Day 17,We are back in town! Enjoyed fresh salads and pizza, sleeping in, homemade bagels, and a little shopping at the small town outfitters.
During the last week we climbed six mountains with peaks over 4,000 feet, and many slightly shorter ones. I have to admit that we under-estimated the mountains around here. It was some intense climbing.
After leaving Monson we had some great trail; fairly level, easy going, and we even made 20.7 miles one day. The weather has been cooler, a lot of fog and light rain showers. Have had to ford a few rivers, but no problems- the water levels have been low. Crossing the Kennebec was fun. The MATC provides a daily canoe ferry because the river often rises over three feet in half an hour from dam releases. So, we got to meet Hillbilly Dave, our canoe guide. He was a character, as his name suggests.
After the Kennebec, we hiked through the pine forest alongside a creek with many deep pools and falls carved in the rocks. A very pretty section. We camped that night beside a lake, but too cold to go swimming : (
And then we got into the mountains. First were the Bigelows, two consecutive peaks which are supposed to have amazing views. On the day we were up there though it was so foggy and rainy we couldn't see a thing. It was steep up and steep down, but we still made over 15 miles that day. We crossed the highway 5 miles from Stratton and decided to hitch into town for dinner. Very hungry and worn out! Got filled up and bought more snacks for the next few days. We ended up getting a ride back to the trailhead after dark and just camped in the parking lot.
The next two days were tough. The trail does not go in a straight line, more like a circle over all the highests peaks in the area. We went up and over, way down into the valleys, up over some more- all day. Meeting lots of Northbounders along the trail, and in the mountains everybody wants to stop and chat. We have certaintly met all sorts! And I finally saw a moose, after 200 miles!
The Saddlebacks were awesome. We hiked above treeline for 3 miles and it was blowing like crazy, at least 50mph. It very nearly blew us off the ridge; it was difficult just to walk straight down the trail. We even got hailed on up there. It was clear enough for us to see where we had been and where we were going though. I'm still amazed that you can walk that far in a day...
We are still holding up pretty well. Lots of sore feet at the end of the day, sore shoulders, large appetites, lots of sleep. Still wake up feeling great. Food takes on a different value. Trail snacks become prized possesions, anything homemade is premium. Liking the terriyaki almonds, dried pineapple, cashews, Clifbars, and chocolate. Still walking.
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