I had a few weeks’ time to fill in May, so I decided that I would hike the Camino de Santiago across Northern Spain. My husband Chris had done it two years ago, and he said it was great, I’d love it, after our Nepal hike it would be a breeze. So I flew to Madrid and took a bus to Burgos and got started.
A dawn start from Burgos with my new friend Araceli
Here’s the run-down from our two weeks of trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal (if you want to read about our trip to Nepal as a whole then click here).
After securing our TIMS (Trekker Information Management System- in case you disappear and they need to go look for you -2000 rupees/ $17) and our ACAP permits (Annapurna Conservation Area Project- 3000 rupees / $25) in Kathmandu, we stocked up on a bit of gear in Thamel, the tourist zone in Kathmandu. On every street corner are stalls selling both real and counterfeit North Face, Jack Wolfskin, Quechua, and Columbia, all at a fraction of the cost in the US. It’s all too easy to pick up an extra puffy coat or a sleeping bag here for perhaps $15-20 USD.
“Maine: The Way Life Ought To Be”. Also, really freaking hard. The Maine section of the AT is filled with ups, downs, rocks, roots, mud, and moose poop. Like literally every step is either a rock or a root (or both; somehow these trees manage to grow on rocks), or it’s a muddy bog, or there’s just piles and piles of moose droppings at every turn. There must be more moose in Maine than people. And in case you’re wondering how I know, yes, I do hike a mile or two with Chris in the mornings when I drop him off or in the afternoon when I pick him up.
Moose crossing!Kennebec River Ferry Maine: “The Way Life Ought to Be”
The trail towns in Maine are Andover, with it’s cute little library and the Pine Ellis Hostel and their cabin down by the covered bridge; Rangeley, with it’s beautiful lakes and the awesome Rangeley Farmhouse Inn (hello Stacey and Shane, you guys were the best!!); Stratton, home of the Stratton Motel and the Wolf Den Bar and their infamous and slightly gross Wolf Burger; Caratunk, home of the Kennebec River ferry, and finally Monson, the site of The Lakeshore Lodge and Rebekah “Double Zero”, so named because so many people stop at her lodge and take two days in a row off the trail to recover from the last 2000 miles and prepare for the final push: the 100 Mile Wilderness.
Moose!!Stratton Maine Stratton Maine Andover covered bridge
While Chris started the 100 Mile Wilderness, I hung out with some travelers taking a zero, such as Trip and Sisyphus, and we went on a boat ride on Moosehead Lake (a three hour tour!!). Very nice lake filled with some 134 islands, many of which have a fishing cabin on the island or even in some cases a lake home. A lovely region- if you are ever in Maine, I truly hope you are able to get over to the lake side and not just the coastal region. Although I’m sure the coastline is amazing too. We’re going to check that side out on the way home.
Maine Lakes Region
While Chris was in the wilderness, I drove to the end at Millinocket and saw some old trail friends that we hadn’t seen in a while. Yay, for seeing Tittycakes, Geared Up, and DaVinci after they summited the peak!
Tittycakes, finished!
Finally Chris came out of the 100 Mile Wilderness (it took him 5 days), and I was waiting at Abol Bridge Campground. We had dinner together and went to sleep early, as we were summiting Katahdin Mountain the next day. I drove to the base of the mountain, getting a head start on Chris, who had to hike the final 10 miles to the mountain AND do the climb while I just started the climb. It’s five miles to the top, which is at an elevation of 5, 260 feet. It took me five hours to get to the top. It was the scariest climbing I’ve ever done (well, I’ve never really done any rock climbing, which is why my arms, shoulders, and back are still hurting like hell today, three days later). It was so hard!! I cannot emphasize this enough. For a beginner like me, it was definitely the wrong mountain to try for my first attempt. For Chris and the other AT hikers, they did concur that it was the hardest mountain they had hiked/climbed on the AT. But finally, after five hours, I made it to the top (Chris caught up to me even with his extra 10 miles to get there).
Katahdin Mountain Sunset at the Abol Bridge Campground
We saw fellow hikers Lunch, Haiku, and Hiker Monkey up there. We all posed for the requisite photos, rested a bit, and then we had to do the descent…. which was even more terrifying!! Seriously!! Chris had to fireman carry/bear hug me down one tricky bit- I completely froze up and couldn’t move. But finally (after another five hours), we made it down. And so, the Appalachian Trail is completed. It took Chris 134 days, 3 hours, and 34 minutes to complete. Officially he was #186 to finish for the year. Although, that number is a bit inflated, because not everyone who hikes in to Baxter State Park and says they are a thru hiker really is one. But close enough. It’s done, and now we can go on to our Around The World Trip. We’ll be heading to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island in Canada, then back to DC for a quick stopover, then it’s off to Australia and new adventures!
Finished!Lunch, Trail Bunny, and Haiku AT Rock CairnChris at the top!!
While Chris hiked the 90 miles of the trail that are in Massachusetts, I drove back to the DC area and got our house ready for our new renters. And then the day arrived: the packers came and put our stuff in a moving van, and now we are homeless. After one last book club with my lady friends, I was off to join Chris in Vermont, for the last 500 miles of the trail. And when I say “join him”, I mean “drive the car around and see stuff while he hikes, and arrange food and lodging and sightseeing for the days/nights he’s not on the trail”.
The beauty of the Appalachian Trail
I caught up to him in Rutland, VT: wow, what a green, fresh smelling state! We stealth-camped right by the trail in a beautiful setting by a brook up the side of a mountain. (Stealth camping is camping at spots along the AT that are not paid campgrounds or designated shelters. Just nice flat spots that you can pitch a tent. Free!). It got cold that night: Down in the 40’s. But luckily summer seemed to catch up with us over the next week and it was quite nice.
Enjoying the fresh air and catching up with this guy
I followed/stalked Chris for all of Vermont and New Hampshire, sometimes hiking a mile or two in the mornings when I drop him off at the trailhead, sometimes camping with him on the trail, sometimes getting us hotels or hiker hostels, and sometimes getting myself a place to sleep alone while he overnighted in a stretch of the trail that had no road access for me to come get him. During the day I stopped at cool sites, shuttled other hiker friends around, had lunches and dinners with new trail friends, rented bikes, kayaks, etc. I loved the rolling hills and mountains of Vermont and the lovely farmlands and vistas.
Long Haul Trucker, Trail Bunny, Naked Ninja, Dr Zoon, Rosie, and MobiusThe Naked Ninja and Rosie
New Hampshire has been brutal. They don’t call it the Granite State for nothing! It is often said that NH and Maine are the toughest states on the trail. In New Hampshire we encountered the White Mountains. Though lovely, they are a bitch to climb up and down, continually, day after day. The NoBos (northbounders, or what is left of them) are worn down, and we are just starting to see the first SoBos, starting down from Maine in early July and hoping to finish by Thanksgiving. Directly after the White Mountains were the Presidential Peaks, culminating in Mt Washington, the 2nd highest peak on the AT. It was a brutal 2 day climb, but luckily I was able to take the auto road to the top and pick up backpacks from Chris and his friends, so the could “slack pack” the descent with only a small day bag. They were much appreciative.
A shout out to our trail friends: DaVinci, Mobius, Midnight Sparkle, Naked Ninja, Rosie, Dr Zoom, Grasshopper, Trip, and Geared Up. You all are doing GREAT!! 13 states done. Next up: Maine!
I arrived in Hot Springs, North Carolina, around 2 pm on a Saturday in April. I knew Chris had camped the night before at mile 253, so he’d have to hike 20 miles to get to Hot Springs. I figured he’d get in around 5. So that gave me a couple of hours to walk around town, check out the Trailfest Weekend going on in town, and explore the crazy 170 year old inn we were staying at. It’s a beautiful house with crazy rooms, sweeping staircases, slanting floors, and wrap around porches on both floors. Owned by a 3-time thru-hiker, it’s $20 a night for hikers. What a deal.
Striking camp for the dayChris reaches North Carolina
The inn, built in 1840, was later used during World War I as a boarding house for wives of the German officers who were being held as prisoners of war across town (three blocks away) at the Mountain Park Hotel, next to the mineral springs. Later, the house was a boardinghouse for teachers who worked at the Dorland-Bell Institute, a school for Appalachian girls.
AT sign in Hot SpringsHot Springs North Carolina
Chris came limping into town at 5:20 and after showering and changing, we walked through the town. He was so happy to grab a beer, some salad greens, and hot wings and sit on the patio of the Quarter House Tavern, overlooking the French Broad River. He told me about his hike- some rain, some wind, ice chunks and heavy frost, but no snow. He saw one bear north of Clingmans Dome and some cool birds, two deer, and lots of hikers. In town we ran into Indiana, Rhode Island Red, and Admiral Caboose, all thru-hikers he had met on the trail in the past two weeks. After dinner a band played on the patio and it was a very relaxing evening.
Ready to start the dayNorth Carolina waterfall
On Sunday we walked around Hot Springs, had a delightful pancake breakfast with a bunch of hikers, and visited the Hot Springs spa. On the banks of the French Broad River, the spa has a dozen outdoor hot tubs, enclosed on 3 sides by a gazebo, fed by the hot mineral springs themselves. The open side looks out over the river and it was a lovely long soak and a pleasant way to spend an hour. In fact, we enjoyed it so much we went back the next day for another. After a “Hungry Hiker skillet” breakfast and a long soak, Chris got back on the AT to make his way 120 miles to Elk Park NC, where I will see him next Sunday.
PalmTreeMusings 