Taking Flight

My original plan for this hike had me continuing into the White Mountains for the next ten days, but plans change. After I got to the Rattle River Hostel, I realized that the last few days had taken a lot out of me. The relentless heat and humidity had make hiking unpleasant, and then the rain had exacerbated the developing blisters on my feet. Could I have continued? Probably. Would it have been enjoyable? Definitely not. Hiking is hard, but ultimately it is recreation, meaning that it should be at least some amount of fun. I consulted with several people who I trust, and I laid my situation out for them, and I asked them for their thoughts. Everyone was unanimous. If you're not enjoying yourself anymore, then you shouldn't be doing it. That made my mind up for me. I decided that I was going to end my hike, and save the White Mountains for a future hike. Of course, there were some logistical details that had to be taken care of. I had a reservation at the Joe Dodge Lodge that

Carlo Col Shelter to Gorham 16.8 Miles Today was the day that I finally finished Maine! I have to be honest, even though it’s my home state, I wasn’t sad to leave Maine behind. The southern Maine part of the trail was brutal and draining. Carlo Col shelter did not have flowing water, just puddles. As a result, getting water from there required using a scoop. I carry a Craisins bag that I cut the top off of, and I use that to scoop water when there isn’t much water available. Not long into the day, I crossed the Maine/NH State Line. I was excited to finally finish southern Maine. I also had accomplished the original goal of my hike, which was to make it into New Hampshire. This got me thinking about whether I wanted to keep going or stop. A lot would depend on the weather going forward. The early day featured climbing Mt. Success. The climb was difficult, with a lot of rocks, some of which were smooth slab. I remember looking up at one particular slab and thinking, “They can’t expect me

Grafton Notch to Carlo Col Shelter  14.1 Miles I know that it says just above this that it was a 14 mile day, but I can assure you that it felt a lot tougher than that. In fact, I think it was the toughest day since the Bigelows. Probably not coincidentally, this was the first day since the Bigelows with 6000 feet of elevation gain. Mark from West Bethel Motel was once again awesome, being flexible with my drop off time and getting me on trail by 8 AM. My first task was to climb the last remaining four thousand footer in Maine, Old Speck. That was a tough climb, and I took it slow. Unfortunately, there was no reward, as the mountain was in the clouds. I wasn’t upset, though. I had hiked Old Speck with my friend Sylvia a few years back to finish my New England 67, and that was an amazing day. I figured that I have seen Old Speck at its best, so it had nothing left to prove to me. The descent from Old Speck was very steep, and I had to take it slow again. I knew that today was not going