Friends of Nano - after 8 very long years I am delighted to dust off this blog and welcome you back to this Grand Adventure. So much has happened since we were last here, and in many ways I am a very different Nano than I was in 2014, so allow me to catch you up on nearly a decades worth of life.
PERSONAL UPDATES
Most importantly, Team Nano has a new member - Uno. It feels strange to "introduce" Uno as my husband now that we've been married for 7 years, but this will be his debut on the Grand Adventures Blog. Long distance backpacking wasn't a hobby of his before I got my hands on him, but now he Adventures with the best of them. He's been on a few short trips to the AT with me since we've been married but this will be his first extended trip. I have no doubt he will do amazing in the Wild, like he does everywhere. He is the last missing piece this Grand Adventure needed.
Nano and Uno, Adventuring Together since 2015
PROFESSIONAL UPDATES
When I first started this Grand Adventure, I had just graduated college. When I last blogged, I was almost finished with medical school. Now, I am not only finished with medical school but residency and fellowship. 11 years of medical training between two states is now complete. Emotions too numerous to list come with this achievement - excitement, relief, extreme happiness, some fear of what's to come. But I can think of no better way to celebrate this milestone than a nice long walk in the woods to bridge the "training" and "real world" chapters of my life.
Nano, MD
TRAIL UPDATES
Since 2014, Team Nano has made three short trips to the AT. It was difficult to make much progress when I could only take one week off at a time during residency and fellowship, but we did manage to hike ~60 miles of Trail between those trips. Our most recent trip was in May 2019, when we managed to make it to what is widely known as the "Hardest Single Mile" of the AT - Mahoosuc Notch. This mile of Trail is infamous among locals and thru-hikers alike. While theres only ~350 feet of elevation change, the entire mile is a field of giant boulders that requires more climbing/crawling/jumping/falling than hiking to traverse. Being naive Southerners instead of mountain-folk, we did not anticipate that even in late May, the Mahoosuc Range in Maine would still be completely full of snow and ice. We arrived at the southern end of the Notch after hiking several miles over snow in crampons, took one look at the icy boulders, and promptly headed straight out a side trail to Trail Angel so that Team Nano could live to hike another day.
Team Nano - very cold on the AT in 2019
Iced-in Notch in 2019
PRESENT DAY
Which brings us to today. Now that all my medical training is finished and I am able to take some time off, naturally, the first thing I wanted to do was continue (and possibly complete) this Grand Adventure. After packing up our fellowship life we headed straight to Maine promptly hit the Trail.
DAYS 1-2
We spent the first two days hiking just 10 miles of Trail. We had to start where we last left - at the previously iced-over Mahoosuc Notch. No ice this time, just a solid mile of giant boulders. Overall between the terrain and my woefully out-of-Trail-shape legs it took us a little over 3 hours to navigate the Notch. We made it out exhausted but with only one fall (me), but nothing serious. Because the AT is a cruel mistress, we had a brutal climb to tackle right after, but we went slow and managed. We slept well at camp that night and made it up and over one more climb the next day to rejoin our Trail Angel, as well as Hooter and Mrs Hooter who came all the way from the Deep South to join us for the first part of this leg of our journey - a truly special treat.
Entering the Notch - no ice this time.
It was 3+ hours of this...
DAY 3
Hooter and Mrs Hooter joined us for our third day out for a bit of "slackpacking." We were able to hike 10 miles over the Baldplate Mountains, and although it was a tough hike with lots of elevation change, we were rewarded with a beautiful day and some spectacular views. Even after spending just two days carrying my big pack, it felt wonderful to be able to travel light. We treated ourselves to some giant sandwiches from an amazing local grocery store after and went home very happy campers.
Team Nano at the Baldplate Summit
DAY 4
Another day of "slackpacking" and 10 more miles in the books for us on our fourth day of hiking. We had to break out our rain gear for about an hour today, but luckily the downpour didn't last long. The near-constant elevation changes the AT in New Hampshire and Southern Maine are famous for continue. The terrain is rarely ever flat and therefore we're almost always on a (seemingly usually steep) incline or decline. The Maine Trail Crews have worked hard to make this terrain traversable and we saw (and were thankful for) evidence of their efforts while we were climbing today. Despite getting wet, all was well when we got to go back to Trail Angel, the Hooters and a home cooked meal.
Wet on the AT
Typical Maine AT Climb
DAYS 5-6
We said farewell to our dear friends the Hooters the morning of our 5th day of hiking and set out for an overnight section. Some more "Classic Maine" steep climbs and descents, but with some special treats. We found "the best bench in Maine", caught a gorgeous sunrise over Bemis Mountain, met a family of grouse, and made it off the Trail on the second day before the thunderstorms rolled in. As Hooter would say - "it's all about timing."
Nano, Uno and the Best Bench in Maine
The Calm Before the Storm
Overall, we hiked nearly 50 miles this week, and in this terrain with as out of practice as I am, I'll take it. It feels so good to have my hiking boots on again. Stay tuned, friends of Nano, we're just getting started (again...)
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