Date: 2013-07-24
From: Stratton Plaza Hotel, ME 27, mi 1,997.7

To: Little Bigelow Lean-To
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Although I had woken up early and packed up my gear to leave the Stratton Plaza Inn, I did not end up leaving Stratton for the trailhead until late in the morning. The skies were black, another storm was brewing. The family owned Stratton Diner across the street did not open until 9. A tall woman in pig-tails and hiking skirt stood in front of the Northland General Store, waiting for someone to offer a ride back the trail. She introduced herself as Gummie Bear. Gummie Bear was from British Columbia, and had lived all over the world, working as a teacher in language (I believe). She knew about a half dozen languages fluently. Within 15 minutes, Gummie found a ride and was on her way. As I watched the vehicle drive off, I thought for a moment that It would've been wise to use that opportunity to hike while it wasn't raining. After hiking three months, many of the days in the rain, I quickly became complacent with my decision to stay a few more hours and enjoy a quality breakfast at the Diner. The Northland General Store was the only place open at 7am. For a general story, the place had nothing in the way of food. I walked out with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia after gazing at the stale pizza rotating under the heat lamp. After finishing my pint, I finalized my packing at the Stratton Inn, and headed across the street to the Diner. I ordered pancakes with a eggs and bacon and an omelet, along with orange juice and coffee. I was satiated. By 10, I walked over to Fotter's Market next door to resupply. I grabbed the typical junk food, rich in carbs and sugar, and refilled by fuel bottle with denatured alcohol. I repackaged food and prepared to hitch my way back to the trail. I stood in front of the General Store for about 10 minutes with no luck. I noticed that the car belonging to the gentleman who drove me into town yesterday evening was still at the Stratton Plaza Inn. He walked out of the hotel around 11 and offered me a ride before heading back to town for breakfast. When I returned to the trailhead, Inchworm's husband, whom I first met at dusk the previous day, was still waiting; hoping that Inchworm would appear any moment. Not more than a few minutes passed, and the rain began to fall. It was approaching 11am. It rained hard on my climb up the southern flanks of the Bigelows. The rain miraculously ceased after passing over South Horn. The skies were partly cloudy by the time I was approaching the west peak of Bigelow Mountain, and extremely gusty. I could see a couple of hikers heading towards me from the summit, leaning into the wind to keep their balance. They were Japanese, and apparently slack packing, since neither of them carried more than a day pack. We greeted each other briefly and moved on. I tried to stay low behind the outcrops to protect myself from the wind, but the exposure was inevitable over the summit. The views were astounding! Flagstaff lake enveloped the topography below, with no apparent boundaries, partly obscured by the low clouds. I sat on a rock, partly protected from the wind at my back, and enjoyed a Snicker bar. I took a few more photos from Avery Peak, the last significant summit (EL= 4,090 ft), before dropping to Little Bigelow. Avery Peak was memorable by a salient concrete foundation which sat at the summit. The AT looked fairly innocuous from the profile. It turned out to be rugged terrain, passing around and over large blocks. The Mesa-like flat top of Little Bigelow was the most deceptive, with a high frequency of 40-ft vertical ups and downs. The trail traversed glacially polished rock slab along vertical edges with panoramic views of the valleys and lakes in the distances. On the descent of the northern flanks, the trail crossed extensive rock slabs, meandering between glacial erratics (large isolated boulders dropped by ancient glaciers) and gaps filled with shrubs and small trees. I reached the Little Bigelow Lean-to by dusk and found Gummy Bear setting up her hammock behind the lean-to. Berenstein Bear was also there, cooking dinner next to the smokey fire. Although a platform existed down slope of the lean-to, I found a more desirable location to set up my tent. I grabbed my food and joined the group in cooking dinner