Monday, August 8th

Caribou Valley Road (1997.8 mi) to Stratton Brook Road (2007.0 mi)

Hiking Miles: 9.2

Total Ascent: 2,487.9 ft

Total Descent: 3,422.6 ft

Total Grade: 641.5 ft/mi

Steps: 25,332

RETROFILE – Poster Child

Gator/Sunrise: During breakfast, we decided to sign up to take the later shuttle (9:30 AM) to Caribou Valley Road. This was the exact spot where we were originally picked up a few days ago, and where we normally would have continued north on trail hadn’t we slack packed south through the Bigelows yesterday. Our plan today was to hike only 9 miles (hence the later start) to close that gap. Besides, it was a very wet day (heavy rains) and taking things slow over slippery rocks through the Crocker’s was a wise choice.

About 2 hours into our hike, we reached the 2000 mile marker at 11:20 AM. I had to take a pic with my tongue sticking out (see above) in honor of our tramily friend Double Trouble. I can’t recall how many pics he took on trail with that expression. And despite the initial steep incline, we swiftly reached the top of South Crocker Mountain without even realizing how close we actually were. Then subsequently North Crocker.

The toughest part of the hike remained as we had a healthy 3K foot decline before reaching Stratton Brook Road for our pick up. Normally that would not have been so painful (most hikers hardly ever complain about downhills), but I hike more deliberately and cautiously, particularly when we are dealing with slippery rocks and muddy terrain. Thinking about enjoying a dry and cozy hostel, perhaps with a bourbon, at the end of the day made the slower pace more bearable.

We met a small group of Park Rangers at the Stratton Brook Road parking area while we waited for our ride. They had been notified about a possible missing hiker in the area and were preparing for a search and possible rescue. They talked about some of their most challenging and perhaps intense searches, one being a well-known case a decade back where a 66-year old woman named Geraldine Largay was stranded for several weeks back in 2016 without being discovered, and unfortunately didn’t make it.

Back at the hostel, we showered, changed into dry lounging wear and indeed enjoyed that bourbon. We first inquired as to whether there was a bar downstairs, wondering where the staircase led to, and were informed there were only private bedrooms there for rent. The innkeeper did say he had a nice bourbon on hand called “Split Rock” that was the product of a local distillery in Maine. We both were so down for that, and it was quite good for not being a Kentucky bourbon.

We totally chilled the remainder of the day; I know at one point I took a long nap stretched out on the living room couch. Leg bought me a large Gatorade which he absolutely did not have to do. The poor guy still felt bad, and Croc and I both assured him everything was fine. I certainly did not want him to think there were ill feelings, and that at worst he only felt embarrassed. And the Skogman boys were all lounging on couch chairs, either reading a book or playing a game.

After dinner, we did some light planning, then went to bed. I was anxious about getting started again so we could finish this trail!

Croc: I was pumped again for today. It was another day closer to Katahdin, and the countdown was on. If all went well, we were less than 10 days away from the summit. I also got to sleep in today, which might have helped my attitude too. A few hikers were taking a zero because of the weather, including Leg (Gatorade guy) and the Skogman family. I would have been jealous, but I was happy enough to not be in the group of hikers headed to Bigelows today in the rainstorm. We’d later hear that they couldn’t see anything at the top, and those were our favorite views on the trail.

By the time Gator and I made it to the trailhead to complete our slack-pack over the Crockers, it was already midmorning. However, with the rain and therefore lack of stopping and checking our phones, we made it up the mountain in no time. I actually remember us pulling out our phones to check if we were at least halfway up, only to realize we were basically at the top of South Crocker and only had a small climb up to North Crocker left. When we did reach North Crocker, we stopped for a lunch break where I had a Nutter Butter that I was saving. The only reason I called this out was because I have a dog I call Nutz (actually named Josephine -> Josie -> Jo -> Schmo -> SchmoNut -> Nutz) that looks like the Nutter Butter shape and is obsessed with peanut butter (like every dog). So this was my sort of shout-out to Josie back home (similar to Max Patch). You can also see me in a very tight Boston Strong t-shirt with a farmers tan at the top of the mountain (pictured above).

We made it down the mountain in decent time and had a conversation with another hostel owner (or shuttler) and the police who were asking questions about a lost hiker on the trail. We didn’t recall any hiker with their name or characteristics, but since Maine is such a slow, technical hike, it wouldn’t surprise me if the lost hiker was just falling behind with the tough miles. I guess the lack of communication from the hiker could cause a scare though. Especially if you were expecting them to show up a few days earlier.

We then made it back to the hostel relatively early and were glad we saved the easier hike for last. We got to enjoy a nice bourbon and the rest of the storm from inside the house. Leg had even gotten Gator a giant Gatorade bottle on his day off, which was very kind, so we also had some Gatorade to top off the night

We finished the day re-planning our schedule a bit and called it a night. Tomorrow would be another “easier” day since we would be forced to stop before the Kennebec River due to needing the morning canoe ferry to get us across. It was also exciting since we’d be hiking with a few people that we’d been hiking with for several days.

PS: I completely forgot we hit 2,000 miles! It must have been because we jumped ahead and went back to the 2,000 mile marker. According to the ATC we could technically call ourselves AT thru hikers since we hit the 2K mark. What an accomplishment. I also love that Gator did the DT pose.