Date: 2014-07-30
From: Maine Highway 4, Rangeley, Maine mile 220.4 

To: Maine Highway 17, Oquossoc, Maine mile 232.6 
Miles today: 13.2

Slept well and got up early for slackpack hike. I will hike south to north in order to get back as close as possible to Rangeley to make it easier to hitch a ride back to town. There was a prediction of rain for this afternoon and the morning looked overcast and misty, but the day turned out to be delightful, probably the most pleasant day of hiking I have had in Maine. It was cool and overcast but visibility was clear. The trail was varied with ups and downs but no long, steep rock faces with "die if you slip" drop-offs. Stretches were smooth enough that I could walk at a 30 minute per mile hiking pace. There were several beautiful lakes I walked past and a few vistas of surrounding mountains. The trail was still muddy, but there were not any over my boot top mud holes; so I was able to keep my feet pretty dry. Not carrying a heavy pack made everything easier. I got on the trail at a dramatic overlook of the mountain range I will start climbing tomorrow. I started hiking at 8:45 and finished the 13 miles 7 3/4 hours later at 4:30. To top off the great day two fellows from Massachusetts doing an in and out day hike passed me just before I reached the trail head and gave me a ride back to Rangeley in their van. One of the two fellows is an electrician and he has outfitted his work van for their annual vacation. They had hiking gear, fishing gear, golf clubs and mountain bikes inside and a fishing kayak and a touring kayak on top; a toy for every day. I passed both Kerry (Young Gun) and Craig (Sagacious) and Calum (Camp Fire) and Victoria on the trail. Calum had been down with a giardia-type virus. Talked with Caboose, a Maine section hiker who was on the trail reminiscing about his experience last year when he through hiked the whole trail with his 13 year old daughter. He got his trail name from following her all 2180 miles. She is at Girl Scout camp this summer with experience and stories that all the other girls can only envy. Papa is appropriately proud. I am apprehensive about tomorrow's hike with full pack and some demanding mountains. If I can do another 13.2 miles over much more difficult terrain than todays I will have an option of a road access to Andover where my new boots and iPad and New Hampshire maps from May Louise should be waiting. Weather predicts 50% chance of rain in afternoon going up to 70% in late afternoon with some thunderstorms.   Sandy, the owner of the B&B where I am staying is a taciturn fellow. He only responds to direct questions, that is until I followed up on his response that he came to Rangeley for the fishing. He is willing to talk about fish. He explained that the lakes here have a unique "landlocked salmon". They are too far from the ocean to swim up rivers to here to spawn; so they live their lives in the lakes here and spawn in the creeks that feed the lakes. Unlike normal salmon they do not die after they spawn. At dinner tonight I asked if they served the local landlocked salmon. The waitress explained that they tried the, but the customers thought they tasted greasy; so they stick with normal restaurant salmon. I ordered salmon anyway and it was delicious.