16 – Maine | Mel and Mike Hike

Here are some of my favorites from Maine. I haven’t been very selective, since there was so much to like about Maine. Of course, it was wonderful to be in the final state of this fourteen-state journey, but additionally, the lakes and ponds and mountains of Maine can’t be topped.

Click on any picture to enlarge, and you may then scroll through all of them in the larger format. I hope you enjoy looking as much as we liked being there.

: Happy to leave New Hampshire behind and enter Maine on August 12th! The final state!

: Platform tenting at Carlo Col Shelter and Campsite

: Iron rungs in the rock heading up Goose Eye Mountain show that the first part of Maine has some tough climbs.

: A view from Goose Eye

: Looking toward another of Goose Eye’s peaks

: CLiCK! navigating Mahoosuc Notch

: Be kind to me…I gave blood at Mahoosuc Notch.

: Our buddy, Chainsaw, near the north end of the notch

: Speck Pond – the highest body of water in Maine

: Early evening – August 14th

: A small waterfall

: Pine Ellis Hiker Lodge in Andover, Maine – a great place to get into out of the rain!

: Fording one of Maine’s many streams that cross the AT. There aren’t many bridges on the trail here.

: After a soaking day, CLiCK!’s wet stuff hung out to dry at our tentsite

: Morning reflections on Long Pond – August 18th

: New and sturdy bog boards to takes us over the mud

: Roots and mud! How about a few more bog boards?

: Sunset – Rangeley, Maine

: Skirting Eddy Pond gave us a short break from the mountainous climbs.

: A few rock cairns mark the way.

: Hikers should stay off the delicate vegetation. With a very thin soil layer, treading anywhere but the trail is harmful.

: The start of a golden evening

: Crossing the south branch of the Carrabassett River

: We planned to just resupply in Stratton and move on, but with storms threatening, we decided to stay the night.

: A view in the Bigelow range – the last major string of mountains we’ll encounter.

: Avery Peak – the highest of the Bigelows.

: Looking back near the end of the day – we’re out of the Bigelows!

: Breakfast-time on August 23rd at Little Bigelow Lean-to. It’s a bit cold at 7 AM.

: 2000 mile congratulations! (with trail rerouting, this is actually at about 2010 miles))

: “Slip” and “Grip” – a couple of section hikers we met along the shore of East Carry Pond.

: Better than simple boards, this boardwalk was like a superhighway!

: Pierce Pond, where we camped, at the end of the day

: Not quite a bridge, but it’ll do!

: Kennebec River – the ferry is part of the trail as fording this large river can be unsafe.

: Owl, CLiCK! and the ferryman ready to cross

: I’ll get in next time!

: Northern Outdoors Resort at The Forks, Maine (near Caratunk). We picked up a package here, showered, and had lunch at the Kennebec River Pub & Brewery.

: A few feet of trail in Maine that’s not roots and rocks!

: Moxie Bald Lean-to

: 5:30 AM sunrise over the pond at Moxie Bald Lean-to

: At 6 AM, “Old Grand-dad” joined me to enjoy the sunrise.

: 6:10 AM, the same morning – without a doubt, the best sunrise of the trip.

: “Buckeye” a southbound sectioner ready to leave Moxie Bald Lean-to

: Old Grand-dad and CLiCK toast her being Shaw’s (Monson, ME) 1000th hiker of the season (she got breakfast on the house!)

: Little Wilson Falls – we entered the 100-mile Wilderness and forded this on August 27th, the day before Hurricane Irene hit Maine.

: Big Wilson Stream – the last we’d cross before the hurricane.

: Safe and secure in Wilson Valley Lean-to where we spent the night before and after Hurricane Irene swept through dumping 7 inches of rain that day!

: LongTime, Chevron and CLiCK! ready to leave the day after the hurricane.

: Long Pond Stream – because of the high water, we had to go about a mile out of our way to find a safe place to cross.

: Looking out from Barren Mountain

: Just another 47.2 miles until we’re out of the 100-mile Wilderness!

: Some say the Maine Appalachian Trail Club should spend more time working on the trail and less time perfecting their signs (indeed they make good signs!).

: Directions for the side trail to White House Landing (a bit of civilization and the only place to resupply in the 100-mile Wilderness)

: CLiCK! with a couple of guests who canoed into White House Landing.

: The dining lodge building at WHL

: One of the cabins at WHL

: The tomatoes were tasty!

: September 2nd – Our final night of camping (and my only night of “cowboy camping” – sleeping out under the stars)

: My view upon awakening September 3rd.

: September 3rd – Cooper and Anders crossing the Penobscot River on Abol Bridge (Golden Road) which marks the end of the 100-mile Wilderness.

: Penobscot River from Abol Bridge

: AT Lodge in Millenocket – we met Doni here and shuttled back and forth to the trail for our last two days of hiking.

: “Kackle” entering Baxter Park for the final 2 days of the hike. We hadn’t seen “Kackle” since Fontana Dam back in March! (He was simply “Tom” then; had no trail name yet.)