Well, the time is drawing nigh! I hiked three weekends in the Smokies in July doing conditioning hikes to get ready somewhat for Maine, doing 3,000' and 4,000' climbs, though often on much better footpath.
As things stand now, we're sticking with the tentative schedule I posted earlier. Teacher (God bless her!) is doing all our shuttling for us. It's me and Mama Bear from Nashville so far. I expect to be among the thru-hiker bubble. Here's hoping for good weather, not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too wet.
I've have over 1,900 miles done!
Again, if anyone would like to come out and hike with us any days at all, you're more than welcome. Or, just meet our ZERO day in Stratton for a meal? Dinner in Gorham? Always nice to meet fellow WhiteBlazers. Tiptoe, am looking forward to the shuttle ride to Gorham with you! Egilbe, still got my fingers crossed we might see you in Caratunk, though we only expect to be there briefly, getting the canoe ride across the Kennebec and probably quickly hitting the road for Boston.
Last edited by Rain Man; 08-09-2016 at 12:03. Reason: correct typos
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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Wish that I could join you for Stratton to Caratunk. That is all I need to finish Maine. Enjoy. The Saddlebacks are beautiful.
I am not young enough to know everything.
"Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it."
Ain't it nice being close to the Smokies for those sorta cool summertime hikes? 90s in the valley, 70s up high. We're so lucky.
Hope you have a really nice trip! We'll be in the HMW during that time frame, but we're skipping around, so only about 1300+ miles done.
One caution for you: we were in the Whites last month and attempted to set up a shuttle with Bruce Feige (you mentioned him in the opening post). We were unable to reach him, and someone we inquired with thought he was no longer shuttling. If you haven't already, I'd suggest you confirm with him.
I think you'll find it a little easier hiking that section in comparison to what you went through 30-40 miles back (i.e. south). Yes, there are still mountains and good climbs there, but it's not relentless. You get many decent breaks and the terrain gets easier as you go. The start of my section in 2014 was from Rt 4 northbound and originally planning to stay at Piazza Rock, I ended up walking all the way to Redington Campsite. I'm thinking it took me 4 days to get to Stratton where I had Sue from the Stratton motel shuttle me back to Rt 4 to relocate my vehicle to her motel in Stratton. When I went to Pierces Fish Camp, he was preparing meals for a table of guests (not hikers), so a little unresponsive at first, but I got a shower and eventually an old cabin room. I went back up to pay him and he gave me a bunch of food that the guests did not want, so my stay ended up being excellent there. Don't count on that, but Tim is a nice guy and makes an awesome breakfast. Normally the only meal a hiker can get there is breakfast unless something has been pre-arranged. I get the feeling Tim is a gourmet cook. .
In my case, the weather was cool and mostly excellent, making for great hiking. I hope you end up having similar good weather and enjoy your trip!
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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That's our goal too, though we should have only 4 miles to hike that morning to reach the Kennebec and catch the canoe ferry. We do want to be back in Boston that evening for dinner with our families. I'll try to text you from time to time on the trail with progress reports.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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That is very good to hear, though from studying the profile maps, it looks about the same. Whatever it is, we'll do it.
And thanks for the info on Pierce Pond Harrison (?) Camp. We do hope to stay there. Also at the Stratton Motel, I think it is, for our zero day in Stratton.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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If it works out, we'll definitely do that! We have a flight out of Boston the next day, Sunday, about 1:00. But I think we still want to get back to Boston on Saturday in time for dinner with our families and grandbabies. Both Mama Bear and I have daughters in Boston, both with new grandbabies.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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If you go to the Stratton Motel, the owner, Sue provides shuttles (as far away as Monson) so Northern Outdoors would be in range in case you need a backup. However, she is only one person and often in demand for shuttles. I stayed at one of the tent cabins at Northern Outdoors (Caratunk, but N on highway a few miles). It's an inexpensive way for AT hikers to stay there (ask for discount), but the little tent cabins are very minimal. The rest of the facility is nice with good food. Showers were nice too.
Stratton would be OK for a zero since there are two places to eat there and a pretty good place to re-stock. I managed to hitch to town fairly easily and paid the $5 for a shuttle back to the trail.
I hope you are aware the "afternoon" bus from Boston to Gorham gets in as late as 9:30 PM due to rush hour traffic getting out of Boston. (I've ridden this bus home many, many times. The 8:40 ETA is a very optimistic estimate). Let's hope we get some rain between now and then, the springs are starting to dry up. At least fording any streams won't be a problem!
If I hold off going to Colorado until after Labor day, maybe I'll arrange to "bump into you" somewhere in Maine
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I'm hoping we'll get out of Dodge long before rush hour, thus getting to Gorham by early evening. But if we get stuck, que sera (though I know a few tricks for avoiding some of the city's congestion).
"Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it."
Yes, Mama Bear has ridden that bus before to meet me at Pinkham Notch. However, this year, Teacher has offered to shuttle us from Boston to White Mountains Lodge & Hostel, so we are no longer taking the bus and will be getting out of Boston before rush hour. Thanks all the same, though, for the warning!
I'll PM you my cell number, in case your schedule might allow meeting up during our hike. That would be great!
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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I'm not at all sure what services are available in Caratunk at the Kennebec ferry locale? Is there a restaurant of any sort to get lunch? Take a shower? Some other place we can plan to meet? Or will we have to travel some distance to a bigger town, etc? I'm a map lover and would love to find a map of the area, either online or from a chamber of commerce, whatever.
Anyone have such info? I will thank you in advance!
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
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I believe there is nothing in Caratunk in the way of a restaurant. Your best bet is to go to Northern Outdoors which is a few miles north up the highway. They have a full restaurant. You use to be able to call for a shuttle from a phone by the PO, but I could not even find that last year. Cell phone service is spotty but you may be able to call Northern Outdoors and get a shuttle, or just hitch. The phone # should be in any of the guide books.
Kennebec River Pub is just up the road. Thats probably Northern Outdoors.