Trail Update: Days 22-32

Day 22: August 6th

Zero Day in Rangely

Day 23: August 7th

Our stomachs were feeling a little funky from our dinner at the pub the night before. We ate burgers at Sarge’s Pub, maybe not the best choice. Got our stuff together, regaurdless, and hopped on the shuttle back to the trail. On the trail by 6:50 and thankfully it was mild.

Around lunch time we reached Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to. As we were filtering water, we could hear thunder. The clouds rolling in were dark so we hurried up to the shelter right before the sky let loose.

Just as the rain stopped, King Bisquick and Moose Tracker arrived. They had just seen a moose!

At the end of the day we had to descend down to a highway, and then a bit further to reach our campsite. When we got to the highway, we found a bench with a beautiful view, and trail magic!

Day 24: August 7th

The day started with a climb up to Beamis mountain, and we struggled to get moving. About 1.5 hours into the day my stomach started growling. Our snack stop consisted of donuts, poptarts and fresh mountain blueberries!

The day ended with a steep descent down Old Blue. The climb down included bars bolted into rocks and handrails.

Day 25: August 8th

Our day started with another steep climb down, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Our first snack break was at Hall Mountain Lean-to. While we were snacking, Tracker pops out of the trail. The last time we saw him was before we left Rangely. He told us he had seen Speed Goat’s (who is attempting to break the record for a supported thru) support crew at the last road crossing. A few hours later Speed Goat passed me. It was a picture perfect moment. I reached for my camara… then.. wah-bamb! I tripped on a root, twisted my ankle, smacked my shin on a tree and my camara flew out of my hands and down the trail. I layed on the ground for a few moments to regain my composure. Tracker then shows up with a slight look of concern. I assured him I was ok and to let Cardinal know what happened and that I’d catch up shortly.

We reached East B Road, where we had planned to find a stealth spot and stay the night. The day was till young, and we both had energy, so we decided to push on and go to the next shelter. I put my iPod on and prepared for the climb. Soon the rain started. It poured on us for about 2.5 hours. I was in a groove, music playing, climbing a mountain, in the rain. We reached the shelter, set up, ate dinner, and met a handful of NOBOs.

Day 26: August 9th

This day was a hard 10 mile day. We met a girl, Ducky, who we leap frogged all day. The first climb was up Baldpate. It was beautiful! Most of the climb was steep rock slabs. Up and up we went. The summit was above tree line and it was the most unique mountain we had climbed. At the top we meet a group of women who were doing a multi-day loop. They were super nice, and shared snacks with us!

Days 27 – 32

South Maine is hard. I had some up and down moments and some just down days. For these days I did not write in my journal, so I will place pictures here from those days.