Date: 2007-07-19
From: Stratton,Maine

To: Andover, ME/ South Arm Road
Miles today: 68.7
Weather: overcast clouds

This week I hiked from Stratton to Andover - with a short stop in Rangeley for an unusual treat - a massage! I thought I was in a dream!Lest you think that all I've done is go to trail towns, let me describe some highlights of the last 34 miles.The trail out of Stratton was a welcome change of pace, just gradual ups and downs for the first 4 miles anyway. Then, steeply up Crocker Mountain. From Crocker Mountain, the view was like kid's picture of mountains, just alternating curve after curve of green. The trail angled up the side of the mountain. It turned out that my hiking companion, John, and I had been following an old section of the trail for a couple hundred yards through barely passable alder bushes!Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this section was Saddleback Mountain. At just over 4000 feet, about 1/2 mile was above treeline. I was hiking alone over this one and was awe inspired with the beauty of the bare, smooth granite and the alpine vegetation. Wind refreshed me and I looked West toward the next peak. I've enjoyed hiking with John Lemberg, another middle child from a large family. He is a nature lover like me, so enjoys stopping to look at ferns and swamps. Sometimes we hike together and talk, but most often we're on our own for long stretches, which is delightful.In Stratton, I picked up a book at the hostel called Don't Die in the Mountains. The author described two types of decisions that hikers make: pedestrian and strategic. Now, we ask each other "did you make any poor pedestrian decisions today?" which means "did you fall down because you stepped on a slippery root or slid down a rock?" In Maine, the trail is rarely smooth, so I am constantly making "pedestrian decisions" about where to place my feet. I am always keenly focused on each step which makes each rock, mud puddle, root, and boardwalk a new experience. It's a great meditation, really.Another highlight was finding a canoe at one of the ponds I passed. I enjoyed a short paddle around the lake, getting close up to some lily pads. Paddling is a lot easier than walking! but I can't get as far.Let's see.   There's so much to tell! Yesterday morning, six of us got to watch a huge bull moose leisurely munching on pond vegetation. Today, a raptor (11" brown and white, striped tail) swooped down over my head! Whoosh! I zoomed on down the trail!I've been hearing a bird that keeps eluding my sight. Its call is a looooong, melodious, but not snytactical song. It seems to be in the low to mid range levels of the hardwood forest. Someone suggested it might be winter wren. Any ideas bird lovers?Even the rain is beautiful. It makes the colors of the plants and rocks even more rich - like walking through watercolor. Yesterday, it rained all afternoon. A group of Southbounders I was hiking with got to a shelter about 1:30 p.m. We sat in the dryness, talked and ate extra food, all wrapped up in our sleeping bags. As the day progressed, more hikers arrived at the shelter, until, by 7 p.m. there were about a dozen hikers. Three of us, including myself set up our tents near the shelter. One guy bedded down UNDER the sleeping platform. Now, we're experiencing a convergence of North and South bound hikers. I expect to see full shelters for a while!In general, I am happy, loving my hike, feeling richly blessed with all the support from my husband, John, who sends me my delicious food boxes every six days and my family. Thanks everyone for reading!   Mostly, I feel overcome with Beauty!Next, we go through the Mahoosuc Notch, which promises to be a jigsaw puzzle of rocks! Can't wait!I still haven't learned how to get pictures loaded, but I've taken some good ones!