So close, but until now … Diaries in southern Maine

Entering Maine felt surreal. The 14th state border, and our last. During the last months, we respond to people «Where are you going?» But now, our answer changes to a simple, Katahdin. I felt very proud of myself, so proud of my legs and so proud of Stider. Walking from Georgia A Maine was ridiculous in March and yet we had done it. However, this feeling of achievement was quickly crushed by the hardness of southern Maine. Yeesh. I had heard a lot about this section, but no previous warning would have been enough to prepare for how difficult it is.

On the left 282 miles – also known as senioritis

It really is not better than this.

That is approximately 87% completion, so with all that behind you, I guess you would assume that the final part would be the easiest. A fire under your butt to run to the end. However, the whites won me more than I thought, this fatigue environment in a couple of days after leaving. I found myself fighting. My legs felt like ash blocks and my package felt 10 heavier pounds. Looking back, I think I prepared for this saying mentally: «New Hampshire is my goal, everything else is a bonus.» Of course, Mama K was always the goal, but I thought NH would recharge me and this euphoria cloud would lead me to the end.

To a couple of maine miles, nothing had really changed from whites. I found myself sailing for some steep descents and above, on and around giant rocks. I realized very quickly on how the Mahosuc obtained its name (Mahos-Suck). Literally, there are no breaks, you are climbing or directly down (both equally painful). Monks through the Mahosuc notch, the toughest mile of notorius in the AT, in one hour and ten minutes. I followed Stider about some risky jumps that helped me jump to climb and go back. Then we got on the Mahosuc arm, another notoriously steep climb. My arms hurt the next day for the first time in months.

Mahosuc notch

«Why do I feel so tired!» I kept asking Stider. I was feeling the energy in the state of origin that I had taken advantage of in NH. I, on the other hand, felt about this energy. One night, while we went to bed in our sleeping pads in the hallway outside our friends’s room in Bethel, I (everything else was reserved) I felt so defeated. A type of exhaustion that I don’t remember before. I did the calculations and realized last week that we had climbed almost 40,000 feet. That is 1.25 Everests! I’m not falling apart, I remembered, the land is just that hard. We have been joking that we all have senioritis. We are very close to the end, but until now. And the motivation to end does not seem to exist anymore.

Typical maine

After Bethel, we planned a standard day of 17 miles. We call it a current after 10 miles, which took us 8 hours. It wasn’t even so difficult for a day, but the Mahoosucs had successfully kicked the teeth and decided to listen to my body and reduce speed. Many other people felt in the same way, and we even camped with Trinity that night. We have not seen it since our incredibly rainy night in Georgia! Seeing her felt full of a circle and made us a little emotional, because we are still here, in Maine.

We and Trinity !!

The next day we met some of our friends that we had not seen for a while on a dirt road. Crazy and I saw some cars and said aloud: «Damn, wouldn’t it be good if we had a beer at this time»? Next car that passed by detainee, the driver says: «Are you making a beer?» He proceeded to give us frozen coars light. We laugh at how that beer has just generated.

The Saddleback Miracle

If the south of Maine was not difficult enough, there was also a heat wave and a drought. I made a mistake on a hitch trip to say how we have really been lucky Without having rain in recent weeks. The driver proceeded to tell me that he was a farmer, and his cattle was seriously fighting for the lack of water. UPS. Fortunately, we have been able to camp in a lot of ponds, and we take canoes to the environment to obtain water that is not so unpleasant. Even if it is a pond water, and not cold glass spring water as we have used to it, it is better than the warm yellow swamp water in New Jersey.

Get water from half a pond

The morning after camping at Little Swift River Pond, I broke crying while having breakfast. I felt so tired. I wanted to take a day off, but I didn’t want zero more, progress every day made me feel productive, even if it was slow. I recognize that my anxiety has also gone in recent days, probably because reaching the end brings a complete mix of emotions. Stider, in an attempt to be useful, he told me we are in Maine! With a perfect climate! And without a deadline! There is nothing to be sad! This, unfortunately, made me feel even worse. Why did I feel so horrible when I was in Maine, with a perfect climate and without a deadline? We got hooked in Rangelley, joking that a breakfast sandwich, ice cream and shower at the recreation center could cure all ailments. Our hitch driver was local in the area and told us how Saddleback Mountain was reopened as a skiing station at the end of the pandemic, after a multimillionaire crowdfunding project (omen).

What we got was even better. Our friend, Boardwalk, introduced us to his former family friend, Andy from Appalachia. Andy walked the entire path in 1978 and offered to take us to a frame cabin just at the base of the mountain. «How does that sound?» He asked and joked, well, that sounds like magic of trails! He proceeded to buy our groceries and take us to this cabin. On our trip there, we discovered that Andy’s career is in reopening alpine ski stations, and headed the project to reopen saddleback! How crazy we were talking about this two hours ago, and now the owner himself was moving to his cabin. The path really provides. We shower, wash our clothes and sit down the rest of the day. That day was almost 100 degrees, and I couldn’t believe that my luck did not walk in it. We saw a full season of Drake and Josh, Blades of Glory and Adventure Time. Enough fire alignment.

Magic of the path A frame in Saddleback Mountain

The next morning, Andy took us back to the road and told us some of his legendary stories of trails. He told us that all Maryland was a road. In addition, its package weighed 105 pounds in the 100 mile desert. I will stop complaining about my 25 -pound package … He offered to send him our curriculum and communicated with his network to help us find jobs in our field. I told my friend about this experience and he goes, friend, that’s not Magic de Trail, that’s a miracle of trails.

Andy shouts to try, once again, that people are so friendly. The community around this path has really restored my faith in humanity.

A final heat wave

And fortunately, this zero recharged me to make me pass through the latest hard parts of Maine. Saddleback, The Horn, Spaulding, Sugarloaf and the crockers. All hard like hell, but so beautiful. I have been carrying extra water through this section because even reliable currents are dry bone. It is crazy to read Farout comments about Fording Rivers in June of this year that now drops. Someone asked me if this is the most popular we have walked, I shuddered at the idea of the heat dome of the middle Atlantic. «No. It is not the most popular. But it still stinks!» I said.

After the most pleasant stay in the Maine shelter in Stratton, we climb on the Bigelows, which are known as the entrance to Maine. The views from the top of this mountain were some of the best on the path. Even more exciting, the next few days in Farout seemed an incredulous (see screenshots below). However, Maine Flat does not mean lighting the autopilot. It means that it stumbles with roots and rocks and are handled through the path as an obstacle race. But I will take it!

The famous Tim pancakes

And where I will leave it for now (realize that my next blog post will be after I finish ((hitting wood)) is crazy), it is in the legendary Breakfast of Tim Harrison pancakes. His cabin is the oldest traditional trunks in the United States, said someone, and felt like that. There was a fish on the wall captured by Elenor Roosevelt. And a little dog named Charlie, my dog’s name! It helped us the biggest pila of pancakes that I have seen, patriotic pancakes of raspberries, apples and blueberries. Holy Mole Yum Yum Yum. We also camp in the most beautiful camp in Pierce Pond the night before. And he took a free shower in the city after our pleasant transport through the Kennebec River.

So yes. I think Maine is perfect. Although I kicked my teeth and told me to keep me humble. I will listen. I look forward to the 100 mile desert, you feel surreal to be saying that. And if you read all this, I will ask, when hiking, a dream of my whole life, does it feel real?