Date: 2016-06-28
From: Rangeley

To: Stratton
Miles today: 45.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Here I sit in the White Wolf hotel on a zero day waiting for the expected thunder storms to roll thru this afternoon. I am taking a second zero tomorrow, since more rain should be coming but will be back in the way north on Thursday. The last two hiking days were long and hard. 24 and 21 miles over multiple 4000 ft mountains each day with plenty of other features to keep a hiker busy. Sunday's hike was split into two parts; a morning race for 13 miles at high speed. Getting done before noon enabled the plan to Stratton. The climb up Saddleback in the afternoon was done without turning the page in the guide. Turned out this sequence of peaks has about three miles of alpine, no camping, and three separate peaks with deep valleys in between. The day was quickly getting away from me and the length of time spent hiking that day gad finally taken its toll on my leg. It was an effort to climb the second peak (horn) and pure will power got me up Juniof by 4:30pm. I felt woozy making the last couple of miles to the Polter shelter but I got there and in my tent. After water and dinner I fell asleep after nine, needing another major effort to get close to Stratton on Monday. But yet I managed to break camp by 4:45am the next morning and made exceptional time to the next shelter north. I breezed in to The Spaulding lean to at 8:30am finding three Sobo guys still lazing around, not expecting to make many miles that day. They seemed oblivious to coming weather concerns. Let's save the lecturing about Sobos for another time. Knocking out 8 miles that quickly was encouraging but of course there were still two major mountain between me and a hotel. Sugarloaf was not so bad to climb but was a bitch descending, deep down into a severe notch. Crocker was another matter; a 4000 ft mountain with two separate peaks that found the limit to my trail legs. They did the job but not without numerous stops and accommodations, like pulling myself up using my arms. I was feeling sorry for myself early up the climb when I met a hiker coming down. I admitted I was tired, something hikers rarely admit to strangers, and the guy said, "you're almost there". Complete bullshit! I lit into him. Why would you tell me that knowing there was still a 2000 ft steep climb ahead and then another up down peak. I was pissed. After he left being angry took my mind off the pain and probably helped me make that climb. I told other people I met that day what had happened and to apologize to that guy for me if they met him. He probably meant well. Finally made the north peak and called the Stratton Motel for a shuttle and room. No room but would get the shuttle after the 3 hour descent. Even though the descent was not terrible my body did not have enough gas to do that work easily. The 5 miles down seemed like twice that. The only diversion was seeing numerous Sobo's climbing out of Stratton that late in the day with no real place to go and weather expected. Even worse, some of them had limited or no water and there is none on the north face, a 3-4 hr hike. Goofy but not my problem. They will either learn some lessons or will quit. One thing they did not lack was enthusiasm. More than I had. The road was a welcome sight. I met the Stratton chief of police there who recommended a hotel and here I am. That night I had a prime rib dinner and today I am gorging on fruit that I have not have for weeks. Looking forward towards Caratunk.