Date: 2016-08-08
From: Woods Road Past Orbeton Stream - Mile 1,982.2

To: ME 27 - Stratton, ME - Mile 2,000.9
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: broken clouds

We literally began climbing with our first steps on the trail this morning. The temperature was cooler than it has been.   The wind was loud. The combination cooled us and made for great hiking weather. Subman set the tone for the day and began at a 2 mile per hour pace. The pace continued with steeper climb up Lone Mountain. It wasn't even 8:00 yet and we'd hiked 3 miles and put one of today's several climbs behind us. The wind was more noticeable the higher we got. Stripe started after Subman, Suds, and I began but he caught up and hiked with us into the Spaulding Mountain Lean-To where we met a couple doing a flip-flop hike. They were bundled up in coats and said they thought it was around 32 degrees there last night. They looked so cold whereas we were hiking in t-shirts and shorts. Such a difference out here between sitting and hiking. Stripe headed out before I could put rocks in his backpack so I suspect he'll stay ahead the rest of the way.And that's what I wanted to mention today. The conversation is increasingly about the end of the hike. There routinely has been discussion about how tired, banged up, or hungry we all are. None of that is surprising and there's no part of that discussion in which hikers are regretting being here. The "end of the hike" discussion is about logistics. It's an odd feeling to think about, and now attempt to plan, how we get home. Nobody is walking back - okay, a few do turn around and do a "Yo-Yo" in which they hike back to Georgia's Springer Mountain starting point. We hear that the more difficult hiking will end sometime after Stratton. It's then that our miles per day may increase to the numbers seen before New Hampshire's White Mountains. The 100 Mile Wilderness section leads near our final destination of Mt. Katahdin and that is more than half of our remaining miles. It doesn't seem real but if we don't start thinking about it, we're going to be there without a way home. The thought of an injury or something that would prevent hiking to the finish are thoughts we don't consider. Some are adamant about having come so far that nothing is going to stop them from finishing. Within this discussion, mention is made or the question is asked about what will be done after the trail. This conversation comes up while we're hiking or as we share our rest times. It's a conversation that was never considered before.The Spaulding Mountain climb came and went. We had a fun conversation with a trio of women that call themselves the "Bad Ass Hikers". They were full of spirit and clearly were enjoying being out here. The decent from Sugarloaf Mountain was steep in parts. Suds and I carefully picked our way through the boulders and roots. The trail didn't expose us to open ledges where a mistake could be life-ending but a mistake on this part of the trail could easily break some bones.We had a nice lunch break after the South Branch Carrabassett River. This lunch was made memorable by the little mouse that hopped like a kangaroo near Suds. My notes indicated that there was a 6-foot, 12-inch board that had to be crossed to get over the South Branch Carrabassett River. In prior years walking on this board would've made me nervous because below it was raging water. The water here this year is pleasant but a fall here would've resulted in being wet and not much more.After lunch were the Crocker Mountains. I thought South Crocker Mountain was hard. Climbing it in the afternoon probably made it harder but I think climbing this 1,300 feet would be notably difficult first thing in the morning too. The incline seemed to require consistent exertion and then came some boulder sections that were pretty steep. I was relieved to reach this summit. The transition to North Crocker got me too. I was tired. But all that separated me from Stratton was a 5-mile descent so I decided to hike there to get town comforts. Moose are clearly active on North Crocker as their droppings were frequently seen on the trail. It was a long day by the time I got into Stratton. I don't know whether I would've hiked these miles if not for today's refreshing weather. Since I have Internet access while I'm in town, I'll be posting all the photos taken over the last couple days. As for when this hike will be done, all I can say is what one of my favorites (Ed Fairman) would sing when he would grace us with his voice and guitar in the late hours of an evening at New Wilmington Missionary Conference - the answer is blowing in the wind. I want to remember today's wind, it made my day.