Top of the Saddlebacks
This stretch of Trail covered ~30 miles, and it was quite a haul for us. This 30 miles involved climbing and descending five 4,000 foot peaks in the Saddleback and Crocker Mountains. But the hard work required to reach these summits was rewarded with some of the most spectacular views we've had since the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
The Saddlebacks were incredibly gorgeous, if a bit windy in the 4 miles of Trail above treeline. We had 360-degree views of the Rangely Lakes and because there were several open summits to climb one after another, we were able to look back across the entire ridgeline we had climbed before we made the big descent off the Saddlebacks. Views well worth the sore feet and burning hamstrings.
Clouds Clearing over the Saddlebacks
Windy Lunch at the Summit
...very windy...
Hiking above Treeline
We had originally planned to complete this stretch of Trail in 3 days/2 nights. But after hiking 11 miles over 3 of the Saddleback peaks on the first day of this outing, I had to concede that I had overestimated my abilities. We only hiked 8 miles the second day, camping a bit early to give our legs a bit of time to rest. This meant we had to re-evaluate our logistics a bit, since we would now either have to spend a 3rd night out camping or find a different way for Trail Angel to pick us up. Luckily, Trail Angel is the Queen of Logistics and Secret AT Backroads, so with our last granola bar and thunderstorms in the forecast, we hikes ~5 miles to an old logging road and got picked up just in time to get out of the rain. We hiked the last 8 miles over the Crocker Mountains the next day, well-fed, dry and with just our slackpacks on. This last 8 miles included a very special milestone: the 2,000 mile mark for Northbound AT hikers. It's hard to believe that Amicus and I have *walked* 2,000 miles on a continuous Trail (albeit in pieces) - on purpose, for fun. Now with less than 200 miles to go, the end is closer than ever.
2000 miles of AT hiked!
This was a pretty difficult stretch of Trail for us, with multiple 4,000 foot peaks to tackle. After this stretch, we happily indulged ourselves in our favorite Trail pastime - finding the best local eateries and sampling as much as we can. Since we're in Maine, it won't be hard for anyone to guess what Team Nano (those of us without a shellfish allergy) was craving. 2,000 miles and counting, Friends of Nano. More mountains, lakes and lobsters ahead.
Rewards for Hungry Hikers in Maine.
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