July 2021 – Page 2 – Roger Carpenter

Days 20 to 22, July 12 to 14: Is Maine the hardest state to hike the AT?

My friend Marmot, who is one of the first hikers to receive Triple Crown recognition, told me that Maine is the hardest state on the AT. “Once you get out of Maine it will get a lot easier,” she said with confidence that was commensurate with her thousands of miles of hiking. As of July 14 Maine is the only state I have experienced. How can I agree or disagree with Marmot and others who have warned me about Maine?

A ladder helps me down a huge boulder on the AT in Maine.

See my current location and daily log of my progress on the trail.

Days 17-18, July 9-10: Success in the Bigelows!

Every time I woke from a less than deep sleep with the sound of raindrops on the tent wall I envisioned a wet, cold, windy hike up to the highest peaks other than Day 1 Katahdin on my AT journey so far. At 3:00am I wondered if the best strategy would be to stay in the Safford Notch Camp all day, let the storm pass and hike up and over the Bigelows the next day when the weather forecast was very nice. The alarm at 4:30am ended my sleep for good and I prepared for a day of wet hiking. Putting on rain gear and packing a rain-soaked tent was the priority. Surprisingly, as I walked through the campsite area to locate the privy, I felt no raindrops! It was, I assumed, just temporary until the 100% cloud cover would let loose rain again.

See my current location:

Days 14 to 16, July 6-8: Entering the Bigelows

July 6 and 7 were relatively easy hiking days as I completed the descent from the Bald Mountain area for the overnight stay at the old Sterling Inn in Caratunk. The crossing of the wide Kennebec River on a canoe that ferries AT hikers safely across is a unique feature of the AT experience in Maine! That was followed by a 14 mile hike past large East, Middle and West Carry ponds.

The canoe ferry is part of the AT official route across the Kennebec River.

Day 13, July 5, Appalachian Trail: Three Summits on a Beautiful Day

The entire day was beautiful, a complete reversal from the previous day. A clear blue sky, wispy clouds and 75 degrees was the perfect day to follow the AT over three mountains. I knew this would be challenging, but the day given to me deserved my full enthusiasm. The first summit was Bald Mountain, 4.1 miles and 1400 feet above my streamside camp.

Day 12, July 4 on the AT in Maine

It is sometimes a little sad to leave a good place in a trail town to resume hiking. That was certainly true this morning because a light rain was falling and breakfast at Shaws in Monson was so, so good. But once on the trail I realized several positive things to look forward to. First, I had two working trekking poles for the first time since Day 2. Second, the AT leaving Monson was absent of steep climbs and boulders to climb over.

Day 11, July 3: More Thoughts on Hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness

On a day I rested in Monson, Maine the experience of hiking through a beautiful, mountainous forest dotted with lakes, ponds and streams sunk in deeply. One reason I hike is to check in with the natural world and see the good things growing and living apart from the developed world. I also watch for warning signs that human activity is creating problems for the natural world. It is true the “100 Mile Wilderness” is not a federally protected wilderness where humans are only brief visitors who leave no structures on the land. Instead, this vast area in Maine was logged heavily a century ago, and not many of the old growth pine trees remain. But efforts by the state of Maine, the Nature Conservancy and private land owners have been very successful at keeping the area looking very pristine and attractive for people who live and visit a state where the license plates on cars declare it is a “vacation land.” The few gravel roads I encountered had little or no traffic.

From the summit of Whitecap Mountain a carpet of forests is all I could see.

Days 5 to 10, June 27 to July 2: Finishing the 100 Mile Wilderness, Maine

For several days the weather was unseasonably warm and very humid…no, steamy! But I felt fortunate to not suffer the extreme heat event back home in the Pacific Northwest.