The Skinny:
- Mahoosuc Arm: not so bad!
- Old Speck: Great Views from the tower
- Baldpates: Awesome
- Om Dome: Zen
- Saddleback(s): giddy-up
- Bigelow(s): even better (and no tea?!)
- Kennebec River Crossing: piece of cake!
- Sterling Inn: fun, and a piano!
- Monson: wow, we’re almost there!!
In the last blog post, Trillian and I made it through the White Mountains in New Hampshire and crossed into Maine, where the trail did its best to kill me. Steep, rocky, root-ridden, ridiculous! But fun, of course. The end of last episode saw us traverse the wild Mahoosuc Notch--a mile-long obstacle course of boulders that took two hours to cross.
Day 121: Wednesday, August 5, 2026
from Mahoosuc Notch to Frye Notch Shelter at Mile 1,936.3
Such a beautiful morning to wake up to: glorious soft sunshine pouring through the canopy, warm air… I was in no hurry to get going. Woke around 6:00 a.m. and made coffee. Took time getting ready and made it to trail at 7:30. The push up Mahoosuc Arm, the so-called steepest mile of the AT really wasn’t that bad. There was always footing and the rocks were sticky: it made the haul less than awful: it took about an hour. Very happy to make it to the privy at the Speck Pond Shelter. From there we carried on to Old Speck. The summit was .3 mi down a blue-blaze. I went and Trillian held back. I climbed the lookout tower for amazing views. The descent down wasn’t too bad, though it was rather lengthy: 3.5 mi to the road crossing at Grafton Notch.
Down at Grafton Notch, Trillian and I stopped for lunch and saw plenty of hikers coming and going. Some young hikers asked how we get our food and I rather cheekily replied “sometimes kind people just share with us.” He didn’t take the hint. A short while later, thru-hikers “Foster” and “Terps” arrived and sorted through a resupply package they had sent themselves. They asked if we needed snacks: they couldn’t possibly carry all they sent themselves. Hoorah! As a matter of fact, I was rather in need of goodies! As we spoke, we made the connection that I met Foster back on April 7th in Georgia when I was at the initiation at Amicalola Falls visitor center–how crazy after all these months to run into her!
Ascent up to the Baldpates: steep, but much nicer trail than what we’ve encountered lately. En route, I heard a horrible screeching. Finally, I saw it: a garter snake eating a toad–still alive–that was squealing in what I could only assume was pain and terror, and probably begging for help. The snake had the toad’s hind leg fully swallowed, and I reckoned it was going to swallow the whole toad. What was I to do? I wanted to save the toad, but I sadly left it: it is the circle of life, after all.
After basking in the amazing views from the summits of the Baldpates, we started our journey down to the Frye Notch Lean-to, which we shared with flip-flop hikers “Bougie” and “Lemonade”. “Richard” spoke to us from inside his tent and coughed a lot.
Day 122: Thursday, August 6, 2026
to The Om Dome in Andover, ME via South Arm Road at Mile 1,950.9
Early start: up at ~5:00 a.m. Pushed hard and made it to South Arm Road, hot and tired, by 3:00 p.m. for the pickup to get to the Om Dome. The hiking wasn’t as bad, and we did well. Our pace was slowly starting to return to pre-NH rates… only just. Also waiting for a ride was “10-4”, a hiker from New Hampshire. She shared some fun ideas with us for upcoming hostels, including the Maine Roadhouse in Caratunk.
Yukon, the owner of the Om Dome, picked us up and took us first to a general store, where I grabbed some muffins and we both got a couple cold drinks. Then, it was a good ~30min drive to the Om Dome, with Ebenezer the Pug riding with us and providing entertainment. The property was very cool, and Yukon made us feel at home. There was a basement level with hiker hangout / kitchen, bunk room, laundry and bathroom; the main level was an open-concept sitting / dining / kitchen area, then the upstairs loft was for Trillian and I for the night. We had our own bath and a comfy bed up there.
We placed an order through Walmart to have our resupply delivered, got laundry sorted, showered outside, changed into loaner clothes (fun T-shirts and yoga pants) and relaxed for an hour or so before Yukon served us dinner. Along with the two of us were “AC” (who I met back in Franklin, NC at a coffee shop, wow!), and “Fozzy” with his girlfriend “Cuppa”. Dinner was gnocchi with a curry sauce, quinoa salad and watermelon. Delicious.
Day 123: Friday, August 7, 2026
to Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to at Mile 1,967.9
Great pancake breakfast with fellow northbound through hikers in the Om Dome. Shuttle to the trailhead at 8:00 a.m. and started hiking around 8:45. Dripping sweat as we climbed up from the road: a super steep ascent as we climbed up Old Blue Mountain. Very muggy and hot. The trail then took us over Bemis Mountain, which had a wooded summit, but Bemis Second Peak (yes, it’s called that) was more open, had some neat views and had LOADS of delicious blueberries: whole bunches of them ripe and ready.
For the longest time now, really since Vermont, we just haven’t seen any fellow Northbound hikers: it’s been truly odd. SoBo hikers and day hikers galore, but nobody we have known. All that changed today, and we all kept leapfrogging each other: “10-4”, “AC”, “Fozzy” and “Cuppa”, “Tusk” and “Top Hat”… it was a party on the Appalachian Trail.
We then descended to the “Four Ponds” area and saw a couple large groups of girls from summer camps: one group from Quebec and the other from New Hampshire. Some of them advised that they had taken up a lot of room by the shelter, but that the shelter itself was open. Thankfully, it was so when we arrived and Trilly and I set up next to AC, Tusk and Top Hat. The water for the shelter was from Sabbath Day Pond. There were loads of leeches and it seemed weird to drink this water but, after being filtered, it tasted fine. We cooked in fading light and ate by headlamp. It rained during the night.
Day 124: Saturday, August 8, 2027
to Piazza Rock Lean-to at Mile 1,979.1
Woke to the sound of all the kids getting ready to leave camp. It was drizzling still, but we were dry in the shelter. It was forecasted to be a rainy day. We got going before 8:00 a.m. and made good time. Both Trillian and I were worn out and tired. We crossed Route 4 (no magic, gosh darn it), and ascended to the Piazza Rock Lean-to, famous for it’s double privy with cribbage board between the two “commodes”. The weather had improved quite a bit, and we could easily have carried on: getting Saddleback out of the way safely (there was concern because of the forecast and a large exposed area above treeline that can be gnarly in bad weather), but the two of us were pooped. We decided to stay, and planned out the coming days. We could take two more days to get to Stratton for our resupply, then another two days to Caratunk (over the Kennebec River), then to Monson before the 100 Mile Wilderness and still be in good shape. Our bodies were asking for a break. So, we listened. Around 5:00 p.m. there were rumbles of thunder.
Only a little rain came through, but many hikers arrived. Fozzy and Cuppa showed up and set up on the far side of the shelter, then a load of SoBo hikers including “Lex” (as in Lexington, Kentucky (she annoyingly repeated that to everyone)), and her maybe hiking partner “Tex”. I’m sure they’re really very nice people. Fellow NoBo hiker “Mint” from Norway also showed up and cooked with us, then set up tent somewhere.
Day 125: Sunday, August 9, 2026
to Spaulding Mountain Lean-to at Mile 1,996.0
Slept well. Coffee at 6, the morning seems calm, though it had obviously rained overnight.
Hiked over the Saddlebacks, home to one of Maine’s most popular ski resorts (although all the ski trails were on the far side of the mountains and we saw none of it) as well as the ‘Horn’ and Lone Mountain before getting to our shelter on the side of Spaulding Mountain.
Day 126: Monday, August 10, 2026
to The Maine Roadhouse in Stratton, ME via Route 27 at Mile 2,009.5
On the road by 7:00 a.m. after using braving the “open” privy.
Steep climbing up Spaulding Mountain, then down the backside of Sugarloaf, then up the two Crockers. Lunch on North Crocker.
Descent down to Rte. 27, where we got picked up and taken to a great hostel: The Maine Roadhouse. We met a bunch of fun hikers there including “Joker” and “Redman” from Germany. I made pasta for Trillian and I and enjoyed some white wine. Later, some hikers left a bunch of pie in the fridge with ‘free’ written on it. Joker and I polished it off!
Day 127: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
to Little Bigelow Lean-to at Mile 2,024.8
Two pots of coffee and too many muffins before leaving the Maine Roadhouse. We got an 8:00 a.m. transfer to trail. It rained last night and all is soggy, but the forecast is calling for sun. The first two miles were relatively flat: what is this!? The flat ended and the hiking got real. There were simply amazing views from the Bigelows. Lunch on Avery Peak, sheltered from the stiff wind. Awesome views from Little Bigelow Mountain… getting tired as the day wore on. It was a big hiking day.
Decided to camp at the Little Bigelow Lean-to and make tomorrow a longer day…
Day 128: Wednesday, August 12, 2026
to The Sterling Inn in Caratunk, ME via US Route 201 at Mile 2,046.4
On trail before 6:00 a.m., it was almost cruisy in the begging, and then also not…
The weather was so fine that we stopped for lunch at East Carry Pond and went for a skinny dip! We hiked over 21 miles and the end was a real gem of ‘Maine Obstacle Course’ hiking: perfect, because we had scheduled an after-hours ferry ride across the Kennebec River with a local lady. We tried to pick up the pace to keep our appointment time. Luckily, we made it, and Cheryl was there to meet us with her canoe and we paddled across the river to her home. She gave us a ride to the Sterling Inn, which is a FABULOUS hiker-friendly B&B in Caratunk.
After getting checked in and settled, the staff shuttled us to a nearby lodge that serves rafters and we ate a pretty lousy dinner there. We should have stayed at the Sterling and figured something out! We still had fun, though…
Back at the Sterling Inn, I asked if it’d be alright if I played the piano in the dining room. I ended up attracting a little crowd and I played lots of requests and I ended up getting posted on their Facebook page, ha! It was very fun to play the piano, and I’d love to return to the Sterling Inn someday.
Day 129: Thursday, August 13, 2026
to Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to at Mile 2,061.2
Delicious breakfast at the Sterling Inn. Back to trail around 9:00 a.m… it rained on and off. Had lunch with Redman and Joker, waiting out the heavier rain. The day dragged on. I have no pictures, and not much to say about the day. I was feeling tired, I was starting to drag.
Day 130: Friday, August 14, 2026
to the Hundred Mile Wilderness Hostel in Monson, ME off Mile 2,079.9
Woke very tired. Alarm went off at 4:45 a.m… I had gotten eight hours of sleep, but was still exhausted. Had coffee… Napped a little. Still tired. Finally got up around 7:30. It poured through the night and I slept right through it. Trillian told me the thunder was so loud she nearly grabbed me…. I didn’t hear a thing!
Fairly easy hiking all day, which was good, because we were both exhausted. We had to ford the Piscataquis River twice, and used both opportunities for a nice break. We were nearly in Monson, after which remained only the 100 Mile Wilderness and then Katahdin. I’m sure that my exhaustion was part mental: realizing that the miles were quickly counting down.
In Monson, the popular place to stay is Shaw’s Hiker Hostel, reached via a pickup on Greenville Road. A few miles earlier, however, a side trail led to another hostel that I wanted to try. There was a brief moment of cell signal and we called asking about availability. The owner that I spoke to said that “Puzzles” was there and would check me in. So, we walked to the Hundred Mile Wilderness Hostel and met Puzzles. We were the only ones there, and we got the royal treatment. We had a bunkhouse all to ourselves, and Puzzles took us in to town, where I got a package from home, and we bought food. The hostel was fabulous and I’m glad we stayed there. In the end, we liked it so much we decided to take a zero; but that’s a story for another blog post… the last blog post, as it happens: Katahdin isn’t far away, now.
Don't miss the next and FINAL blog post, culminating this epic 2,198-mile journey up the Appalachian Trail. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below!
You both are amazing!! Stay safe! Almost there!!!
Amazing journey. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Don’t leap frog to the next shelter, rather stroll and smell the roses!
Exciting to know that you’re nearing the end (or have actually finished)!
What an accomplishment! I’m proud of you. A lifetime memory made. Hope to see you this fall on the Pearl.