#31 Andover to Stratton

9/15: After 2 breakfast sandwiches, some chocolate milk, and a granola bar, I was ready to slackpack with the group of us who camped by the restaurant. We piled in the owner’s pickup, with Hatrick and I (illegally shhh) in the back and we were off! Except we weren’t because neither of the 2 gas stations in town had gas, so we drove back to the restaurant because the truck didn’t have enough gas to make it to where we needed to go. So we settled on a second breakfast and since the restaurant was open, we were able to get some good food. Sunshine and I ate chocolate chip pancakes and they were delicious! The shuttles around the area all seemed to be broken down or unavailable, but one guy could drive a small group to where I left off yesterday. Instead of waiting for a different shuttle to slackpack, I packed up my tent and everything super quick, grabbed some Clif Bars, and caught the shuttle back to trail. Sunshine said she’d take a zero and then yellow blaze (skip a section of the trail by road) to catch up. The first mountain was a monster of a climb with lots of mud and rocks, but after that, the terrain wasn’t too bad. I saw a grouse pecking at a mushroom and I got about 2 or 3 feet away, which was crazy!

I got some great views on Bemis Mountain and saw a lot of leaves turning on the foliage alongside the trail. It was a really nice day! Since I got such a late start though, I ended up night hiking a little to get to the campsite, and Hatrick and I hiked together because it’s nice having a buddy at night, especially when the trail is a steep downhill with wet rocks. When I got to the campsite, I tried to set everything up as quickly and as quietly as I could. I didn’t cook dinner, so instead I ate some cookies, a pop tart, a Gatorade protein bar, a lot of salt and vinegar chips, a half of a block of cheese, and a breakfast essential powder in water. Hopefully it was enough calories! I kept hearing critters outside of my tent, and I was alert to what could be causing all the rustling. Since it was so late, I hadn't properly bear-bagged my food, and I was worried about mice chewing up my tent for a stray crumb. I heard something hit my tent and watched a small frog hop away. Just frogs, whew! Soon after, I went to bed after a long day, ready to get some rest for the next one.

9/16: Since I got to camp so late, my tent was accidentally in the middle of the campsite, and it kind of trapped another hiker from easily getting to and from the trail. Oops. The the good thing about SOBO’s is that if you do something embarrassing, you never have to see them again :) Anyway, I was trying to hike quick because our friends from Georgia and the early states, Lolli and Pop, were going to do trail magic for Sunshine and I 14 miles ahead at a road! I was so excited! I hadn’t seen those two since they skipped ahead in Virginia.

I thought that the reason I had been moving so slow lately was because of the terrain and the mountains, but I think part of it was me. Today was supposed to have easy elevation changes, but anytime I encountered a slight hill, my muscles ached. It took all of my willpower to sustain a 2mph pace even when the trail was flat. I did take a break on a bench that overlooked a pond and ate lunch there. That was pretty cool.

More and more plants were turning yellow and red with fall on the way, and it is incredible to be able to witness the changing seasons so intimately. I made it to the road a little after 5 and I saw lawn chairs around a grill and a cooler with drinks. Lolli and Pop were just as excited to see me as I was to see them. I hugged Lolli and Pop and chatted with them and Sunshine about their adventures. They shared some fancy wine with us, and grilled burgers and chicken breasts. It was so amazing to see them again! Then they drove us to the grocery store in town and we resupplied. I bought way too much food and Sunshine and I walked to a motel where we shared a room with two other hikers.

9/18: Sunshine and I took a zero in Rangeley to rest our legs. We ate a lot of food and even went kayaking on the lake with the free rental kayaks the motel had for guests! This morning, we had arranged a shuttle but the guy didn’t show up, so we tried to hitch, and a nice older couple who were staying at the same motel gave us a ride to the trail. The first climb out of the gap wasn’t too bad for me, but Sunshine came down with whatever sickness I had, so we stuck together and I tired to help her when I could. We had a few miles over treeline and it was a beautiful day! We started with Saddleback Mountain and followed the open ridge to The Horn where we took lots of breaks and got some good pictures.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing rolling mountains as far as the eye can see in every direction. We got back below treeline and climbed Saddleback Junior (a real name of a mountain) and then went back down. We stayed at a shelter 10 miles from where we started because Sunshine was still having a hard time. Hopefully she’ll be better tomorrow! We hung out around a fire and cooked food. It’s supposed to get down to 32 tonight, so I’m sleeping with my filter again. Currently, my hands are very cold as I’m typing this. Anyway, if anyone wants to send me a space heater and a generator for the last 200 miles, get in touch! Until then, I’m just going to bundle up and let my body heat do the rest.

9/19: It was a cold night and a cold morning. I didn’t get moving on the trail until it was 9 and it warmed up a bit. How did it get so cold again? It was in the 30s! But as the day went on, the weather turned out to be perfect. It was sunny with a high in the 60s. Until about 11:45 when we took a lunch, Sunshine and I hiked together. We had a few boulder scrambles, but nothing terrible. She was still feeling pretty sick, and I felt bad that she had to hike through it. After lunch though, she got ahead because I was so sluggish after my big meal. I finally picked up pace at around 4 because if I wanted to make it to the campsite before it got too dark, I had to hustle.

I got some pretty cool views on a ridge, but then the trail went down and it was a lot of rocks and loose soil. It reminded me of Dragon’s Tooth back in VA at some points. Luckily the trail calmed down and I only had to use my headlamp for .4 to the campsite where Sunshine and Otter were waiting. Yay Hawky Hawk and the Funky Bunch is back together! I made couscous with cheese, tuna, and Fritos in the dark and then bundled up in my tent because it was getting cold again- luckily not as cold as the night before, but still enough to wish I had carried a space heater with me.

9/20: Otter, Sunshine, and I chatted in the morning before heading out. It was nice to be back together again. Sunshine was still feeling really sick and was excited to get into town to get more meds. I asked if she just wanted to stay in town so she could rest, but she said no because she’s stubborn like that. It was a steep incline to start the day and my muscles were aching so bad! I will be sad when this journey is over, but I’m also excited not to have to walk everywhere. Luckily it was only super steep section that lasted for less than a mile, and then it was just a regular mountain. After 4 miles, we made it to the 2,000 mile marker, and that brought my spirits up.

There, Sunshine told us that she wanted to stay in town and slackpack the next day to make up the miles. Otter and I agreed. We hiked down to the road and were about to stick out our thumbs for a hitch, when a pickup pulled up and offered to give us a ride. He was a former thru hiker by the name of Running Griz and we were so thankful. We made it to the hostel, which was super nice and clean, and then showered and got a resupply. We got dinner at an Italian place that was in walking distance, but pricier than we expected. Luckily the food was very tasty. Sunshine got a lot of rest and Otter and I split an entire box of Trix cereal for second dinner. Hopefully the slackpack goes well tomorrow, but for now, I’m just happy to be in a bed.

I just got back from slackpacking the Bigelows and wow they were gorgeous! I had to rush back to the road though because it was getting dark and I still needed to get picked up. But I made it just as the shuttle was going to leave. Currently I’m eating about 2,000 calories worth of frozen pizza. Only 172 miles left until I finish and I can’t even fathom how close that is.

Happy trails! :)