Under 200 Miles To Go!

Tuesday (8-16) was a rainy morning.  The hostel owner drove us back to the trail at 8 AM.  We started with wet feet from the day before.  With two days of rain, the AT resembled a creek rather than a trail.  The trail was muddy, slippery, and ugly.  The roots were wet and to be avoided at all cost.  Roots are enemy number one because it is so easy to trip over even a small one, if you aren't watching your every step.  We climbed Old Blue Mountain with an elevation of 3,600 ft.  There were plenty of rock scrambles, bars, and ladders.  Bars and ladders are permanently cemented on some of the big boulders so you can get up and over the rocks.  After a long and difficult descent we climbed Bemis Mountain.  We were glad to see the day end at
5 PM when we reached the Bemis Mountain Lean-to.  We hiked 8.7 miles.  Wednesday started out at 7 AM on a nice day.  The morning was difficult with a steep descent of 1,300 ft and then immediately an ascent of 1,000 ft.  Again, bars and ladders were necessary several times.  The afternoon was easier than the morning so that was a treat.  We reached a campsite at 5:30 PM where we tented for the night.  We went 12.9 miles.  Thursday was another pleasant day.  We climbed over Saddleback Mountain in the afternoon.  Here is the beautiful view from the top of the mountain.

Next up was The Horn Mountain.  Both are 4,000+ ft mountains.  We had breathtaking views of Maine in all directions.  Then we descended into Redington Stream Campsite at 5 PM where we tented.  We were the only hikers there.  Maine is a great state for R&R--not rest and relaxation but roots and rocks!  We hiked 13.2 miles.  We were blessed again on Friday with yet another beautiful day.  This was the fourth day in a row of good weather, which is unusual.  The day started with climbing Saddleback Junior Mountain.  It is called Junior because the elevation is "only" 3,655 ft vs Saddleback being 4,120 ft.  We had an early lunch at 11 AM at a stream we forded.  So far we have successfully forded three with seven to go.  The mud is still a slight problem but far better than earlier in the week.  At 3 PM we stopped at Spaulding Mountain Shelter.  We decided to eat and take a short rest.  We resumed hiking at 4 PM and hiked 5.1 more miles to make it easier for us to reach Stratton, Maine on Saturday afternoon.  We finally finished our hiking day at 7:45 PM and completed 15.4 miles.  We have 196.3 miles until the end!