Congratulations Ray!
Ray summited Katahdin on July 29, completing his Appalachian Trail section hike.
Ray summited Katahdin on July 29, completing his Appalachian Trail section hike.
For the record, I hiked the trail in three sections:
- Sec 1: Springer GA to Harpers Ferry WV, 1,022 mi in 49 days - Mar 1 to Apr 18, 2013
- Sec 2: Harpers Ferry WV to Lincoln NH, 777 mi in 44 days - Apr 12 to May 25, 2016
- Sec 3: Lincoln NH to Katahdin, 389 mi in 24 days - Jul 06 to Jul 29, 2016
That makes four AT hikes now: three thru-hikes and another section hike. This hike was also a big success and I couldn't be more pleased.
A chance visit with this Eastern Chipmunk in Maine was one of the highlights of my hike. It was almost tame as a hamster. That's my cookie.
On the summit of Baldpate Mountain (East Peak).
Camping on the top of Lone Mountain.
I've camped here before, in fact it's one of my favorite spots. You can't tell from the photo, but the ground drops away on all sides, making for perfect drainage. And I needed drainage today because it was raining. There's a nice creek here also. At the foot of Little Bigelow Mountain.
Half a mile beyond Moxie Bald Lean-to. This is one of those places where I thought: "This will have to do, because I'm tired of hiking for the day." Turned out very comfortable. Note that there is no tree supporting the far end of the tarp. Not even a support stick. I'm using an advanced technique described in the Tarp Book Essential (page 113), and which I invented.
Same camp, again no tree.
I've camped here before also. In fact, this place is on the cover of the Tarp Book Essential, high up on Barren Mountain.
I had to bushwhack down to the creek to find this campsite. If would have died here, no one would have found me for umpteen years. It was that remote. I have washed my shirt, shorts and face towel, and have a Hiker's Friend hanging in a nearby tree, filtering water. I had found only one water source the entire day (in the Charbacks), and had to stop a bit early to camp by this nice creek because I couldn't carry more than two liters, and needed three times that. This was close to the Gulf Hagas Cut-off Trail.
Close to Mountain View Pond.
Close to the gravel beach of Nahmakanta Lake (south end).
Most hikers camp at or close to the shelters, but sites like this one are all over the place. Most hikers never see them because they aren't looking for them. I doubt that this site has been used in the history of the AT. It's about 150 feet from the trail, and one mile from Abol Bridge and the northern end of the 100 mile wilderness.
The Birches in Baxter State Park, my last camping of the trip.