Law9JWub9ynsDB_gxWy6E0W1FFBKIAvUFvaicXHR8GMui5dlhMYw/s1600/102_4880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9oF4HtXB2UKzcl3u3FtTByju-9gLma0YPcMM-natVdZuw0HsOif3GsGI4v5Cp4svFI-NV0MlLrjbMWhhBzxYeq5Law9JWub9ynsDB_gxWy6E0W1FFBKIAvUFvaicXHR8GMui5dlhMYw/s320/102_4880.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />As soon as we got to the top of the mountain, and out of the trees, it began sprinkling. We put on our rain jackets, and our pack covers and continued on. It never rained hard, and it stopped before lunch time. We crossed over the Barren Ledges, which normally would have provided great views, I'm sure, and then over Fourth Mountain, and Third Mountain, and then finally Chairback Mountain. The tops of them were all smooth rock, and had small ponds now full of water, and we could not help but get wet feet now and then, and do our share of slipping and sliding. We finally hit a little bit of lower, level trail closer to supper time. We passed a couple of campsites that were already taken by some other thru-hikers, and then arrived at West Branch Pleasant River. <br />We had to ford this river, but it was quite shallow. The AT Guide warned that it had a slick rocky bottom, but we really didn't have any problems slipping as we carefully made our way across. As the day passed, I had began to feel worse, and couldn't wait to set up camp and lay down. The AT Guide also warned that there was no camping for 2 miles on this side of the river. There was no way I could go 2 more miles, so we walked about 200 yards down the trail before we found a great campsite right on the banks of the river, and about 100 yards off of the trail. We had not seen a ridgerunner in a long time, and I only hoped that one didn't pass by, now that we were camping illegally.<br />My throat had continued to get worse as the day went on, and by now, swallowing was really painful. It was not going to be a fun night. Before we all turned in, I asked Swamprat if he had any kind of cold medication left from when he was sick, and he gave me all he had - about a dozen Advil cold medicine tablets. I took two and hoped for the best, just as it began to rain.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8RYX9ztQCpGUVbrWVccKXK-4o-PUbcsIFNZ0RgWEy7F61rVuoKVeL23meryEeqvsn8FFCFi9MI_tKWWA7Vwc2q2ks0aD5xhw2-G6vw-h52F7RjSjATF9T7T8KQ8Z4iwohPefS_SHsDM/s1600/102_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8RYX9ztQCpGUVbrWVccKXK-4o-PUbcsIFNZ0RgWEy7F61rVuoKVeL23meryEeqvsn8FFCFi9MI_tKWWA7Vwc2q2ks0aD5xhw2-G6vw-h52F7RjSjATF9T7T8KQ8Z4iwohPefS_SHsDM/s320/102_4881.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />(Camped at Mile 2100, on the banks of the West Branch Pleasant River)<br />Only 84.2 miles to reach Mt. Katahdin!<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-70181470100497649312012-09-07T06:16:00.000-05:002012-10-01T06:30:45.095-05:00Warning! You are Entering the 100 Mile Wilderness!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
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Warning sign at the beginning of the 100-Mile Wilderness</td></tr>
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This morning we woke up earlier than we needed to, mainly because we didn't sleep too well. With so many hikers in the house, it seemed like there was a steady stream of people using the bathrooms all night, and you would hear every footstep as hikers made their way down the hall, and then the old wooden doors creaked, and old latches loudly clanked as they closed. I would guess the age of the house is probably about 100 years old, a large, old wood-frame farmhouse, with very slanted floors upstairs, doors hanging on crooked hinges that won't really shut easily anymore, and floors that creak with every step. Also, it was an unusually warm night, and we were all sleeping with the windows open, because of course, there's no A/C this far north, and it just wasn't that comfortable for sleeping. Who would have guessed that one of our uncomfortably warm nights would be this far north? We were ready to get back on the trail, and into our nice quiet tent in the silent forest, where we could get a good night's sleep. We had learned, it was always cooler in the woods than it was down in town.<br />
We went downstairs, because breakfast was at 7:00. When we sat down, we recognized the same girl that we had as a waitress at the pub last night, only now she was our waitress at Shaw's, taking our breakfast order. I guess that's life in a small town. Rebecca was her name, and she was young, bubbly and fun, and very full of energy for this early in the morning. She was kidding around a lot, and addressing the younger hikers as, "Darling," and they were loving it. She was the kind of person you would need to serve a lot of hungry hikers at once. The two dining rooms were full. We were told to order using one number - that number would be the number of eggs, sausage, bacon and blueberry pancakes we would get on your plate. I ordered a four, but told her no pancakes, as I was allergic to gluten. The breakfast was "all you can eat," for $7, and if you ordered more, they'd keep them coming. I noticed most people had an extra serving of the pancakes, so they must have been really good. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2WdlfkGJymtFuMTphR9-9HEucg-SrmZ4oDZJo9VY0S-aXW8ZBBwQdJGIW-zc9zLvHm0HKqkxQKx6p1tXxmix5sy-HW2TbAJ0dHS0sNn2vjUXvOyo9KkAuZJRqQCnDvSAdQ6GAI1bQy8/s1600/102_4862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2WdlfkGJymtFuMTphR9-9HEucg-SrmZ4oDZJo9VY0S-aXW8ZBBwQdJGIW-zc9zLvHm0HKqkxQKx6p1tXxmix5sy-HW2TbAJ0dHS0sNn2vjUXvOyo9KkAuZJRqQCnDvSAdQ6GAI1bQy8/s320/102_4862.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rebecca and our breakfast cook at Shaw's - it was delicious!</td></tr>
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<br />
After we ate, Shaw's owner took us to the trail with another hiker named Keystone. Keith had visited with him a long time yesterday, and Keystone was on a northbound section hike. Someone had stolen the sign for the 100 Mile Wilderness, so we didn't take a picture there, but we went just a little ways down the trail, and there was a warning sign, so we posed by that. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoNVeTKPu7Avz-rJBm5n8IvKDai78V0uOzZzSMCzJIf5kwrGPiFf7YZltCDt8Lt9tyKOiQ-JSQGcUdrJi75kWzgVttjN_4ud8Z-IRlymuhFdpIcZpPNXftxHMhplhLd-9NfgEDorEgT0/s1600/102_4865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoNVeTKPu7Avz-rJBm5n8IvKDai78V0uOzZzSMCzJIf5kwrGPiFf7YZltCDt8Lt9tyKOiQ-JSQGcUdrJi75kWzgVttjN_4ud8Z-IRlymuhFdpIcZpPNXftxHMhplhLd-9NfgEDorEgT0/s320/102_4865.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were both excited and a bit intimidated about entering the 100-Mile Wilderness.</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
The 100 Mile Wilderness is the last stretch before Mt, Katahdin, and it's remote, with no way to get more food without hiking back out, and no roads to speak of except a dirt forest road or two, so you have to make sure you start with plenty of provisions. This also means our packs were heavier than we had carried in a very long time. That's because somewhere along the way from Springer Mountain, Georgia, we had become educated hikers, and knew that we did not enjoy carrying more than about 5 days of food, maximum. More than that, just became much harder on our bodies. Ever since we had encountered our very first southbounder, all of the way back in New York, I had been interrogating them all with the same question - how many days of food did you carry through the Wilderness? What was the Wilderness like? Ironically, when the southbounders began the 100-Mile Wilderness, from the northern end of it, they had only been on the trail ONE day, as opposed to our SIX months - as you can imagine, a big difference. Most of them admitted they had not brought enough food, or that they had carried 8-10 days worth of food. We had decided, knowing our capabilities, that we could probably make it through in 7 days, and possibly 6, if the weather and the terrain was kind to us. So we were all carrying 7 days of food, with an extra cereal or tuna pouch thrown in just for good measure. <br />
We started hiking, and didn't even go a quarter-mile before we hit a creek we had to ford. We traded boots for Crocs and crossed with no problem, as it was neither deep nor swift. Later in the day, we had to cross a deeper, wider stream, and this one had a rope strung across, so that helped a lot. As you can imagine, that one was bit more challenging. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1hODiceIeIJlR9W3twpiPHWY2go0JtUj9HwS67s-rd08k1_LKsvpWmhmmBmNcaagsaO8-xGjh9KyfMkNkCaWNAQH28WSd1fTJ9S45UPNiwlK3bZCSo1ykQUYoMm-TUA3EZWUUX35pRQ/s1600/102_4866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1hODiceIeIJlR9W3twpiPHWY2go0JtUj9HwS67s-rd08k1_LKsvpWmhmmBmNcaagsaO8-xGjh9KyfMkNkCaWNAQH28WSd1fTJ9S45UPNiwlK3bZCSo1ykQUYoMm-TUA3EZWUUX35pRQ/s320/102_4866.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<br />
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith and Swamprat, fording the first stream of the day.</td></tr>
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<br />
We had only gone a few miles into the Wilderness, when who should we meet but Boots and Melody - headed in the wrong direction! They had made it a ways into the Wilderness yesterday, set up camp, only to find that Boot's air mattress had sprung a leak. He was not willing to spend a miserable week sleeping on the ground, and so they had left their camp set up, and were hiking back to a place called the Hiker Haven, to catch a ride into the town, and hopefully get a replacement. We had seen the sign for the Haven on the trail a ways back, but did not know what it was. It had kind of surprised us, because we thought there was nothing located back in the wilderness. Apparently there was hostel of sorts located down a forest road, and it had been closed for a while, but had just recently opened up again, and were happy to help hikers. Boots and Melody also jokingly told us that this was the fourth time they had crossed this section of trail, because on their first hike into the Wilderness, they realized they had left a bag of food in the refrigerator back in the hostel they had stayed at, and had to hike back out to get it. Hopefully, this would be their last trip back to Monson. We were so happy to get to see them again, because we were afraid they were going to reach Katahdin, and head back to Switzerland without the chance to say goodbye.<br />
We crossed a lot of streams today, but all of the rest we were able to cross by rock-hopping, which is really nice, just because it's time consuming to keep stopping, changing into Crocs, and then back again. We've seen some of the younger hikers just walk right through the streams with their boots on. There seems to be two schools of thought on the trail with regard to this, and we tend to prefer dry feet, and dry shoes, so that has been our goal each day, to keep shoes, socks, and feet dry. Dry feet are happy feet.<br />
At one stream we needed to cross, there was a large tree that had fallen perfectly across it. We had been told by a southbounder that he had walked across the log. Swamprat decided to try it. I knew there was no way I could walk across it and keep my balance, so I went ahead and forded the stream. Swamprat made it about halfway across, but the water rushing under him, really messed with his equilibrium, and he ended up sitting down and scooting the rest of the way across. Keith ended up fording also. We were all happy to make it across with dry packs.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_7Vqq-5TENBV3626zmy9rTVAOM8A7bY6iaQz-c9Qb6V-kmFCVr3K1THgqXug60-BC2IR2YnW7kkcbic18WZodGMKeIb_fLMtgxzCYXhMT6pD1s9UJEiA8ZKMPnWrNpWX-aWwPm8O9VA/s1600/102_4873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_7Vqq-5TENBV3626zmy9rTVAOM8A7bY6iaQz-c9Qb6V-kmFCVr3K1THgqXug60-BC2IR2YnW7kkcbic18WZodGMKeIb_fLMtgxzCYXhMT6pD1s9UJEiA8ZKMPnWrNpWX-aWwPm8O9VA/s320/102_4873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swamprat crossing the log over Little Wilson Stream.</td></tr>
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<br />
Today didn't consist of any real major climbs, but we had small hills all day long, so that by supper time, we were ready to call it a day. Also, carrying the extra weight in our packs made it a harder day than usual. <br />
We passed Little Wilson Falls today, which was much bigger than we expected, and really beautiful. It that was Little Wilson, I wish we could have seen Big Wilson! We could have sat by that all day. We also passed five ponds today, and each one was just so remote and picture-perfect. No moose though, but we are still looking!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhQZhDaJ5Y-rxrs2xuLpENSjyOEjymcNhFR1iU4mcJUPaYRPghXrKq-vg6lwJA3r5BKqpJVjQuyAd8I0q_fh-OJ-SQ3k-feNl7Ul3lZtr13dpoCB5PHFUHYmex8w5mMZyBy1XzEwjlIo/s1600/102_4870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhQZhDaJ5Y-rxrs2xuLpENSjyOEjymcNhFR1iU4mcJUPaYRPghXrKq-vg6lwJA3r5BKqpJVjQuyAd8I0q_fh-OJ-SQ3k-feNl7Ul3lZtr13dpoCB5PHFUHYmex8w5mMZyBy1XzEwjlIo/s320/102_4870.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Little Wilson Falls - this is just the top half of the falls.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLSL2n5qtFsvMAMEpe3v8FNrIdreiwNh0-YYQh5u8FW3o92eKbKTH6WatEEXV5cgLe446PifQft-xpjkBXepgYARqPZkOLiFYLB-SbVAlrFmUWneZDTom7PhcXMy_Y-Pcx3o3Ec5m5tE/s1600/102_4869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLSL2n5qtFsvMAMEpe3v8FNrIdreiwNh0-YYQh5u8FW3o92eKbKTH6WatEEXV5cgLe446PifQft-xpjkBXepgYARqPZkOLiFYLB-SbVAlrFmUWneZDTom7PhcXMy_Y-Pcx3o3Ec5m5tE/s320/102_4869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The AT in Maine passes by pond, after pond, after pond . . . we were always looking for moose!!</td></tr>
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<br />
We heard planes flying overhead all day today. Just down the road from Monson, the town of Greenville, Maine was having a seaplane gathering, and there were over 600 seaplanes gathered on Moosehead Lake. I think that would have been fun to see, and I know Keith would have loved it. His parents don't live that far away, so maybe someday we can come back and see that annual event.<br />
Since we had a little bit later start than usual today, and the days were getting shorter on us, we were running out of daylight as we were trying to find the shelter we planned to camp at. We had to be getting close though, according to the AT Guide. We passed a "100" that someone had created out of sticks and rocks right in the middle of the trail, and I pointed it out to the guys, knowing that this meant we were only 100 miles from Katahdin now. I was amazed that it had not been destroyed from other hikers walking over it, because both guys had hiked right over it without ever seeing it. We did a little high five all around, and kept hiking. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcWEmVezCvR6_75Gw_Lh1hQZw0zQ8u46MmapyiwDF5OZIjJ1QjAmZgry97IhA9_lVgtU_ZsuJVdvBtwIIrAVThHFKpiBYGhgDU5c56JjrqWwzegsu3AGCjM9QmjJQEO_7Rd4gsPT5IhM/s1600/102_4878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcWEmVezCvR6_75Gw_Lh1hQZw0zQ8u46MmapyiwDF5OZIjJ1QjAmZgry97IhA9_lVgtU_ZsuJVdvBtwIIrAVThHFKpiBYGhgDU5c56JjrqWwzegsu3AGCjM9QmjJQEO_7Rd4gsPT5IhM/s320/102_4878.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A previous hiker had left us a message on the trail - only 100 miles to Mt. Katahdin!</td></tr>
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<br />
We met a southbounder who was looking for the same shelter. This was not good, because he had already just come from the direction we were headed in, and hadn't seen it. We stopped and all pulled out the AT Guide to study it closer, and as we did so, another hiker came from behind us, up the hill from the large creek below, carrying a platypus of water, and no pack. "What are you looking for?" he asked. We told him we were looking for Long Pond Stream Lean-to, and he pointed up the trail. "You're almost there - about 200 yards up the hill." It turned out that the southbounder had just missed the sign. Another hiker also came up the hill from the creek, this one with a strong German accent, and let us know that there was a great jacuzzi tub in the stream, that the small waterfall had hollowed out a big "tub" in the rock, and you could lay down in the "tub," have the water swirl all around you, and it felt great! This sounded so good, as it had been a really warm day, but unfortunately, we were out of daylight, and it was a steep climb from the creek up to the shelter, which we were yet to find.<br />
We went on up the hill and found Einstein and Foster's already there, and we had a happy reunion with them. We had not seen Einstein since that day we were slowly and carefully coming down Mt. Moosilauke, and he came breezing by us. They were in great spirits, and let us know that they had already been in the Wilderness for four days, and it sounded like they were in no hurry to leave! They had already gone back into town for more food and beer! As we visited with them, one by one, other hikers arrived to camp at the same shelter. Swamprat found some good tent sites up the hill behind the shelter, and we quickly set up camp and ate before it got completely dark on us.<br />
We had not quite made it to the place Keith really wanted us to camp, which was at the Barren Ledges, which was quite a climb up the mountain still. There was rain in the forecast, and he was really just hoping we would get up and over the mountain on dry rock, rather than have to cross it in the rain. Dry rock is always better than wet rock for walking on! We are not really fans of slipping and sliding down a mountainside.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhtWOlvjv_TaMKrRlYg2aD2bZS-VnrreBLHq8kCecCo_toroHYGaFf9RRu5sa-xS8peDwQ3KpCGSbILs1sxPPej3eTVo8V2nmqWwXHLbz3rhgr7TDeh_iKC8S8dNRx1mV9_LF4XTlPKc/s1600/102_4871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhtWOlvjv_TaMKrRlYg2aD2bZS-VnrreBLHq8kCecCo_toroHYGaFf9RRu5sa-xS8peDwQ3KpCGSbILs1sxPPej3eTVo8V2nmqWwXHLbz3rhgr7TDeh_iKC8S8dNRx1mV9_LF4XTlPKc/s320/102_4871.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had heard that Maine was the "rootiest" state, and now we were believing it!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><br />
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWwWqm4gzqAPOlFwkw19_K4U4CXUIOEaYm_GyG9-1wUfHKUaGaeXT0iBMs8Ep7DCzh056RD6OtPWkKCo7u_Ce2uR-CP94sme9xIUN507maw8DBFiV41SQ1waLGd26o85HG4bEiVXcBFg/s1600/102_4875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWwWqm4gzqAPOlFwkw19_K4U4CXUIOEaYm_GyG9-1wUfHKUaGaeXT0iBMs8Ep7DCzh056RD6OtPWkKCo7u_Ce2uR-CP94sme9xIUN507maw8DBFiV41SQ1waLGd26o85HG4bEiVXcBFg/s320/102_4875.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were loving the way the trail through the Wilderness was routed around every possibly pond, stream and lake. Can you spot the moose in this picture? Neither can I. I guess there's not one. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapMdA2qxBZp35P9JSOVctKOsy7zG9EsYKrcad-MkHZAl253RWAuBa9odV3Izrad75ulTz9abJvUnDSvCKgd2RWRtoaX45TbqcnMZYKl0VzErLU7Oh0p9mdLkWq15XDq02cfMJeScnjEA/s1600/102_4876.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapMdA2qxBZp35P9JSOVctKOsy7zG9EsYKrcad-MkHZAl253RWAuBa9odV3Izrad75ulTz9abJvUnDSvCKgd2RWRtoaX45TbqcnMZYKl0VzErLU7Oh0p9mdLkWq15XDq02cfMJeScnjEA/s320/102_4876.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Camped at Mile 2084.8, Long Pond Stream Lean-to)<br />
Only 99.4 miles left to reach Mt. Katahdin! <br />
- Steady and F100Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-41741256689576022662012-09-06T06:02:00.000-05:002012-10-01T16:44:03.473-05:00Our Last Town, Monson, Maine!So, we have now hiked 2069.7 miles. We only have 114.5 left to go! I remember when we were so excited when we had hiked 100 miles for the first time, and now we don't bat an eye when we talk about hiking a hundred more. No big deal. Funny how things change. <br />
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I have a confession- no trail pictures today. I stopped to take the first one, and my battery was dead, and I didn't really want to stop to dig out the extra right then. It wasn't really an inspiring photo anyway - more of something to help me remember the trail than anything else. <br />
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We slept better than usual last night because the temp dipped into the 40's and that's about when these bags become comfortable. <br />
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We got up, began hiking, and followed a roaring Piscatquis River (say that five times fast) for miles. I could hike along a river all day. This one was roaring because of the recent heavy rain. <br />
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The trail was pretty gradual but really mucky and muddy, and we had one detour due to an industrious beaver who had flooded the trail completely. <br />
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We only had 9 miles to get into Monson, and hoped to get there for lunch. We would be staying overnight at Shaw's Lodging, a well known hostel on the trail. <br />
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Along the way, Keith and Swamprat thought they spooked a bear but never saw it. We got to one section of the river and had to ford it, about 75 yards across. It got up to thigh deep, but the current was not too bad. At the other side we found a cooler with iced down Cokes and a note from Strider, an '03 thru-hiker. We sat and enjoyed those, and knew it was a precursor of the good things to be consumed in town!<br />
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We hiked on through lots of mud, and soon crossed a really black shale, which Monson is famous for (Monson shale). It's super black, and is actually what was used for the marker at Kennedy's Memorial in Arlington. Once we reached town we saw yards where the shale was stacked up, being sold. <br />
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We made it down to Highway 15, passing several other thru-hikers and some section hikers along the way. Everyone is excited about almost being done. <br />
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We reached the road and called Shaw's and they came and picked us up. The hostel is a very old large home with a separate bunkhouse for hikers with dogs, and we and Swamprat had private rooms in the main house. There were also some large bedrooms with six beds in them. <br />
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There is an all you can eat breakfast included in the morning, and we hear it's delicious!<br />
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We walked up to Main and found some BBQ, and then later ended up at the Lakeshore Pub and ate out by the lake. We were treated to a beautiful sunset. <br />
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Sean had shipped us our last resupply, and it was waiting for us, so we did not have to go shopping. That was a real treat!<br />
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- Steady and F100Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-31323637980756739592012-09-05T16:16:00.000-05:002012-10-01T16:44:54.023-05:00Crossing the Kennebec RiverYesterday we learned of a camp that was very close to our campsite that served a hot breakfast to thru-hikers that consisted of eggs, sausage, and a dozen pancakes. We decided to start our day at that camp. We packed up and followed a blue blaze just .4 of a mile through the woods until we reached Harrison Camp at Pierce Pond. This camp, which consists of nine cabins, has been here since the 1930's. We met Tim, who was cooking in the kitchen when we arrived. He owns it and has been the owner for 27 years. He serves thru-hikers at 7:00, and then the rest of the camp's guests at 8. <br />
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There were three other hikers who hiked over with us. Everyone really enjoyed the hot breakfast. His pancakes had blueberries and raspberries in them!<br />
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We left there and began hiking for the day. We passed the dam at the edge of Pierce Pond, and saw an otter! He was really cute, and kept stopping and looking back at us before he finally swam away. <br />
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We followed a large stream coming out of Pierce Pond for many miles. Along that stream were numerous waterfalls and pools. It eventually emptied into the Kennebec River. <br />
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We needed to cross the river, and there is a man whose job it is to ferry hikers across in a canoe. He even has a white blaze painted on the bottom of the canoe to show that his canoe is actually on the Appalachian Trail. His name was Hillbilly Dave, and he ferries 1500 to 1700 hikers a year. We signed some affidavits stating that we would not sue if we drowned, donned a life jacket, and a few minutes later arrived at the other side of the Kennebec. He only takes two hikers at a time, so we sat on the other side and waited for Swamprat to come across. <br />
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After we left the river, we just hiked a few minutes and walked into the town of Caratunk, where I needed to check on a resupply box that Sean had sent us. After taking care of that, we headed back into the woods, and took a lunch break along a stream. The mosquitoes were after us, so we had to put on bug spray for the first time since entering New Hampshire. That state sure was good for getting rid of the heat and the bugs. <br />
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We hiked on, mostly in the woods today, and had one major climb, up and over Pleasant Pond Mountain. It wasn't until we reached the top that we got a view of the pond, and it sure looked pleasant enough!<br />
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It clouded up, threatening to rain, so we made the descent pretty quickly, hoping to reach a place to set up the tent before it began raining. We finally found a campsite in the woods near a pond. It's not the most level site, but it will work nicely. There is another hiker here tonight, named Raven. He's been section-hiking the AT since 2005, and is about to complete it next week. He's as excited as we are about reaching Katahdin. In his other life, he's a community organizer in Minnesota. He plans on section-hiking the PCT next year. I am looking forward to listening to rain on the tent tonight!<br />
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- Steady and F100Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-62914687639080707132012-09-04T06:22:00.000-05:002012-09-07T06:23:20.789-05:00Water WorldIt rained ALL night last night - and I mean nonstop! Luckily, it started after we went to bed. Everything made it through high and dry, and we found out later that 3 inches had fallen! Yikes!<br />I wish I could thoroughly explain what this did to the trail. It became a creek flowing down the mountains, and at the bottom of the mountains, it pooled into ponds. We tried our best to keep our boots dry, but it later became a struggle to just keep them from sloshing. <br />We hoped to cover 15 miles, but got a late start, hoping the rain would stop. We packed up about 30 minutes before it ended. We started in rain gear, but within a half hour were able to put it away. <br />The day was spent mainly trying to avoid the water. It slowed us way down. There were no views from Moxie Bald, the major climb of the day. <br />We did reach the Piscaquitas River and had to ford it. Someone has stretched a thick rope across it, and you needed to cling to it to get across. It got as deep as hip-deep, which was worrisome, but we made it across and kept our gear high and dry. Without the rope, we could not have crossed safely. <br />We finally reached the Horseshoe Canyon Shelter, which was 15 miles, and it was close enough to the now roaring river to provide beautiful background noise for sleeping. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/328.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_328.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/329.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_329.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/330.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_330.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/331.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_331.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/332.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_332.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/333.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_333.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/335.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_335.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/07/337.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/07/s_337.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-16587060935342190982012-09-03T16:15:00.000-05:002012-09-06T16:15:45.335-05:00Hiking Around the Ponds<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2397.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2397.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />Yesterday was a day of covering peaks, and today was pond day. We ended up hiking around West Carry Pond, and finally ended up at Pierce Pond where we are camped tonight. Both ponds look a lot like Lake Ouachita to me. <br /><br />Today the trail was mostly level, with two small hills - nothing major. Because of that, we were able to make good time and hiked about 18 miles before 5:00. We are traveling more or less with 5 others, who seem to be on pace with us - Shanti, Mr. Fabulous, Voice of Reason, Sugarplumb and Chiba. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2398.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2398.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2399.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2399.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2400.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2400.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2401.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2401.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2402.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2402.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Steady and F100<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-41373205309236629042012-09-02T16:13:00.000-05:002012-09-06T16:14:14.831-05:00The Bigelows and Avery Peak<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2380.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2380.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />This morning we met Keith's parents and Swamprat for a great breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We all stayed at the White Wolf Inn inStratton, Maine. They had come yesterday and once again helped us take care of resupply. They also picked up Swamprat when he left the trail yesterday, and brought him to town. After Swamprat arrived, we all had lunch and went back to the town of Rangeley to grocery shop. The store in Stratton was just too small, and carried none of the food we usually eat. <br /><br />I had already done laundry before Keith's folks arrived, and so after we repackaged our resupply, we could relax for a bit. I must say, I was quite spoiled because the owner of the hotel and restaurant eats gluten-free, and so they had GF pasta, pizza, bagels, and desserts. I ate like a queen in Stratton!<br /><br />The town of Stratton really doesn't amount to much - three hotels, a small market, sporting goods store, and gas station, and that's about it. It sort of reminded me of the small town in the old TV show, Northern Exposure. Do any of you remember that show??<br /><br />After the awesome breakfast, during which Keith's mom remarked that she couldn't believe how much we were eating (but she understood why), Richard and Emilie took us back to the AT, and we headed north once again, this time with only 188.2 miles to go to the end. Matter of fact, about 4 miles from the road, we would pass 2000 miles hiked!!!<br /><br />We were hitting some well known mountains today, known in Maine as the Bigelows. We would also be climbing Avery Peak. We were in for quite a treat, because the weather turned out just perfect, and the visibility was amazing. We were treated to amazing views of the lakes below - Rangeley and Flagstaff. There were also mountains all around us in every direction. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2381.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2381.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2382.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2382.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2383.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2383.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2384.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2384.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2385.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2385.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2386.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2386.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2387.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2387.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We had such a huge breakfast, that we didn't get hungry til late, and so we ended up eating our lunch on the very top of Avery Peak. I sat up there extra long, really savoring the view, because this could possibly be our last mountaintop view til we reach Mt. Katahdin.<br /><br />We finally left Avery, then crossed over Little Bigelow, and headed to the Little Bigelow Shelter to camp. We arrived there right at nightfall, and ended up getting water in the dark, which was not a good thing. It was a steep climb down to the water, and wearing Crocs and headlamps, it made it pretty tricky. <br /><br />We got into the tent, began cooking, and right away a tiny gray mouse showed up right next to Keith's stove. He just stood there looking at Keith, until Keith shined his headlamp on him, and then he zoomed away. He was really funny, almost like he was showing up, expecting us to invite him in for supper. Later on, we were falling asleep, and I heard something on the tent. It was our furry little friend again, this time climbing up on top of the tent,obviously trying to find the door. I gently pattedn the inside of the tent, and he went flying. Later on during the night, he woke me up two more times, and we repeated the mouse acrobatics. At least he never did try to make a hole and come into the tent. <br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2388.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2388.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/06/2389.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/06/s_2389.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Steady and F100<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-82095999778261380912012-08-31T05:50:00.000-05:002012-09-01T05:51:11.293-05:00Three's Definitely a CrowdWhen we woke up this morning, we had an unfortunate discovery. A mouse had chewed a pretty good-size hole right through the tent down by our feet. We never heard a thing, but he managed to chew a tiny hole in Keith's food bag, and nibble on his cereal. We have avoided this so far, but this is what happens when you decide it's okay to keep your food in the tent and not hang a bear bag. Luckily, Keith is a wiz at tent patching!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/323.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_323.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I don't have too many pictures of views today. We had a total of four peaks to climb (three of them over 4000 ft.), and so when we reached the first (Lone Mt.), and you had to take a steep (optional) side trail to the summit, I opted to check out the views from the higher mountains that were yet to come. However, by the time we reached those later in the day, we were in the clouds, and there was no view at all.<br />Swamprat had texted us, and with things under control back at home, he was back on the trail, and had camped about 6 miles behind us. He would catch up to us when we reach Stratton, our next town. <br />We packed up, and went up and over Lone Mt., and then Spaulding Mt. We were making such good time, that Keith told me if we kept this up, we'd find ourselves hiking right into town instead of taking an extra day to get there. The trail is so unpredictable in Maine, we had allowed ourselves 3 days to cover the miles from Rangeley to Stratton. <br />We continued on, at one point passing a plaque commemorating the point where the very last part of the AT was completed. The last two peaks we crossed were Crocker South and Crocker North, and the first one, Crocker South seemed to take forever. I think it is now officially my least favorite mountain of this trip. You could never see the the top as you climbed, and so there was no real obvious destination. Very annoying. Just keep going up, and eventually you'll get there - or at least logic would tell you that! It was the never ending mountain! I FINALLY reached the top, and it was a mile over to the second summit, so not so bad. We knocked that out, and we realized we only had 5 miles to go downhill to town, and it was only 4:00. We decided to go for it. We finally reached the road about 6:50, and it was starting to get dark. We went to the road, and before long another hiker gave us a ride to the White Wolf Inn in Stratton, which we had heard gives thru-hikers rooms at a 50% discount. Keith's parents are also arriving today. We will see them this one last time before we reach Mt. <br />We ended up hiking 18.7 miles today. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/324.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_324.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/325.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_325.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/326.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_326.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/327.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_327.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/328.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_328.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/329.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_329.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/330.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_330.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/09/01/331.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/09/01/s_331.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-48806214777898385102012-08-30T20:36:00.000-05:002012-09-01T15:59:26.587-05:00Mary Poppins Gets a Ring DingLast night, I had no trouble falling asleep, but I woke up about 1 am hearing a man's voice. It kept me awake for a long time. I finally figured out that a TV was on in the room next to ours, which would be the office. I finally figured out it was on the weather channel. It drove me crazy. I kept waking up, and had the hardest time ignoring it. It did not seem to keep Keith awake. There were no phones in the room, or I would have called the office. It was still blaring when our alarm went off this morning. When we left this morning, it was very early, before the office opened, so I left a very polite but informative note for the manager. I wanted them to know that in six months of staying on the trail and in various hotels and hostels, that was the worst night's sleep yet. <br />We walked down a few buildings to a cute cafe called Moosely Bagels and ordered breakfast. They opened at 6:30, and we were there when the door opened. Swamprat joined us, but did not bring his pack. Things had gotten worse back home, with the hurricane damage, and he just didn't know what he would do yet. He decided to stay put, where he had cell coverage, and catch up to us later. He's a very strong hiker, so we knew he would have no problem doing that. <br />The couple who gave us the ride yesterday offered to take us to the trail today. They showed up about 7:10, and Maddie stayed with Swamprat while Dave took us to the trail. <br />We had great trail to begin with, and it was easy to hike fast. We did the first 1.5 miles in 30 minutes. After that. It began steadily climbing. We passed several ponds along the way, but no moose yet. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2548.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2548.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We would be climbing three peaks today - Saddleback, the Horn, and Saddleback Junior. As we got closer to the first one, all of a sudden the wind really began blowing hard over the top of the mountain. As we got above the free line, it got really cold. The wind had to be blowing 30-40 mph, and the wind chill had to be in the 30's. Brrrrr! We were both in shorts and t-shirts, so we stopped and pulled on long sleeves and hats, and I had some wool socks handy, so I put those on my hands. The sun was out, so that made it comfortable. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2549.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2549.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(For those of you who might think I wrapped a shirt around my head in this photo - it's not! That's called a buff (buyabuff.com), and it has been the most functional piece of clothing that I purchased for this trip. Its basically a tube of stretchy fabric (mine is made of soft merino wool) that's made to be worn like 20 different ways. I've worn mine as a hat, ear muff, headband, turtle neck, and even to cover my nose on really cold nights. If I end up on Survivor, I may even wear it as a tube top!!!!! - NOT!)<br />Except for the high winds, it was a beautiful day, so we had incredible views. I love sections of trail like the one today, because when we were above the tree line, we could see exactly where the trail went over the next mountain. We could see hikers on the next mountain over, and when we met them, it turned out to be another pre orientation group, this one from Bates College. They were cold too, so we didn't chat long. As long as we were hiking, we were warm. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2550.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2550.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2551.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2551.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We sat behind a big rock on the Horn and ate lunch, and Keith discovered one of his socks was missing that had been hanging on his pack. I figured a gust of wind had taken it when we were on Saddleback. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2552.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2552.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2553.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2553.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2554.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2554.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2555.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2555.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2556.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2556.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2557.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2557.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />When we reached the final peak, Saddleback, Jr., we had cell service, and we both called our folks and checked in. As we went down that final descent, a hiker named Mary Poppins (he used to carry an umbrella on his pack) caught us, and Keith asked him if he had seen a sock. He said that he had found one way back by the ponds. It turned out to be Keith's missing sock! Keith was thrilled. He thanked him, and Mary Poppins hiked on. He is young and fast!<br />After he left, Keith realized he was carrying a whole box of Ring Dings (childhood treat - its like a Ding Dong for those of us who grew up in the south) in his pack, and wished he had given him one. We decided that if we caught up to him again, he deserved a Ring Ding as a reward for returning the missing sock. <br />We had quite a long descent before we would reach our campsite that we hoped to reach. Keith got ahead of me, and I decided to take a quick break, take an Aspirin (my feet were talking to me at this point), pull off my boots, and have a snack. Just as I sat down, along came Mary Poppins. He had taken a break at some point, and we had passed him up without knowing it. I told him that F100 had a reward for him, that it was edible, and chocolate. He hiked on with a big smile on his face, anxious to find Keith. <br />It wasn't long before he found Keith, and Keith gave Mary Poppins a Ring Ding. Keith said he was very excited to get it. <br />We ended up at one of the coolest campsites to date, up a steep hill, right beside a waterfall. We even cooked right alongside the stream. Should be a great place to get caught up on sleep after my unfortunate night last night. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2558.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2558.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2562.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2562.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2565.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2565.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/31/2566.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/31/s_2566.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-57536937173128156582012-08-29T19:50:00.001-05:002012-08-29T19:50:39.108-05:00Hiking into Rangeley, MaineLast night, we never did see a moose. The wind blew steadily all night, and it dropped into the 40's, which was actually perfect, because our sleeping bags were finally comfortable and not too warm!<br /><br />At one point, I thought I heard a mouse in our tent! I heard some zip lock bags behind my head that were rustling, and I sat up and dug my headlamp out of my pack, prepared to freak out if I was going to have to somehow get a mouse out of the tent in the middle of the night. I searched and searched, and finally convinced myself that we were mouse-free, and that the wind was just blowing the side of the tent so hard, that it was rustling the plastic bags. <br /><br />We woke up and packed up quickly, knowing that it was just under 10 miles into Rangeley, and that we had a burger and fries in our near future - and if we hiked fast enough, possibly for lunch!<br /><br />The trail was kind to us- lots of level, not too much steep uphill, and nice and soft - mostly dirt - mostly NOT rock - yay!<br /><br />We flew! It didn't hurt that it was probably about 50 degrees the whole time. After 2 hours we found ourselves at Little Swift Pond, and there were three canoes on the bank just for thru-hikers to use. I have no idea how anyone got them here - its in the middle of nowhere! I got in and paddled around. The seat was broken, so the guys opted not to join me. The wind had also picked up and it was getting colder! Not the best time for canoeing, but I was not going to miss out. We had heard the ponds here were shallow and warm, and I felt the water to test it. Sure enough. Nice and warm! The wind was way too cool for swimming though. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2996.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2996.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We hiked on, and made it to the road to Rangeley by 11:30! A nice man stopped to pick us up. He had hiked the trail when he was just 16. He shared with us that his son and dog had just passed away, and he was out here trying to recover. His name was John, and we tried to comfort him and assured him we'd pray for him. He had just adopted this huge dog named Clyde. He was only 9 months old, but huge! I sat next to Clyde, and by the time we got out, Clyde had laid his head in my lap, and was my newest best friend. I bet he'd love to hike with us. <br /><br />We had lunch at the Red Onion, which had - wait for it - wait for it - gluten-free pizza!!! I love the northeast! We then split up - the boys hitched a ride with a nice couple who stopped to visit because they saw our packs. He had started the trail a week after us, but had to go home when a good friend died, and then his mom died! Pretty sad stories from both of our Good Samaritans today. They are both in our prayers. He took us all to the laundromat, where I did the laundry and watched the packs while he then took them to the grocery store. <br /><br />This town is really beautiful. Everything on Main Street backs up to Rangeley Lake. There are sea planes out on the lake. We don't see that everyday. We found a room at the Town & Lake Motel, which is on Rangeley Lake as well. I don't think it's changed since 1955, but because of its location, that's just fine. There's adirondack chairs on the lawn out back - perfect. Sit and relax, and chill, as ducks wander over. There's a full moon over the lake right now - well, over the mountain which is over the lake - so pretty!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2997.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2997.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />We walked down to the hotel from the laundromat. There's nothing like walking with a backpack and carrying stuff in plastic bags to make you appear truly homeless. There's a lot of younger hikers staying at the same hotel, but for some reason they appear much more scraggly than us. Their beards and hair look more like Tom Hanks in Castway - kind of scary, if you don't know they are thru-hikers, I suppose. At least I don't think we look that way. I could be wrong. Haha!<br /><br />After showers and repacking, and relaxing around the lake, we walked down to Sarge's Pub, because they were having a twin lobster roll special. Both of the guys had that. It looked sooo good! The people in the pub were watching the Patriots play the Giants on TV, and they were yelling loudly at the screen. It was quite entertaining, and it felt good to be in civilization, even if for a short while. <br /><br />The nice couple who took us to the grocery store and laundromat also offered to take us back to the trail in the morning, so that's one less worry. Right now, I can hear the loons out by the lake- a perfect end to a lovely day. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-6317214388760901292012-08-28T19:49:00.000-05:002012-08-29T19:55:38.026-05:00Camping at Sabbath Day PondIt ended up raining softly all night last night. We packed up, and hit the trail early, hoping to do as many miles as possible today, so we wouldn't have too many tomorrow, heading into Rangeley, where we will resupply next. <br />We started off hiking in the clouds, with no views, and occasional light sprinkles. We hiked up a few short roller coasters, and then started hiking across a ridge line that was capped with smooth rock. Even though it was wet, nothing was too slippery. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2960.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2960.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2961.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2961.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />As the day went on, finally the clouds rose, and we got a nice view of a lake in the distance. Before we knew it, it began raining again, so we quickly hiked down thehill we were going down, sat on the side of the trail, and threw the tent fly over us and our packs. We looked like a couple of kids pretending to be ghosts. <br />After a while it let up, and we ended up at the bottom of the mountain at a dirt road where the three of us sat and had lunch. We also set up the tent to let it dry out. Swamprat had been on the phone a lot talking to his wife because of the hurricane that's approaching New Orleans, which is near their home. It's been stressful for him to deal with long-distance. It makes it worse that the cell coverage cuts in and out. <br />We hiked on after lunch, and as we did, the sky cleared, and we could tell the rain had been a cool front it was now windy and about 65 degrees. It felt great! We climbed up to Highway 17, and there was a scenic overlook with a bench overlooking a gorgeous lake. <br />We hiked past a couple of beautiful lakes, and ended up camping at Sabbath Day Pond Shelter. The pond sits right in front of the shelter. The sound of loons is now becoming a common thin for us to hear. We are also hoping to see moose here. There is scat all around the shelter, and moose tracks everywhere! If we do, I'll snap a picture!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2962.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2962.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2963.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2963.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2964.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2964.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2965.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2965.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2966.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2966.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />I just returned from our evening moose hunt - no luck, but the moon over the pond was beautiful!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2975.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2975.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(Camped at Sabbath Day Pond, mile 1954.4, 229.8 miles to go)<br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-74300336951675427122012-08-27T17:22:00.000-05:002012-08-29T19:54:34.608-05:00Moose Tracks<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2686.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2686.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Last night, just before dark, two older ladies hiked in and set up their tents in the space next to ours. One of the women was apparently some kind of expert on camping, and was giving nonstop verbal instruction to the other poor soul. She talked nonstop about every little detail of camping from the time they arrived until well after 9:30 when I finally managed to block her out and fall asleep. And she was not whispering either. Most annoying camper ever. We had a crowded camp, full of thru-hikers, and the only person out for a one-night camp out, claiming to be the expert, managed to annoy the rest of the camp, and keep us all awake. <br />Our day began with a long downhill, followed by a steep uphill, then another downhill, followed by a very steep 3 mile uphill, which took us to the top of Old Blue Mountain, which Keith liked, because sometimes he calls his truck that. By the time we reached Old Blue, we were really tired. The trail had a little something for everyone - boardwalks, rebar rungs, and ladders. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2687.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2687.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2688.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2688.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2689.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2689.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />At one point, we were going through a boggy area on logs, and I saw huge moose track to the side. That's when it occurred to me - moose can't balance well! Theres a herd of them apparently hiking the AT, but when they get to the boardwalks, they always walk in the mud on the side. We can tell they are hiking the AT, because everyday now we see the evidence - scat (that's poop for those of you who don't get into the woods much), and tracks. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2690.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2690.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We also came upon a really cool little bench that someone had sat right at a beautiful view point. I sat there for a while and admired the view and took a photo. We made camp around 5:30, as rain is moving in tonight. Ahhh - the melody of rain on the tent - sweet dreams everyone!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2691.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2691.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2692.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2692.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2693.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2693.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2694.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2694.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2695.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2695.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-22841908623071310312012-08-26T17:18:00.000-05:002012-08-29T19:53:52.229-05:00Back to Better TrailToday we totally enjoyed hiking back on dirt trail. There are still the occasional rocks, and plenty of uphill and downhill, but we are no longer on the steep rock faces that can be quite scary, and make our knees and feet cry "Uncle" by the end of the day. <br />For the entire day today, we traveled through the woods, passing a really pretty stream with waterfalls at one point. It was perfect timing for our break, so we soaked our feet, and it was icy! <br />Later, we passed by a really pretty pond, and saw no moose (always looking!), but did catch our first glimpse of autumn. There were bright red leaves on the trees on the far end of the pond. <br />The weather has been incredibly nice, with no rain. The highs have been in the 70's and lows in the 50's. <br />We had planned on hiking 15 miles today, because the trail was so nice, but Swamprat has come down with a cold and sore throat, so we stopped early today, right at 10 miles, so he can rest, and hopefully feel better tomorrow. A group of young hikers who were at the White Mountain Inn just arrived at this shelter, and they told us they had all been sick as well, but it only lasted two days. <br />I did not take too many photos today. We are getting some extra rest, which is always good. We hear the section we will hike tomorrow is really difficult. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2674.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2674.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2675.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2675.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2677.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2677.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2678.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2678.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(Camped at Hall Mountain Lean-to, mile 1933.3 - 250.9 miles to go!)<br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-55213743937941545642012-08-25T17:16:00.000-05:002012-08-29T19:52:56.974-05:00Up and Over Bald PlateWe rested really well at the Victoria Inn, and woke up to a really filling breakfast that we had in the very pretty dining room of the Inn. We had eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, fruit salad, and some banana nut bread with chocolate chips in it. <br />We got to visit with Patti, the innkeeper, even more, and she offered to take us back to the trail, which was especially generous of her, since it was not as close as it usually is when we go in to a town. <br />We walked a few doors down and bought groceries, and came back and repackaged everything before putting it and the clean laundry back into our backpacks. If you are curious about what my food looks like for five days of hiking, this is it:<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2663.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2663.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />From left to right is bags of Chex packaged with powdered milk, corn tortillas and Jif, tuna packets packaged with Thai Kitchen Rice Noodle Bowls, Glutino Cereal Bars, and peanut M&M's. (My food is a bit different from the guys', because mine is gluten-free).<br />After we packed, we got a ride back to the trail, and on the way, Patti swung us by a BBQ place to pick up a good lunch. We got to the trail head, and the parking lot was full! I guess this section of the trail is quite popular. Also, today is Saturday. Patti gave us all hugs, and wished us well. She needed to get back to the Inn. If you are ever in Bethel, be sure and look her up - her inn is an awesome place to stay! (By the way, Bethel is also home of the World's Tallest Snowoman!)<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2664.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2664.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We sat and ate our lunch with three other thru-hikers in the parking lot . As we sat there, a lady, who had obviously just dayhiked, came back from her car with a blueberry pie, a case of root beer, and a bag of apples. She said she hikes there often, and always brings trail magic. Her name was Misses Moose, because when she hiked, she always missed seeing moose. Clever name!<br />After the boys finished eating the pie right out of the pie plate (no one had plates or a big knife to cut it, but they all had sporks), we crossed the highway and found a huge AT symbol right on the side of the road. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2665.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2665.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />After taking the required photos, we immediately headed uphill, and continued climbing Baldplate Mountains, both peaks, for several hours. Although it got quite steep, at least it was walkable trail. There was no climbing at all. As we hiked up, we met a lot of dayhikers, and quite a few had questions for us. We were only hiking five miles today, so out time and enjoyed chatting. We passed another pre-orientation trip with Harvard freshmen. We had no idea this pre-orientation backpacking trip was such a popular thing here. Yesterday, just before we left the trail, we had run into another group from Colby College. Another thru-hiker told us he had met a group from Harvard in the Whites. <br />We reached the top of Bald Plate, and when we started down the other side, had to go all the way down on that same type of steep rock face that we had to climb up yesterday. We just took it very slowly, and it never for so steep that we couldnt stay on our feet. The next mountain was made of steep rock ledges, but they were also so steep,that you almost could not stand. We finally reached the top of that one, and the view was really beautiful from the top. We could see a large lake in the distance. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2666.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2666.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2667.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2667.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2668.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2668.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2669.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2669.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We then baby-stepped down another steep rock face, and once down the mountain, finally reached beautiful, soft, dirt trail. My feet really miss dirt after walking on rock for so long. We hiked another mile of fairly level, soft trail, to a shelter, where we found a really large, level campsite on a hill high above the shelter. After we for here, many other hikers arrived and set up camp, so we have plenty of neighbors tonight. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2671.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2671.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2672.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2672.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/29/2673.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/29/s_2673.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-12457362806271907152012-08-24T07:06:00.000-05:002012-08-25T07:42:05.237-05:00Roughest Day YetRight before dark it began sprinkling, and all of the Harvard students ran to shove their backpacks under the tarps. Luckily, it only last 15 minutes and never rained again. I could not believe how quiet they were. I just knew we were in for our worst night ever, having to share a campsite with collee students. But I guess the AT exhausts everyone, young and old. <br />When we got up to pack up, they were up early also. We had several critters peek out from our tent pad (a wooden platform built a foot above the ground). First, a tiny grey mouse darted out and began running up my trekking pole, before seeing me and daring back under. Then, a red squirrel ran out, saw us, and headed for the trees. Made me wonder just what all we had slept over last night. We hung our food bags in the trees - mostly we do it to avoid mice rather than bear. We have not seen any bear in so long, it's becoming hard to imagine they are here - although we know they are. <br />We headed out, apprehensive about hitting Mahoosuc Notch, the hardest or most fun mile of the AT, depending on your experience, I suppose. We reached it after a couple of hours, and I was glad we didn't try to reach it yesterday, because the clim up and over the mountain to get there was challenging in itself!<br />We reached the sign that we were entering the notch, watered up, stored our poles ( we knew we wouldn't need them, but would be climbing instead), and hiked in. It is a narrow gorge that boulders have fallen into from the mountains above, and you basically have a mile of his to get through, climb over or under, to reach the other end. Most people take 2 or 3 hours, and the challenge is to get through without removing your pack, because of the tight squeezes. We began with lots of energy and determination, and the boys were hoping to make it through in less than an hour and a half. After about an hour of pulling myself up and over these giant rocks, I could tell my legs were getting very fatigued, not to mention my arms and shoulders. We took about a 15 minute break in the middle to water up and eat a quick snack, and continued on. It seemed like it was taking forever, but I don't carry a watch, so I had no idea. It's really hard to judge how far a mile is when you are climbing instead of walking. Swamprat was in the lead, and soon I heard him whoop, and I knew we had reached the end! One hour and forty-five minutes, and we never took our packs off - very respectable for old folks!<br />We hiked on, and all noticed how tired we now were, knowing we now had a serious climb up Mahoosuc Arm, an 1800 foot climb up a formidable mountain. Yikes. Hadn't really thought about the Notch tiring us out before this climb. <br />We started climbing, and we're met with the most difficult ascent yet. It was if someone had poured a giant stream of cement winding down the side of the mountain, and that was the trail we had to go up! There were trees along the edge of it, so we used the trees to pull ourselves up when it was too steep to stand - which was a lot of it. Talk about exhausting. We finally reached the top and took our lunch break there. Perfect day - cool breeze - blue sky - big fluffy clouds - I could have laid there and watched clouds forever! But the boys would not let me.<br />We hiked on, knowing we now just had 3.5 miles of downhill to the road, where we would catch a ride into Bethel to resupply. <br />Yep, you guessed it - longest downhill ever! But it wasn't bad - mostly gradual, nothing like the other side of he mountain. We were jus so tired, and anxious to reach the bottom, it seemed slow. We lucked out and got a ride from John, a day hiker, who was headed home. He dropped us off at the grocery store, and we started asking around about a burger and fries. This is a ski resort town, full of B and B's, and Patty, the inn keeper at the Victoria Inn made us an offer we couldn't refuse. We decided to stay with her, get a good meal, and hit the trail in the morning. <br />We ended up eating at the Sudbury Inn, just a few doors down, in their pub, where a 45th high school reunion was taking place. They had great entertainment, and the folks around us really has lots of questions about our little trek. We had a blast visiting, and celebrating reaching Maine and hopefully being done with our toughest days on the trail. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/535.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_535.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/536.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_536.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/537.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_537.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/538.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_538.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/539.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_539.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(Keith's goose egg - kept hitting the same place as he climbed - ouch!)<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/540.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_540.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/541.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_541.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/542.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_542.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(I had to laugh when I saw the cairn at the top of Mahoosuc Notch - someone had destroyed it - it accurately reflected how we all felt once we reached the top - you just want to inflict pain on the mountain for what it just put you through! Apparently someone else felt the same way!). Lol!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/543.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_543.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/544.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_544.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/545.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_545.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/546.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_546.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/547.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_547.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/548.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_548.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/561.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_561.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />-Steady and F100<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-40250130810925236562012-08-23T19:02:00.000-05:002012-08-25T06:49:12.061-05:00Finally, Maine!!!!There was some excitement down by the pond last night, but we missed it because we fell asleep early. I had gone to the tent and was lying on my sleeping bag, trying to put together a blog post, and could not keep my eyes open. I kept having to go back and read what I had written, because I was falling asleep in the middle of sentences and leaving out words. Keith had decided to listen to his iPod for a bit, and very soon after he put his ear buds in, I could tell from his breathing that he was asleep. <br />Meanwhile, Boots had gone down to the pond right at sunset, because Melody had seen beavers swimming there earlier. When he went down, he walked right up on a baby moose with its mom. They ran into the woods, and they did not make another appearance. I wish we would have seen them. <br />This morning, bright and early, Swamprat was bringing us our food bag from the bear box, and he had gone down to the pond and seen the moose again! He let us know when he came to our tent, but by the time I got down to the pond, all was quiet, with no wildlife to be seen. <br />We packed up and everyone hiked on, knowing that we only had 4.7 miles to hike before we reached the Maine state line. <br />We actually had a tough day of hiking. We were happy to have dirt trails again, instead of the solid rocks of the Whites, but we kept encountering steep rock faces that I ended up scooting down, along with ladder rungs drilled into rock faces that we had to climb. There were so many steep rock inclines to come down, that I had to use the trees along the edge of the trail to hang on to, because it was just too steep to walk down. We also had some gorgeous views. Many of the mountains we walked right over the top of were bald on top, and so we could see in all directions - mountains everywhere you looked! The weather today was also perfect - very cool, probably in the 60's all day. <br />The final mountain between New Hampshire and Maine was called Mt. Success, and gave us one final beautiful view of the Whites. We yelled out over the valley floor, "Goodbye, New Hampshire!"<br />After about 3 hours of very challenging hiking, we finally came upon a sign for the state line and entered Maine, our 14th and final state on the Appalachian Trail! We sat and had lunch there, and while we were eating, Melody and Boots came up the trail. We yelled, "Welcome to Maine!". We were all so happy to finally be in Maine. <br />Later in the afternoon, we stopped and rested on one mountain with a particularly gorgeous view and visited with Swamprat and Melody and Boots. Another group of hikers had been up there earlier, as we had seen them from the top of the next mountain over. When we finally caught up to those hikers, we visited with them and found out their group was a pre-orientation hike for freshmen about to attend Harvard. There was about a dozen of them hiking together. I took their photo, and instead of "Say Cheese," Keith said, "Say 'Yale!'". They misunderstood, and when I took the picture, they all said, "Yeah!" They laughed when they finally realized what he had said. <br />We hikes on, and kept encountering some really tricky things on the trail that kept slowing us down. There were lots of boards going over bogs, but then the boards would be rotted and broken, and we'd have to find a path way around the bogs where we wouldn't sink it. There was also a lot more steep rock inclines to either climb or come down. We also had lots of wooden ladders with flat rungs that we're designed so that you would walk down them like going down stairs. I never did feel real secure going down those things. I was always holding my breath. <br />We finally reached Full Goose Shelter, and decided to call it a day. The must fun or most difficult mile (depending on how you look at it) is coming upon a mile and a a half, and we decided to get to it after being well rested, in the morning, rather than this evening. Boots and Melody decided to hike on and cross it today. It's called Mahoosuc Notch, and everyone talks about how difficult it is. I'll report back on that. <br />The Harvard group hiked into our shelter area a little while ago, and only have tarps to sleep under, so I hope the weather holds out for them. It seems like its not unusual for us to get rained on at night. <br />- Steady and F100<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/440.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_440.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/441.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_441.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/442.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_442.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/443.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_443.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/444.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_444.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/445.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_445.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/25/446.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/25/s_446.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-44601224221910079272012-08-22T19:00:00.000-05:002012-08-24T19:05:15.072-05:00Hiking out of New HampshireWe stayed up a lot later than usual last night, enjoying Boots and Melody's music. We finally turned in around 11:00. We were lucky, because we got the same private room we had last time, and didn't have to sleep in one of the bunk rooms with many hikers. <br />We slept a bit later than normal, and then went downstairs to eat. Geri made me a special omelette, and it was delicious! There were about 16 hikers who stayed the night, and many of them were new to us. They were all in their twenties. A few that were there included Chickadee, Mosey, All Balls, Tree Hugger, Goat,shoots and Melody. I pulled out the left over watermelon from the hiker feed we'd done 2 days before, and it got polished off quickly. <br />About 8:00 we headed out, and Geri took our photo out by her sign. She hugged us goodbye, and wished us well, pointing us in the right direction. The trail headed right down the road in front of her Inn. We will certainly miss their place! She said when we visit next time, our room would be a pretty celery green We left with a spring in our step, with perfect temps (about 47 degrees, we decided), anxious to put New Hampshire behind us. <br />We spent the morning climbing quite a ways, and had great views now and then. You could still Mt. Washington in the distance. We passed several gorgeous ponds and boardwalks, and each time we stopped and looked for moose. So far, our timing was not good. <br />As we hiked, we got more and more eager to hit Maine, but ended up camping at a beautiful shelter with a gorgeous view, just 4.7 miles shy of the Maine state line!!!<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2835.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2835.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2836.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2836.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2837.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2837.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2838.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2838.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2839.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2839.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />(Camped at Gentian Pond Shelter, mile 1897.7)<br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-28802576606326818602012-08-21T17:59:00.000-05:002012-08-24T19:05:49.128-05:00We Go Under 300 Miles!During the night, it rained lightly for several hours - which makes for great sleeping, but very slippery rocks on the trail!<br />We packed up, and mist hung heavily in the forest. We hiked and passed some overlooks, but there were no views because the mountains were in the clouds. Other hikers had told us this day was much easier than the day before, but no one mentioned this really long, steep, rocky downhill that we encountered. <br />The steep rock faces were so slick from the rain, that I slid down slowly on my butt more than once. The climb down just seemed to go on forever, and our knees were really getting tired. We finally got that behind us though, and hit some nice, level board walks through some low, wet areas. It was so nice to have a break from the downhill!<br />The clouds finally lifted by mid morning, and we had some really beautiful views. We stopped and took a break, and met another thru-hiker named Treehugger. Lobster also hiked by. They were both headed to stay at the White Mt. Inn. <br />We finally reached the bottom of the final mountain, Mt. Moriah, and the trail began following a pretty stream. At one point, it formed a beautiful swimming hole. It was just a little too cool for me to swim. <br />The last 3 miles was actually level, and we made great time. We reached the highway, and hiked to the left about 200 yards right up to the Inn. Where we got off the trail was the spot where there was 298.3 miles left until Mt. Katahdin! Greg was just about to do laundry, and so we threw our clothes in and hit the showers. <br />Boots and Melody also were staying, and we ended up going out to eat with them and Swamprat. The place we went, actually had a clown there entertaining the kids, and the kids were all excited, and incredibly loud. We still managed to have a good meal, and then ice cream for dessert. Melody, who was the smallest person in our group, ordered a big banana split for dessert. <br />Before we knew it, Greg was there to pick us up, and we went back to the Inn, and sat outside on the patio while Boots and Melody sang. Boots used a guitar that was at the Inn, and they sang a lot of country songs, some old, and some new. They have the most beautiful voices, and harmonize beautifully. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2826.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2826.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2827.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2827.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2828.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2828.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2829.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2829.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />-<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2830.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2830.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2831.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2831.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2832.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2832.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2833.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2833.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/24/2834.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/24/s_2834.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />-Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-31862606523316726822012-08-20T05:31:00.000-05:002012-08-22T06:48:33.332-05:00Boots and Melody, and a few more Mountains Before MaineThe White Mountain Inn will shuttle you to the trail at 7:30 AM if you want, and so we let Greg know that we would need that this morning. We got up at 6, and went downstairs for breakfast. A few others were already down there, and Geri and Kyle were in their positions in the kitchen. They usually have homemade breakfast burritos and three-berry muffins, and also hash browns, juice and coffee prepared for the hikers. They operate like a well-tuned machine. Geri is in the kitchen each morning at 4:30. As hikers come downstairs, they let them know when they are ready to eat. Some prefer to sip coffee and wake up first. Since everyone gets up at different times (some will zero, some will hike out), breakfast goes on til 8. By 10 everyone has to have their beds stripped, and linens put in the Communal hamper. She is doing laundry continuously all day, between the linens and laundry for the hikers that are continuously arriving. They have between 700 and 800 hikers stay here during the 4 months of thru-hiker season. <br /><br />We ate, showered, stripped our beds, and packed up, and soon Greg was letting us off back at Pinkham Notch to hike the 21 miles of the AT that would lead us back to their Inn. He said some youngsters do it in one day (one very energetic youngster did it in 6 hours!) but that we shouldn't attempt that. We laughed, assuring him that we wouldn't. We saw how difficult it was, passing over Wildcat Mt., Carter and Moriah, and also had heard other hikers (young ones) complain about the climb up Wildcat, and knew we wanted to take either 2 or 3 days. When we got out of his Ford Flex, the temperature was 49 degrees. <br /><br />We started out with an easy, level 1 mile hike before it quickly began climbing up Wildcat. It was a steep climb with lots of tall rock steps. Once we got almost to the top we had to cross over some wooden steps that were bolted into a steep rock face. I'd much rather climb up these than have to walk down them like we did when we descended Moosilauke. I still think that was the scariest climb we've done yet.<br /><br />The view as we climbed just got better and better, with Mt. Washington just across the road. We could see the observatory on top, and occasionally hear the train whistle from the cog train bringing tourists up the steep mountain. <br /><br />We had the clearest day for views that we've had in weeks, and I was excited to take pictures. We climbed over Wildcat and its four peaks. As you can imagine, this took a while. <br /><br />About 3 miles into the hike, we reached a peak that had a gondola ride on top. Just as we hiked by, Boots and Melody came out of it! They were the Swiss couple that serenaded our camp in the Smokies. We were hoping to see them again! We sat and visited with them for an hour and a half at the picnic tables up there. They had many entertaining stories to tell about their hike, and Boots is an energetic story teller, so we enjoyed hearing it all. <br /><br />We all needed to hike on, so we said our goodbyes, assuring each other we would meet again, and headed north on the AT. Soon we were going down a very long descent into a notch where there was an AMC hut. This was a smaller hut, and only held 40 people. Just before the hut, we passed a couple of lakes where people were swimming. When we reached the hut, they had chicken and rice soup, so we had bowls of soup before leaving. <br /><br />We left the hut, and took the trail heading toward Moriah and Carter Mountains. When we reached Carter, there really wasn't much of a view, but then we reached a smaller mountain called Mt. Hight, and its view was extraordinary - in all directions! Boots and Melody had decided to camp right on top, and were cooking supper. We visited with them a while, and they fixed Swamprat some tea,so he stayed behind while we went on down to find a stealth site just beyond Zeta Pass at the bottom. <br /><br />We reached Zeta after a rather steep, rocky downhill, and found 3 sobos camped there. We went about a third of a mile farther and found another good spot to make camp. <br /><br />Before long, Swamprat showed up, and told us how the sun had started setting, and Boots had said, "Okay, this is the trail magical moment," and began explaining the meaning of the song they were about to sing to Swamprat (because it was in Swiss). They proceeded to sing that same beautiful song that we had heard in the Smokies, to Swamprat as the sun set over those gorgeous blue mountains that surrounded them in every direction. He has heard us talk about Boots and Melody this whole trip, so I'm so glad he got to experience their special brand of trail magic first hand. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/558.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_558.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/559.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_559.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/575.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_575.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/576.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_576.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/578.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_578.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />- Steady and F100<br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308474090889406223.post-59351519505299196452012-08-18T06:29:00.000-05:002012-08-24T19:07:36.491-05:00White Mountain Inn in Gorham, NH<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/507.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_507.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Today we took a zero at the White Mountain Inn, a place we has heard great things about on the trail from other hikers. The owners, Greg and Geri, run this during the hiking season, and then take the winter off, and spend it somewhere warm, like Panama or Grenada. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/514.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_514.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />They treated us all to a great breakfast, cooked by their helper, Kyle, who is a high school senior. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/518.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_518.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/522.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_522.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We also got taken to Walmart to resupply. We bought bratwurst, potato salad, macaroni salad and watermelon, and at lunch time, we put on our own hiker feed, feeding 13 hikers! A good time was had by all. We met quite a few new faces, including Huff and Puff, Butters, Sunshine, Miles, and we're reunited with some familiar faces - Sprinkles, Nokey, secrets, Shenanigans and Lighthouse. A couple of other hikers hiked out his morning, but most were taking a zero here before heading out again. We will be here again in three nights, as we got picked up always from here yesterday, and will return to that point in the morning. Then the trail ends up passing right down the road from here after about three days of hiking. We are going to stay here again, and leave our food here for the section of trail after that <br />Keith has always wanted to try one of these, and the owner had one. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/08/22/527.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/08/22/s_527.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='281' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />- Steady and F100<br /><br />Keith and Linda Geraghtyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03617575482597711230noreply@blogger.com2