It was a slow morning. Sleep hadnt been bad last night, but it wasn’t great either. I didn’t have the energy first to get out of my bag and then to go about my morning chores. When I finally came around to eating, I groaned. I knew what would sit well with me  

I forced down a full pack of instant mashed potatoes. They’re not the best in the best of times, but when you have them at 6 in the morning, they’re a special type of torture to eat. But at least that was 440 calories of carbs that I had inside of me. 

I walked off, retracing the walk to the water from last night and then off into unknown lands. I walked up and down and eventually came to a river. I sat down next to it to eat a bit more breakfast and fill up my water when a local day hiker stopped me. When I told her I was thru hiking and heading north, she said “congrats!” 

“I haven’t made it yet,” I responded. Not wanting to jinx anything. 

“Oh honey,” she said. “If you’ve made it this far, I know you’ll finish.” And then she disappeared down the trail.  

It’s funny, now that we are in Maine, a lot of conversation is suddenly about finishing. What date. How many days left. Do you want it to end? Do you think you’ll do another? And so on. Before crossing into Maine, it was always about the next state and the torture that state would bring. But now it’s about the end. 

I climbed up from there for the next 3 miles, climbing just over 2,000 feet. Much of the climb was steep but it wasn’t until the end that it got super steep and I found myself once again on hands and knees, pulling myself up an exposed ledge. But it was worth it. The summit view was one of the best so far. I could look out in any direction and see forever. It felt like right there, at the top of Baldpate Mountain, was the center of the universe. 

The rest of the day was smooth. First a long cruisy downhill. 4 or 5 miles of well graded trail that sloped downward at an incline that wasn’t scary. That actually allowed you to move. 

After that downhill was the uphill to match. A long well graded climb. It was actually enjoyable to go up. It felt like being back in GA. The trail wasn’t jagged rock and I never felt like I had to stop to catch my breath or to figure out how best to approach a scramble. 

I was zoned out on this uphill thinking about the trail, the end, the jingles stuck in my head and so on when someone called out from behind me. “Did this day just become more dart-tastic??”

I jumped a foot in the air. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t heard Rod Stewart (still not that Rod Stewart) come up behind me. He was followed by Dip, silver crotch and another guy whose name I don’t know. 

After a long day of talking to no one, it was good to catch up with them and shoot the breeze about nothing in particular. We talked about shoes and jackets and, of course, finish dates. 

I left them and found a beautiful camp site at the top of the next mountain. Ready for another early night. 

Key stats:

Miles: 17

Elevation gained: 5300 ft

Mile marker: 1946

Time I got into bed: 7:34