Bama to Baxter, day 1: and the journey begins

Bama to Baxter 2026 begins

As we had decided the night before, four of us from the POC hostel got into the van at 7:30 and Monk drove us to Flagg Mountain. We were on the road at 8:15 after climbing Flagg Tower. The first 5 miles for me were glorious. Then when we hit a section of steep, steep climbs, for some reason they took it off me. It was also much hotter than I expected. Temperatures reached the 70s (F) by late morning. There was a very challenging climb at mile 11. It was enough of a hill to make me want to change my plans for the day for just a fleeting moment. As I climbed, I continued to get dizzy even though my heart rate remained low. I settled in by counting my steps to one hundred and then stopping to breathe deeply and relaxed. That tactic allowed me to continue climbing, but it destroyed my rhythm.

Let’s clarify this as soon as possible. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I have a bit of an ego. Based on my practice hikes, I expected to hit the trail and reach a speed of 3 to 3.5 m/h. Today he humiliated me. I was lucky to maintain two miles per hour for most of the day. Let’s do the math: at 3 m/h it takes four hours to travel twelve miles; at 2 m/h, it takes six hours. I hate not meeting my expectations, but I will work to be more accepting of the trail conditions because the biggest prize is Katahdin.

A surprise awaits me

I finally arrived at 17.5, where I started my previous walk yesterday. Along the way, Sir Eatsalot, Hot Tang, and Doomsday stopped to camp. Baca juga tentang tsn5. Every hiker more experienced than me knew not to cover too many miles on the first day. Despite being disappointed, I did it without any blisters, cramps or joint pain. Monk picked me up and announced a surprise. We were headed to pick up a couple of hikers a few miles up the trail who would be staying at the lodge for the night. But first we had to stop at one of the PT’s emblematic places along the way. When we arrived at the Caperton General Store, I was lucky enough to meet Nimble Will Nomad, a legendary figure in the backpacking world. Monk introduced us and I even got to shake his hand. Okay, so Nimble Will isn’t the president, but I personally would rather meet him than Mr. Trump. After a few minutes of conversation, we continued on and soon found the hikers we were looking for. And what a surprise it was.

FANBOY ALERT

For all the newbies following us, there are a couple of hikers attempting a record this year by hiking the calendar year, border-to-border Triple Crown (look it up) while racking up in excess of 10,000 miles of hiking throughout the year. Well, I’ve been following her posts on social media and immediately recognized Sparkle as she came off the trail with her friend Rhett. I can’t express how excited I was to meet them. A young boy who meets a famous baseball player is somewhat excited. The bus ride back to the lodge was a fast-paced game of who knew who, on which trails and in what years. I was among some tremendously skilled hikers in that van. I just tried to listen and learn as much as I could.

The day comes to an end

Back at the hostel we had the place full. Me, Sparkle, Rhett, AJ (from last night), Little Engine and Muzzy (also from last night) and Scurvy. We sat, exchanged stories and really enjoyed each other’s company. I can’t tell you how much a newbie can learn sitting among a crowd of experienced hikers. Everyone was very supportive and helpful. Finally, it was time for me to go to bed. Everything was packed and ready for the next day of hiking.

Happy trails. . .

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