Insane Maine Terrain

I wasn't able to write much on the last post, so I'll fill in some details...

Dad and I hitchhiked back to the trail as far as we could with a friendly hotel employee. We came to a highway bridge that was out from Hurricane Irene. The high water caused the bridge to buckle several feet as if an earthquake came through. Cops and workers were swarming the scene, so Dad and I walked across a nearby railroad bridge when the cops weren't looking. Rebels! We hitched another time, crossed more washed away roadbed, and finally made it to the trailhead (I wish I could post pictures, but I'm using my iPod touch). Since the hurricane threw off our plans, we crunched our 6 day trip into 5. The next two days were spent mostly above treeline with expansive views and dangerously rocky trails. We spend the night at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, but since the park was "closed", we got to stay for free in a warm bunkroom. It was great!

Another hard day over Mt. Washington and all the way down to Pinkham Notch left us exhausted. I was glad to be done for the day but was also sad it was my last day hiking with Dad. Being with him was like being at home in a way, and it made me miss it. I was sad to see him go.

Since then, I have seen pushing through Maine but it has been hard going. The terrain very difficult with slick rock everywhere. The past few days have been rainy and wet, so now I'm in Rangeley, ME getting a good meal, restocking on food, and doing laundry. At the grocery I ate a big bag of potato chips and drank a quart of chocolate milk immediately. I hope the weather is better so I can make it to Katahdin on Sept. 15! I can't believe my adventure is coming to a close...