The Last Stretch (Part 1)

Warning sign at the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness.
Love the ending: this trail is fraught with peril, but "good hiking!"
Oh, those wacky Mainers and their dry sense of humor.

Ahhhh…Maine. What can I say about Maine that would be fit for family consumption? OK—moving on now.

For the moment, we’re on hiatus. A nearly 2 week break, spending some time here in the DC area with the mother of Pancho and a brief jaunt to Amsterdam for EO University.

The slog—and yes, that is the best word I can choose—through the 100 Mile Wilderness was the toughest part of the hike so far. How to describe the trail through Maine?

Wet:  Often, the trail just runs along a streambed, which during heavy rains like there have been in the last few weeks, can be well over ankle-deep.

Muddy:  Hopping from rock to rock through pits of slime. Putting your pole out for balance, then having it sink 2 feet or more into the muck. Tiptoeing across bog-boards (planks or sawn logs, frequently of dubious stability) that become slick as glass when wet. The boards are also all too often submerged, and thus, not so helpful.

Rooty:  There are exposed roots everywhere, so that at times, your feet are nowhere near the ground. And like the bog-boards, the roots are deadly slick when wet.

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a schedule heading into the Wilderness, trying to get to Katahdin right after Labor Day. So we had to push some big mile days through some very nasty weather. Several straight days of rain—non-stop, drenching rain. Everything was soaked. Us. All of our gear. Our tent. Few things are as dismal and miserable, and we had some really tough, long days. We pulled through together, though, which is a pretty big accomplishment :).

We arrived in Millinocket, the town closest to Mount Katahdin on Tuesday evening, unpleasantly moist and terribly ripe. After hot showers, laundry, and a reunion with our friends Swift and Deja, we were ready to summit the next day.

Katahdin, from Abol Bridge.

Our hearty band, ready to summit.

Wednesday morning, the four of us took the long drive back out to the trail at Katahdin. When we set out, we were wearing shorts and tees and the weather looked, well, not so bad by Maine standards. The hike is 5 miles up, with some very rocky, challenging parts in the middle. Naturally, it started to drizzle about halfway. About 2 miles from the summit, the climbing stops and there is a relatively flat tableland. Around that point, the wind kicked in, the visibility dropped to zero, and the temps started to plummet. By the last mile, I had layered on long sleeves, full raingear, hat, and gloves. Still freezing. After a hurried lunch and the requisite photo shoot at the summit sign, we headed back down. Fortunately, the descent was not quite as treacherous as I had anticipated, though there was still much butt-scooting and dangling from trees.

View on the way up Katahdin, while there was still some visibility.

Pancho, Swift, and Deja heading up toward the tableland on Katahdin. 

Pancho on the tableland, approaching the summit.

The standard summit shot, looking a touch chilly.

The (limited) view from the top.

We met up with my folks at the base, who drove up from ATL to meet us and drive us down to Maryland. (Best trail parents EVER. :) ) Now we have to regroup a bit, doing laundry, cleaning up all our gear, shopping for new clothes for Pancho (always traumatic) who has lost well over 50 pounds.

There may be a post from Amsterdam—sort of the anti-AT experience. Otherwise, we head back onto the trail around the 23^rd, to complete the southern leg of our journey. Stick with us—we really appreciate all the support and encouragement y’all give us!