Day 159

08/06/12 - somewhere in Maine - ≈1,915 miles

Mahoosuc Notch is behind us.  Unreal.  Miles are still ahead of us.  But we got them.  We got them.

***

KitFox in the Notch.

Trail.

A personal favorite: Roots.

Lost Spectacles

Last week, my brother and I went for a little hike up to Chasm Lake in the Park.  Good hike.  Not so good weather.  But it was good enough to take a quick dip in the pristine alpine lake (at least for myself... my brother was not convinced).  Well, on my second dip (for the first dip was simply not enough) my glasses came off my face.  I immediately tried to grasp them, but they slipped through my fingers and settled on the rocky lake bottom.  I was only about ten feet from shore and in water five feet deep, but the water was frigid.  After several attempts to retrieve them, I had to abandon hope.  Thunderstorms were approaching, and the lake water was simply too cold to keep looking.

The spectacles were lost.

But I had a plan to revisit the Lake.  One week later, I stuffed a pair of borrowed scuba goggles into my pack (with plenty of warm clothes) and headed back into the alpine tundra.

Operation LOST SPECTACLES had commenced.

Week 1


Week 2

Day 158

08/05/12 - Full Goose Shelter - 1,907.3 miles

We have walked to Maine!  So surreal.  So amazing.  Today was another tough day.  So tired.  Crossing the border was exciting though.  And we ate lots of delicious Maine blueberries!  Mahoosuc Notch tomorrow.  Lord of the Rings audio book with Tipsy and Fetch in the shelter.  Fun.  I am ready for Katahdin.  Running out of energy.  Constantly running out of food.  Me hungrooooooo!

***

Day 157

08/04/12 - Gentian Pond Shelter - 1,897.7 miles

We are 4.7 miles away from MAINE.  Tomorrow morning, we will be able to say that we walked from Georgia to Maine.  Holy flippin' cow.  Today we really sweated it out.  Super hot and super strenuous.  It's surreal that we are about to cross into our 14th and final state.  Georgia seems like ages ago, and we have always been hiking to Maine.  MAINE.  Tomorrow.

***

Day 156

08/03/12 - near Rattle River - ≈1,883 miles

Night hiking when you think you're not going to need to is the worst.  Get me out of the Whites.  So beat.

***

Day 155

08/02/12 - Wildcat Mountain - 1,867.8 miles

The climb up to the first peak of Wildcat Mountain, for we are not yet finished ascending, has been the most difficult and my least favorite climb so far on this thru-hike.  While climbing, you experience many many ups and downs, all of which being extremely steep and technical.  It took us over 3 hours to go go 3 miles, and I felt like I have actually gone 13 miles.  This has been my most difficult and least favorite climb.  After 3 miles, we are set up in camp as the sun is setting, drinking tea and eating a candy dinner.  I think I am ready to be out of the Whites and into Maine... but will we ever escape these notorious mountains?

***

Day 154

08/01/12 - [Gorham] - 1,864.8 miles

August first.  Our five monthiversary on the Trail.  Today we woke up and both felt a bit of "hiker hangover."  15 miles over the Presidentials will do that to you, I guess.  We made it the 6 or so miles into Pinkham Notch.  Then decided to call our town day early and head into Gorham this afternoon instead of tomorrow night.  Less miles, but in the end I think a wise decision.  Five months feels like five years to me.  Springer Mountain was so long ago and so far ago.  And now we are in August.  The month in which we will be climbing Mount Katahdin.  What?!  We have been watching some of the London Olympics these past two town stays, and seeing the athletes' pride and accomplishment and struggle and victory... I wonder if we will experience a similar emotion on our medal stand.  On Mount Katahdin.

***

So much good.