Day 15 to 25, Mile 151.2 to 220.4

Day 16 Carantunk, ME

Made it just over 16 miles to Sterling Inn B & B for some R & R. My ankle is happy and so are our tummies! The hike over Pleasant Mountain was unpleasant with all the blowdowns, but we were able to get to the post office before they closed at 4 PM. We went to Kennebec River Brewery for dinner and I ate fried mac and cheese with bacon on a grilled cheese sandwich! Did our chores and spent the rest of the day updating the blog. It feels like we stepped back in time staying in a 200 year old Victorian house...except they have wifi. 

Day 17  ZERO DAY! 

Talked with friends and family, paid some bills, and resupplied. Super ready to get back on the trail again!

Day 18 West Carry Pond lean-to

Today we forded the Kennebec River! We left the Sterling Inn at 8:30 AM and got to trail head at 9 (when the ferry service began). We walked 0.5 mile to the river crossing and were asked to sign waivers for ATC. Then we got in the canoe and I held on to Corinne while Keith paddled. She tried to drink the water from over the side of the boat and almost tipped us! We made it across right when some NOBOs were arriving. Very inspirational to see how far they have come and I can feel their excitement of being so close to the finish line. We hiked 14 plus miles and made it to camp around 4:30 PM. Lots of well built bog bridges and amazing views of ponds. My favorite part of the hike was teetering across the wooden dam and watching Corinne do so well crossing the sketchy parts. SEE VIDEO BELOW! Fell asleep listening to loons call...kinda creepy because they sound like coyotes, but love being near water and hearing waves crashing-feels like we are at the beach! 

Day 19 Safford Campsite 

Hiked 12 miles in 7 hours today to make it across Little Bigelow. One word-HOT! Most of the hike was above treeline so no shade at all. We met some folks using the Bigelows to train for Katahdin. Views were spectacular and I'm glad it was clear-got a glimpse of Big Bigelow; beautiful but daunting. 

Day 20 Big Bigelow...kinda...

Today we woke up early to summit Big Bigelow, but we didn't quite make it. We left Safford Notch at 4:30 AM because we knew that rain was in the forecast. We were able to hike up Avery Peak, which was a 2,000 foot elevation gain over a 2 mile span; basically climbing rocks going straight up. We were about to summit Bigelow Mountain West Peak (at 4,145 feet) but the weather was so severe we had to backtrack to get us out of the storm. We were worried because Corinne was shivering and soaked so we set up the tent, at Avery Memorial campsite between the two peaks, as fast as we ever have. Once she was dry and warm inside we decided to wait the storm out and played cards all day because the rain never stopped. I am thankful that it was not a thunderstorm and lightning was not a concern. We fell asleep to pitter patter, but one word-COLD!

Day 21 Big Bigelow 

Heard the rain stop around 4AM so we packed up camp and decided to make it the 11 miles to Stratton, a town at mile 188.2. I'm glad we woke up early because we were able to see the sunrise from one of the highest peaks since Katahdin. Basically, I learned that God writes our final scenes first; we were born with a purpose. Whenever it doesn't go our way (bad weather, health problems, overwhelming challenges), we must know that its only a plot twist...not the end of the story. Nothing can get in the way of our mission if we have faith that the "sun" always arrives after the "storm." Thankfully, we made it safely to town by 11AM and found some trail magic by the trail head. Enjoyed the hike down because we saw tons of erratic rocks from glacial deposits. We could even see scratch marks on the rocks left by debris moved by the ice. Shout out to my students! After eating pizza for dinner we did our chores and watched TV for the first time in 3 weeks. Today was a good day. 

NALA on the lookout about to pounce!

Day 22 and 23 ZERO DAY

Severe thunderstorms today so taking a zero day since all of our gear is finally dry. 

Day 23 Orbeton Stream

We left from Stratton this AM and hiked 5.2 miles up to 4,220 ft. peak at South Crocker in 3 hours! Made great time and feel like we have found our pace. We forded the Carrabassat River and ate lunch on the bank. Next we climbed Sugarloaf Mountain at 3,727 ft. and had the most spectacular views of the river we just forded. The weather was perfect but we got hot since we were bouldering above treeline; very technical climb for about 7 miles.  We were feeling tough so we passed Spaulding lean-to after a short break and went 6 more miles. We totaled 18 miles over 12 hours, which made today our longest/highest mileage day. Goodnight.  

Day 24 Saddleback Mountain 

FAVORITE DAY YET! We woke up early to try to make it into Rangeley, ME. We forded Oberton Stream first thing. (In Maine, streams are actually rivers and rivers are more like flash floods). Then we hiked Saddleback Junior, The Horn, and Saddleback-13 miles over the most difficult but beautiful ridge line! Strenuous climb to 4,032 feet over rocks/roots/crags. Keith had to pick up Corinne by her harness a few times but she trusts him and even gives thank you kisses for helping her. The uphill battle was totally worth the views from the summits. Our saving grace was the smooth (but not slippery) rocky terrain. The best part was being able to enjoy the scenery as we were walking because we didn't have to watch our feet or worry about tripping and falling...which led to a very mentally relaxing day. Got to the Hiker Hut and saw a baby fox along the side of the road! We cleaned up at the creek shower and went into town to watch the fireworks!  SEE VIDEO BELOW! Celebrated the holiday watching the show in style! PS The town celebrates the 3rd of July in case it rains. We could see the remains of the planet conjunction and saw the most colorful Blood Moon on the way home. God Bless America!

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?!?

Day 25 and 26  ZERO DAY Rangeley, ME

FUN FACT: RANGELEY IS FAMOUS FOR BEING HALFWAY BETWEEN NORTH POLE AND THE EQUATOR!

We spent the 4th of July around town. Most hiker friendly trail town so far...great food and shopping. Picked up some new shoes since Maine's terrain ate our old ones. Seriously, the trail in Maine is not a trail-our feet never actually touched the ground/soil! Ragged rocks and rough roots tore holes in our shoes and the sole's traction was completely destroyed. See before and after picture below! Happy campers happy feet! We did laundry and cracked up at the fact that my least favorite chore is now my most favorite chore! Watched the sunset over the lake and loved seeing all the locals launch fireworks from their docks. I am proud to be an American and appreciate the beauty of the landscape even more so today. We are missing friends and family on this holiday but send our love. XOXO

Before and After