Date: 2017-07-30
From: Hiker Hut, Rangely, ME

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

7/30/17, Spaulding Mountain Lean-to, MEMiles hiked: 1670.2, Miles to Katahdin: 201.7, Miles to go: 519.6I was up and out and on the trail by 6:15 AM. The Huker Hut turned out to be a pretty cool place. I was a bit skeptical at first when I found out the place was off the grid. The whole point of going into town is to be on the grid. We've spent the majority of our days since late February off the grid. But Steve was such a nice man and so accommodating that it really wasn't an issue. We lucked out with the weather again. Another beautiful day.  I went over the Saddleback Range today, which included 4 miles above treeline, so it was especially fortunate that the weather held another day. I never tire of the views above treeline. It's just incredible. You feel like you are on top of the world. Although the Saddlebacks were fairly strenuous, for the most part the trail appears to be improving. I was able to pound out 18.7 miles, which hasn't happened since before the Whites. After the Crockers tomorrow and the Bigelows Tuesday, we should only have a few big mountains before Katahdin. It sounds like the treadway will continue to be rocky, rooty, and boggy though. The trail felt a little desolate today. I passed a few SOBOs; but, I didn't see any other NOBOs that I knew on the trail. The sense of desolation was heightened by passing Poplar Ridge Lean-to. On July 22, 2013, a NOBO thru hiker named Inchworm left this shelter and was never seen again. An extensive search for the retired nurse was undertaken; but, she was never found. In 2015, a land surveyor came across what was left of her tent in the woods a short distance from the shelter. Human remains, later confirmed to be her, were found in the tent, along with her personal effects, including her journal. According to her journal entries, she left the trail to relieve herself and got turned around and couldn't find the trail. She tried to climb to higher ground to get cell service and got hopelessly lost. She eventually set up her tent and waited for rescue. Rescue never came. Her final journal entries were from late August. As a trained Wilderness Search and Rescue volunteer and an AT devotee, I followed this case with interest at the time. Passing the actual spot where this took place was very sad and moving. Here was a thru hiker just like the rest of us who had been out here for months and was so close to the end. I'm sure she was ready to be done and longing to be home with her loved ones. Imagine the despair she must have experienced in the days before her death as waited in vain for someone to find her. As you can imagine, it kind of left a pall over the rest of the hike today. It also led me to decide to try to catch back up with Wild Thing, Feathers, and the rest of the Fellowship over the next couple of days. They are a nice group of people and I've enjoyed my time with them. They also plan to set a pace to finish by Aug 12. If I keep up this pace with them, I may be able to catch up to 1st Sgt before he summits Katahdin. When I arrived at the shelter, my friend J was here. He had stayed at the first shelter past Rangeley last night and had been just a little ahead of me all day. Eventually, Yogi, Bearslayer, 4 Wheel Drive, and five SOBOs arrived. It was nice to cook dinner and hang out with the other guys this evening. I'm sharing the shelter tonight with Yogi and Bearslayer. Everyone else is tenting nearby.Tomorrow, I'm planning another 18+ mile day to Horns Pond Lean-tos. That will get me through the Crockers and up into the Bigelows. Let's hope the weather continues to hold...