Tuesday, July 19th

Mountain Meadows Lodge (1709.3 mi) to stealth site, ~1 mile past Winturri Shelter (1726.3 mile)

Hiking Miles: 17

Total Ascent: 4,643.7 ft

Total Descent: 4,515.4 ft

Total Grade: 537.2 ft/mi

Steps: 44,815

SUZI QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN – Stumblin’ In

Gator/Sunrise: Today was a hard day mentally, mainly because we left our partners after spending 2.5 incredible days together. The two “zeros” were so nice in fact that we actually got to thinking we could get used to leisure days again. Perhaps even thinking we could end our hike here. One thing that did motivate us was only having 485 miles (albeit the hardest 485 on trail) remaining until summiting Katahdin, and ultimately being home. But the biggest motivator was the look both Teresa and Christina gave us followed by “Oh No… You are FINISHING the trail”!

The first mile was very familiar (and cool) whereas I had walked it leisurely just one year prior. There were pretty sights along the way, including 2 waterfalls and a ladder. Then the terrain became more mountainous as we headed further northeast. We only hiked 17 miles over the entire day, but the 537 ft/mi grade reminded us how difficult things were going to be.

Today I popped in my ear buds and listened to music again. There was no doubt in my mind that I needed an added pick me up, and tuning into upbeat songs has worked ever since Croc introduced me to the idea. I stuck with the Greatest Hits of the 70’s. I had tried a few other tracks earlier in Vermont, but found myself reverting back to the selections on this playlist.

We stopped for dinner at the Winturri Shelter, and contemplated staying there for the evening. Two hikers had already settled in for the night – a young woman who looked to be a strong hiker, and an elderly gentleman with a strong British accent, who didn’t. When he spoke, I honestly couldn’t understand a single word he said, and he had plenty to say. He was quite annoying actually, and that didn’t include the fact that he pitched his tiny 1-person tent on a perfectly flat site that easily could have fit three tents, and leaving us with essentially no options. He was headed northbound as well, and he made it clear that he had no intention of climbing Mount Katahdin. He emphasized that he likely was going to spend whatever time he had left in the states hiking blue blaze trails in the Whites. As we got used to saying – “Hike Your Own Hike”.

While we ate dinner, he talked the whole time! Thank goodness having food in my mouth hindered me from telling him to shut up! Needless to say, we decided to move on and find a stealth site to enjoy a “quiet” evening. After a few miles or so, we finally stopped and tented just off a dirt path that looked like it would be safe. Today was a relatively short hike, but again with the steep grade, we got a sound workout.

Croc: Gator said it all… it was a very tough day mentally getting back on trail. Luckily, we only had 485 miles left, and it helped to break it down into five more bearable sections: 40 more miles in VT, 160 miles in our home state NH, 180 miles in southern Maine, a 100-mile “victory lap” in the 100-Mile Wilderness, and 5 miles to the top of Katahdin. Although those chunks of miles would end up being extremely tough, it was easier to swallow visualizing smaller chunks of the trail that we could ultimately complete in a week or so. After all, we had a lot of confidence after completing our second 170+ mile week of the trip. These little wins or goals kept us going.

We did have a little entertainment going over a ladder today. It makes me wonder why some trail maintainers opt to throw a random ladder over a rock while others either (1) put nothing and make you find a way down, (2) create a staircase into the rock, or add rungs, or (3) create a 1-mile alternative path around the obstacle. I guess I’m glad they didn’t make an alternative route that would add miles to the trip. I’d soon learn that I was also glad they did more than “nothing” because Maine would become the state of “figure it out” when you’d come across a river you’d have to ford through.

We eventually reached our destination, and everything played out exactly like Gator said. As soon as we sat down to eat, already annoyed that this British guy was taking up multiple flat tent sites, he joined us in the shelter and would not stop talking. Maybe if he ventured back to his tent for the night, we would have felt comfortable just staying in the shelter, but there were no signs of him leaving. So we packed up and decided to hike until we found a clearing to stop at. That was easier said than done since the sun was setting, we were tired, and there didn’t seem to be a flat spot for miles. We eventually found a logging road to set up by and called it a night. We really didn’t stealth camp that often, maybe once in our first leg, and twice in our second leg, but this was our second time already in a few weeks.