No Pain, No Maine

I had heard that southern Maine was the toughest part of the AT but found it hard to believe it could be more challenging than The Whites. Although the elevation is lower, So. Maine is a brutal section, in part because of the rockiness, but also because the trail is so rough and choppy. There's the famous Mahoosuc Notch--a maze of boulders lodged in a deep canyon that requires a lot of maneuvering and even removing the pack to get through. But there are many jagged climbs like Bald Plate, Old Blue, and Mahoosuc Arm that just ground me up.

Start of Mahoosuc Notch

Thar's trail in there!

I stopped briefly in Andover to regroup and stayed at The Cabin, a fixture on the AT for 20 years. Bear and Honey are fabulous hosts and I feel honored to share their space in this, their last season. The recharge helped me but dang this trail is tough.

The Cabin, E.Andover

Made it to Rangeley ME yesterday for a resupply and rest day. I hear the trail gets easier in another 45 mi or so. I hope so. My knees and ankles are swollen. And any time there is rain, the difficulty level increases exponentially.

Rangeley Lake

Missed the hiker fest by a day. Dang

View of Mooselookmeguntic Lake (yes, it's real)

Rangeley is a cool little town with a coffee shop, outfitters and even a Thai restaurant. Rangeley Lake is part of a larger chain of lakes throught Maine and New England that are part of the "Northern Canoe Trail". Seems like a good place to recharge before this next puch over Saddleback and the Bigelows.