NH/ME Border to Stratton, ME
They say that when you get to the White Mountains you have done 80% of the trail, but only about 20% of the work. Let me tell you, they definitely were not joking around, and it doesn't get any easier in southern Maine. Navigating through boulder fields and near vertical slabs of rock, your body is pushed to its absolute limits both physically and mentally. It is all worth it though, the phenomenal views, wildlife, and challenging trail made Maine my absolute favorite state along the trail, and for that it deserves to be broken up into parts.
Squeeze, Cloppy (Cyclops), Trail Mom, Fireball (myself)
The Mahoosuc RangeThe Mahoosuc Range is an extension of the White Mountains across the NH/ME border. It is just as challenging as The Whites in every respect, but it felt a little more remote to me. Especially since it lacked the hut system. From the border, the landscape changed dramatically. Huge boulder climbs and rebar ladders seemed to be the norm for this section of trail. The climb up Goose Eye Mountain you can forget about switchbacks, those went out the window a long time ago. The trail had you climb up one rebar ladder, shimmy over to a rock ledge, and then climb up another rebar ladder. All with a fully loaded pack that could easily knock you off balance. To say the least, it was a little sketchy at times, but getting to the top and not being able to see an sign of any civilization made all of the white knuckle moments well worth it. |  Cloppy climbing Goose Eye Mountain |
From Goose Eye Mountain, we hiked down into the Mahoosuc Notch. The notch is noted in my guide book as either the most fun or difficult mile on the entire Appalachian Trail. For me, it was a blast. The Notch is a ravine piled high with giant boulders, and you somehow have to get from one side of the ravine to the other. Over, under, sideways, longways, pack on, pack off, on knees, or awkwardly suspended in the air. Whatever works to get to the opposite side of the ravine. For me, it felt like a giant adult jungle gym. In all, it took me about an hour to find my way to the other side. Immediately following the boulder scramble, in true Appalachian Trail fashion, the trail shoots you 1600' straight up the Mahoosuc Arm. (As if you weren't already tired from using muscles you didn't even know existed.) At parts, the Arm felt like a vertical Mahoosuc Notch followed by some seemingly vertical rock slabs. I am so happy that we didn't have to attempt this in the rain.
From the top of the Mahoosuc Arm we dropped down to Speck Pond, up again to Old Speck Mountain, and then down off the face of the earth into Grafton Notch. The hardest of the hard terrain was now behind us, but we still had more hard climbs to come...
Grafton Notch to Rangeley, ME
This section of Maine was a nice relief from the Mahoosuc Range. It still had its challenging climbs, but it was a huge relief to not be completely worn out at the end of the day.
| Coming out of Grafton Notch we hiked up to the top of Baldpate Mountain. The peaks were exposed and offered some of the best views to date, nothing but ponds and lakes as far as the eye could see. Easy-Go had his headphones in during the climb and was listening to "Learning To Fly" by Pink Floyd. Arms outstretched like an airplane, he danced his way up the slabs of rock. Like I have said in past posts, the Appalachian Trail just has this magic about it that brings out your true self and allows you to be completely invested in the current moment. From there we decided to make an unplanned stop into Andover, ME for a small resupply, charge some devices, and some oh so delicious town food. We hitched in with some local hikers, but on the way out we were able to get a ride from trail angel Fat Man Walking. He thru hiked a few years ago and was out on the trail helping out hikers in an RV that he had purchased. From Andover, we made a push onto Rangeley. |  View of Baldpate East Peak |
Between Andover and Rangeley we hit the most unexpected trail magic that I have ever a received. A German couple who had just finished up their thru hike were posted up at a dirt logging road seemingly in the middle of nowhere. They had Gatorade, chips, fruit, doughnuts (Trail mom was super happy about this one), and sodas. It was truly trail magic. From there we continued on to a nice sandy beach at Sabbath Day Pond. The water was crystal clear and naturally we had to stop and relax for a bit. The following morning we hitched into Rangeley for a resupply and food. I ended up mailing extra food to myself from Rangeley to Monson in order to help out with the 100 Mile Wilderness. The following day we decided to go back into town for breakfast and stay for Rangeley's trail days festival. Also it was opening weekend for college football!
Rangeley to Stratton
With only a few more big mountain ranges to traverse before "Mama K" our spirits were pretty high coming out of Rangeley. The locals told us that the mountains that were coming up were some of the most beautiful in the state, and they weren't lying.
From Rangeley we started our way up Saddleback Mountain. Along the way we stopped at Piazza Rock Lean-to which had some caves that we explored and a double seated privy with a cribbage board in the middle! Squeeze really wanted a few pictures of this for his Christmas card, so naturally I offered to help him out with it. Hey, it's the Appalachian Trail, social norms went out the window a long time ago. From there we hiked a few more miles to Eddy Pond for lunch. We somehow fit 5 of us into a small row boat that was left on the bank. After lunch we decided that we should probably actually start our day up Saddleback Mountain. The views were absolutely stellar, and I ran into Drop Bear from Australia who I had not seen in quite awhile. After Saddleback, we went down and then up The Horn, and then down again and up Saddleback Junior. It was a tough but rewarding day of climbs and descents. My knees were definitely feeling it.
The following day we went over Lone and Sugarloaf Mountain. Our guidebook said that we were supposed to be fording a river, but luckily the water wasn't near high enough and we made it across without getting wet. On our way into Stratton, ME we crossed the 2000 mile marker. Still can't believe that my feet have taken me this far!
The following day we went over Lone and Sugarloaf Mountain. Our guidebook said that we were supposed to be fording a river, but luckily the water wasn't near high enough and we made it across without getting wet. On our way into Stratton, ME we crossed the 2000 mile marker. Still can't believe that my feet have taken me this far!
