Astro on the AT 2019

Astro · Jul 28th 2019, 9:39pm

Day 20
Rangeley to Sabbath Day Pond Lean To 9.4 miles
After capturing my two days of sunshine to complete my Presidential traverse I drove to Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, ME. I had them shuttle me to Rangeley and started hiking back to my car. First impression was this trail is lot easier than the Whites.

The boats at the Little Swift River Pond Campsite appeared to be in pretty bad shape.
Rain most of the night so I slept in the shelter. Tonight and tomorrow I shared the shelter with SoBo's Chef boyardee and his dad Molasses who I met earlier in central ME.
Met a NoBo who just recently resigned as a womens soccer coach with the Olympic program. Evidently for some crazy reason they are moving from Colorado to Chicago. She wanted to stay in CO, so decided to thru hike when her contract ran out.

Astro · Jul 29th 2019, 10:17pm

IMScotty wrote:

Astro,

A sunny day on Mt. Madison is a rare and wonderful thing. Worth the burn

The views north from Mount Madison and Adams are among my favorites in the Whites. Down below in Randolph, NH I use to have a summer home. I miss it dearly.

Bummer, if you still had it maybe we could have planned a July 4th outing similar to the MLK hikes.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 10:32am

Day 21
Sabbath Day Pond Lean To to Bemis Mountain Lean To 8.3 miles
Rained most of the night so I put on my jacket and rain kilt to keep from getting soaked by the leaves even if it wasn't raining. Lots of mud in this part of Maine and there is a shortage of bog boards. Sometimes rocks and branches thrown down and sometimes old bog boards that are rotting away. But the morning was started with anticipation because last night the 2 NoBo's were talking about the trail magic set up at the dirt road just past Bemis stream where they were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. Well of course just like Gravel Springs at the end SNP, I was day late and they were not setup today. But they did have a tarp a little farther up the trail with water, drinks, and snacks. I had a water, PBJ sandwich, and a Reeces Cup. I also had a Mountain Dew. Along with the Ginger Ale I had at Shaw's only the second carbonated drink I have had in the past year.
Ran into Six Wheels at ME 17 who I had first met at Pine Ellis Hostel. He is a section hiker who should finish this year. He has a pickup truck and a motorcycle and tries to keep them 3 days apart at trail heads and uses them to leap frog.
Had to ford Bemis stream before I got to the trail magic. Interesting that they even had a sign for the sponsors for the trail magic. Glad I got the trail magic, because after that there were several steep climbs up rocks. By the time I got to the Lean To is was dark. I went got water and got ready for bed. I would eat my Mountain House the next morning.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 10:44am

Day 21 cont.
Some examples of the rocks and rock slabs you have to climb. And then some of the views from Bemis Mountain Second Peak.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 11:42am

Day 22
Bemis Mountain Lean To to Old Blue Mountain 5.9 miles
Original plan was to make it Andover South Arm Road today. But the NoBo's were saying how wet the rocks were climbing up Old Blue, so I thought I might give it another day to dry and just set my tent up on Old Blue. A couple problems with this plan. First forecast was wrong and it rained, and second I believe there may be a spring that flows down Old Blue most if not all of the time. On the positive side it did set me up for a Nero that my body really appreciated the next day.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 11:56am

Day 23
Old Blue Mountain to Adover, ME South Arm Road 2.8 miles
A short day, but did not start off as an easy one. There were long slabs of vertical (at least diagonal) rock that were wet from the water running down them. There was some rebar, but not near enough. The middle part of this section was pleasant, but then more steep downs as you got close to the end. Ran into three section hikers from NY that I would run into several times over the next few days.
Once back at Pine Ellis Hostel I got a shower, did laundry, dried out my stuff from the rain, and went to the general store/diner for a "real" meal.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 12:00pm

While staying at Pine Ellis Hostel for three days I had the Big Foot Burger for supper every day. :thumbup:

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 5:34pm

Day 24
South Arm Road to East B Hill Road 10.1 miles
Now that I made back to Andover I decided to make things a little easier on myself and slack pack the next two days. Caught my "normal" 6am shuttle with David who is originally from Guatemala. He pitched one of two perfect games in Little League in Guatemala growing up. Today a NoBo woman from New Zealand who slept in the bed across from me rode the shuttle with me. This time David had a pleasant surprise giving both of us an apple.
As usual when getting back at a road you head up hill. There were a few views, but it would help if they trimmed or cut down some trees. There were some really steep climbs back down to the stream/river. Sometimes they had rebar and ladders, and other times they probably should have. Crossed a nice waterfall, and then one ran beside the trail similar to Mt Mooselaukie. Last have of this was relatively nice trail, although scrambling through mud in some areas.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 5:43pm

Day 25
Grafton Notch to East B Hill Road 10.3 miles
I got really lucky with the weather again! :thumbup:

The they going over Bald Plate in the rain is really tough. Also stories about hikers that had crawl due to the strong winds. It was sunny and winds not that bad, more of a relief to cool you off. Some places the views were like panoramic. Was nice way to finish ME for this summer. :thumbup:

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 5:48pm

Day 25 cont.
I believe most of the previous pictures were from Bald Plate West Peak, and these are from East Peak.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 5:54pm

Day 25 cont
And will close out Maine for this summer with another waterfall. There was a more impressive one a little before this one, but I did not feel like a third/half of a mile at this time to get a good picture.

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 5:56pm

One of the advantages of taking your vehicle on a section hike and staying at a Hostel that let's you use their freezer, you can ice your knees at night. :thumbup:

IMScotty · Jul 30th 2019, 9:10pm

Astro,

Really enjoyed your posts and photos. You completed some tough miles this summer.

Next year to Katahdin and the finish?

Astro · Jul 30th 2019, 10:46pm

IMScotty wrote:

Astro,

Really enjoyed your posts and photos. You completed some tough miles this summer.

Next year to Katahdin and the finish?

Thanks! I am not really much of photographer, but a lot of views were awesome, and even I couldn't mess them up that much.

Next summer Pinkham Notch to Grafton Notch, and Monson to Katahdin for 167 miles.

IMScotty · Jul 30th 2019, 11:32pm

Ah, Mahoosuc Notch next year, that should be fun.

Astro · Jul 31st 2019, 5:43am

IMScotty wrote:

Ah, Mahoosuc Notch next year, that should be fun.

And then Mahoosuc Arm. I will be praying for no rain.

Astro · Aug 4th 2019, 4:47pm

Day 26
Inn at Long Trail to VT 103 17.3 miles
Since I was staying at the Inn at Long Trail and had a big day ahead of me, I decided to go retro and and start with original AT/LT on the Sherburne Pass. Back in 2016 I had taken the Northern part of the Sherburne Pass after Maine Junction to stay at the Inn. It also helped me avoid a one mile road walk.

Skipped Killington Peak, but I could hear the gondolas or ski lifts clanging. At first I thought it might be lightning, especially with the rain yesterday. Speaking of rain some wet rocks and mud but overall not too bad. A little ways after heading down from Killington you run into the crazy roots all over the trail. They are a pain and really slow you down.

I got really lucky and caught a ride into Rutland before dark. Still had to walk a little over a mile to catch the bus back to the Inn, but I was grateful for that ride. Unfortunately past 9pm when I showered and came down to eat, and no dinner menu. But I did get some of their stew with bread and I believe some kind of desert bread. It was good, but after the day I had I could have used more. On the other hand I knew I would have another great breakfast in the morning.

Astro · Aug 4th 2019, 5:05pm

_{Day 26 cont.}
_{Jungle Junction is where the New AT/LT and Old AT/LT (Sherburne Pass) meet.}
_{Cooper Lodge Shelter could be a really nice indoor shelter, but unfortunately the vandals have broken out the glass windows. So instead for a break I sat down on the tent platforms and enjoyed conversation with some other hikers.}

Astro · Aug 4th 2019, 5:11pm

Day 26 cont.
Today I finally got a picture of something in videos that I had seen in videos and wanted for years. The little 500 miles to Katahdin sign. :thumbup:

Since I was going SoBo before that I saw sticks representing the current 500 mile point.

Astro · Aug 4th 2019, 7:42pm

You might be wondering why did I need to pick up a 17 mile section in Vermont?
In 2016 after staying at the Green Mountain House I stopped in the Bromley Mountain ski hut to take a break. While there a sketchy man with his Rambo knife and unruly dog showed up. I had run across him earlier in VT and his strange behavior. I planned to stay at the Peru Peak Shelter but I saw he was also planning to stay there, I decided to hike on to Lost Pond Shelter even though it would be raining soon. By the time I got to Lost Pond it was dark, so I quickly set up my tent and went to get water. Unfortunately in my haste I slipped and fell in the water with my phone in my pocket. I quickly shut it off.
The next morning I met at lady at the parking lot of Danby-Landgrove road who kindly drove me to the Mt Tabor Country Store to buy a box of rice to dry out my phone (unfortunately it did not work).

From there I hiked on to VT 103 and went .3 miles to set up my tent at Q's (previously the Whistle Stop). The next morning I had a good breakfast and then caught the bus into Rutland. After going to the grocery store I waited for Verizon to open and spent the rest of the morning replacing my phone. Fortunately most of my pictures were saved in the cloud except those I took two days prior at Bakers Peak.

I didn't try to go back to VT 103 because I already had a rental car scheduled in Hanover and meetings for when I got back home. I knew I would have to pick up this section later, so I started walking north in Rutland, grabbed some lunch, and after walking some more caught the bus to take me to the US 4 AT tail head. I walked past the Maine Junction and eventually took the Sherburne Pass down to the Inn at Long Trail. At the Inn I had the opportunity to eat dinner with a couple of young men from Germany I had hiked with earlier in VT. Their original plan was to hike the entire Long Trail, but had now decided instead to stop there and go to Boston where one of them knew a family he had been an exchange student with.

So now you know why I had to pick up those miles in VT.

max.patch · Aug 4th 2019, 8:35pm

lol, yeah your trip reports were much easier to follow when you hiked from point A to point B, returned the next year to hike point B to point C, and always went NOBO.

Astro · Aug 4th 2019, 8:48pm

max.patch wrote:

lol, yeah your trip reports were much easier to follow when you hiked from point A to point B, returned the next year to hike point B to point C, and always went NOBO.

Sorry about that. It was sorta out of necessity with my not yet full strength knee and trying to pick the best weather considering my physical condition. It was confusing to the people I kept running into multiple times on the trail (they would say I thought you were northbound, or southbound). :huh:

Next year should be more straight forward. Just Pinkham Notch to Grafton Notch and then Monson to Mt Katahdin.

IMScotty · Aug 4th 2019, 9:18pm

Astro: Re: The Inn at Long Trail: Surprised you missed dinner, my memory was that they served later than that. Perhaps the Guinness and Irish music have fogged up my recollections a bit.

StalkingTortoise · Aug 5th 2019, 7:37am

Orphan sections - I know a little something about them. A real PIA to get back to a small section of trail when you've completed the miles north and south of the orphan.

Maybe we'll cross paths next summer as I'm hoping to get from Gorham to Andover or Rangely.

Thanks for taking us along for the hike! :thumbup:

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 10:12am

StalkingTortoise wrote:

Orphan sections - I know a little something about them. A real PIA to get back to a small section of trail when you've completed the miles north and south of the orphan.

Maybe we'll cross paths next summer as I'm hoping to get from Gorham to Andover or Rangely.

Thanks for taking us along for the hike!

Look forward to the chance to meet you. Really enjoyed meeting LIHikers this year, and Coach Lou, Hiker Boy, JimmyJam, and IMScotty in the past. Also Trail Angel's Hiker Mom and Deer Hunter.

You have already hiked some of the Whites, so I am sure you know every bit better you are in shape definitely pays dividends.

StalkingTortoise · Aug 5th 2019, 11:05am

Yep... just under 4 weeks until I head north from Crawford Notch. I've dropped ~7 pounds since I started getting ready for this year's hike. Another 7 would make me happy. At least the pack will be light going hut-to-hut.

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 11:19am

StalkingTortoise wrote:

Yep... just under 4 weeks until I head north from Crawford Notch. I've dropped ~7 pounds since I started getting ready for this year's hike. Another 7 would make me happy. At least the pack will be light going hut-to-hut.

The huts are expensive, but worth it. I wish I had listened to others advice earlier. And in addition to the AMC member discount, there is an additional discount for 5 or more consecutive nights.
So nice to know your dinner, bed, and breakfast are already taken care of.

CoachLou · Aug 5th 2019, 11:33am

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

StalkingTortoise · Aug 5th 2019, 2:07pm

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

My buddy Smoking Sox and I strategically picked our hiking dates around the Labor Day holiday. We're hiking up to Mizpah on the Sunday of the holiday weekend - figured most folks would be headed for home on Monday so a traditional S to N traverse would be less crowded with a Sunday morning start. As of now, my plan appears to be sound. Mizpah is at capacity on Saturday evening but has plenty of bunks for Sunday. Lakes is at capacity for Sunday night but wide open for Monday. Same thing for Madison Spring. Carter Notch should be quiet come Thursday night. And I can mail myself a birthday package to Joe Dodge Lodge for Wednesday evening. Drop the pack, take a shower, and have a nip or two in the shadow of Mt. Washington.

I got a pleasant surprise when I saw the 5-night discount on my confirmation email. This might just be a fun hike compared to some of the forced marches we've done over the years.

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 2:13pm

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

My buddy Smoking Sox and I strategically picked our hiking dates around the Labor Day holiday. We're hiking up to Mizpah on the Sunday of the holiday weekend - figured most folks would be headed for home on Monday so a traditional S to N traverse would be less crowded with a Sunday morning start. As of now, my plan appears to be sound. Mizpah is at capacity on Saturday evening but has plenty of bunks for Sunday. Lakes is at capacity for Sunday night but wide open for Monday. Same thing for Madison Spring. Carter Notch should be quiet come Thursday night. And I can mail myself a birthday package to Joe Dodge Lodge for Wednesday evening. Drop the pack, take a shower, and have a nip or two in the shadow of Mt. Washington.
I got a pleasant surprise when I saw the 5-night discount on my confirmation email. This might just be a fun hike compared to some of the forced marches we've done over the years.

All you need now is the right weather.

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 3:55pm

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

^{At Lake of the Clouds I was sharing a room with at least 5 Canadian woman. All of the French got old after a while.}

jimmyjam · Aug 5th 2019, 5:10pm

Astro wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

^{At Lake of the Clouds I was sharing a room with at least 5 Canadian woman. All of the French got old after a while.}

you should have talked Pig Latin back to them, that would have blown their minds lol

jimmyjam · Aug 5th 2019, 5:13pm

Hey Astro, didn't you say you used a rain kilt? I just bought one from ULA to try out.

IMScotty · Aug 5th 2019, 5:24pm

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

My buddy Smoking Sox and I strategically picked our hiking dates around the Labor Day holiday. We're hiking up to Mizpah on the Sunday of the holiday weekend - figured most folks would be headed for home on Monday so a traditional S to N traverse would be less crowded with a Sunday morning start. As of now, my plan appears to be sound. Mizpah is at capacity on Saturday evening but has plenty of bunks for Sunday. Lakes is at capacity for Sunday night but wide open for Monday. Same thing for Madison Spring. Carter Notch should be quiet come Thursday night. And I can mail myself a birthday package to Joe Dodge Lodge for Wednesday evening. Drop the pack, take a shower, and have a nip or two in the shadow of Mt. Washington.
I got a pleasant surprise when I saw the 5-night discount on my confirmation email. This might just be a fun hike compared to some of the forced marches we've done over the years.

ST, beware that things will still probably be crazy crowded up there on Sunday. It might take you a while to secure a parking spot in the lots at the trailhead. Labor day weekend the cars are usually lined up and down the highways because all the lots are full. I would just wait for someone leaving to take their spot in the lot. You are right, by Monday afternoon things will have really died down.

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 5:29pm

jimmyjam wrote:

Hey Astro, didn't you say you used a rain kilt? I just bought one from ULA to try out.

Yes, I have using one of theirs for 7 years. Great if you hike in shorts like I usually do. Just notice some small tear holes this summer. I base that more on my falling on rocks in the Whites than their quality.

Astro · Aug 5th 2019, 5:32pm

IMScotty wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

My buddy Smoking Sox and I strategically picked our hiking dates around the Labor Day holiday. We're hiking up to Mizpah on the Sunday of the holiday weekend - figured most folks would be headed for home on Monday so a traditional S to N traverse would be less crowded with a Sunday morning start. As of now, my plan appears to be sound. Mizpah is at capacity on Saturday evening but has plenty of bunks for Sunday. Lakes is at capacity for Sunday night but wide open for Monday. Same thing for Madison Spring. Carter Notch should be quiet come Thursday night. And I can mail myself a birthday package to Joe Dodge Lodge for Wednesday evening. Drop the pack, take a shower, and have a nip or two in the shadow of Mt. Washington.I got a pleasant surprise when I saw the 5-night discount on my confirmation email. This might just be a fun hike compared to some of the forced marches we've done over the years.

ST, beware that things will still probably be crazy crowded up there on Sunday. It might take you a while to secure a parking spot in the lots at the trailhead. Labor day weekend the cars are usually lined up and down the highways because all the lots are full. I would just wait for someone leaving to take their spot in the lot. You are right, by Monday afternoon things will have really died down.

Another option is park at Pinkham Notch or wherever you will end and take the AMC shuttle for $20.

Drybones · Aug 5th 2019, 9:40pm

Astro wrote:

Day 26 cont.
Today I finally got a picture of something in videos that I had seen in videos and wanted for years. The little 500 miles to Katahdin sign.
Since I was going SoBo before that I saw sticks representing the current 500 mile point.

youtube.com/watch?v=ADN1lLEp3H0

CoachLou · Aug 6th 2019, 5:45am

The multiple night discount starts @ 3 nights!

StalkingTortoise · Aug 6th 2019, 6:56am

Astro wrote:

IMScotty wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Last year after 3 nights......I needed a break from the crowd.

My buddy Smoking Sox and I strategically picked our hiking dates around the Labor Day holiday. We're hiking up to Mizpah on the Sunday of the holiday weekend - figured most folks would be headed for home on Monday so a traditional S to N traverse would be less crowded with a Sunday morning start. As of now, my plan appears to be sound. Mizpah is at capacity on Saturday evening but has plenty of bunks for Sunday. Lakes is at capacity for Sunday night but wide open for Monday. Same thing for Madison Spring. Carter Notch should be quiet come Thursday night. And I can mail myself a birthday package to Joe Dodge Lodge for Wednesday evening. Drop the pack, take a shower, and have a nip or two in the shadow of Mt. Washington.I got a pleasant surprise when I saw the 5-night discount on my confirmation email. This might just be a fun hike compared to some of the forced marches we've done over the years.

ST, beware that things will still probably be crazy crowded up there on Sunday. It might take you a while to secure a parking spot in the lots at the trailhead. Labor day weekend the cars are usually lined up and down the highways because all the lots are full. I would just wait for someone leaving to take their spot in the lot. You are right, by Monday afternoon things will have really died down.

Another option is park at Pinkham Notch or wherever you will end and take the AMC shuttle for $20.

We have two options for September 1st:

#1 - Leave Belmont NH at 04:00. Drive two vehicles to the Route 2 trail crossing east of Gorham and drop one vehicle. Drive down to Crawford Notch (ETA 07:00) and find a place to park. Start hiking.
#2 - Sleep in. Drive one vehicle to the Rattle River Hostel. Fork over $80 for a shuttle to Crawford Notch. Start hiking.

#2 is looking better and better. We don't need to be on the trail at 07:00 to reach the Mizpah Spring Hut before dinner. And it would save us some time at the end of the hike if we didn't have to side track back to Crawford Notch to pick up a vehicle.

Astro, how long did it take you to hike up to Mizpah? Looks like you got a fairly late start based on the shuttle schedule.

Thanks all for your info and recommendations.

CoachLou · Aug 6th 2019, 8:52am

I just walked up Webster to Mizpah..........I do not run........I take hourly 10 minute breaks.........it took me 6 hours.

Astro on the AT 2019

IMScotty wrote:

IMScotty wrote:

IMScotty wrote:

max.patch wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Astro wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

jimmyjam wrote:

IMScotty wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

Astro wrote:

Astro wrote:

IMScotty wrote:

StalkingTortoise wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

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