After spending the night with the biting no-see-ums, I didn’t feel all that prepared to take on a tough day of climbing. Last night I looked at the FarOut map and realized that over 5,000 feet of elevation gain would comprise today’s hike.
Early morning climbs
Fortunately, most of the climbing would be done early in the day. The first 5 miles took us to the top of Apple Orchard Mountain, where there was a weather radar station and a grass field. After conquering the toughest thing the day had to offer, I spent the remaining miles simply cruising.
insignificant ideas
Sometimes my days seem inconsequential and this definitely feels like one of them. It was a day spent hiking and ultimately working our way to Mount Katahdin. But I will probably lose it in memory, like so many other days like this. It’s funny because in “normal life” I also have days like this. In fact, these days probably make up most of our lives.
One small thing that has caught my attention, today and in recent weeks, is how little the deer in the surrounding woods seem to care about my presence. I see several a day and, although some seem fearful, most are indifferent or look at me with gentle curiosity. Sometimes they allow me to get too close.
We camped tonight at Marble Spring Campground, and a couple of deer and does were with us all night. They even followed me to the spring and watched me filter the water. I spoke to them quietly for a while, secretly happy for their presence. I’m starting to wonder if they like our company too.
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