All that remained...

Wolf Burger Challenge

Along the trail there have been many challenges. Huge mountains, bad weather, and sore bones just to name a few. Then there are the food challenges. The Half Gallon Challenge and a pizza pie a day in PA. I issued myself a challenge after my first stop in Georgia. I vowed to eat a cheeseburger in every town that I stopped in. Thus far I have been a champion! When I arrived in Stratton ME I was informed of the Wolf Burger Challenge. Any self-respecting cheeseburger aficionado couldn't turn down this opportunity. So I stepped up to the plate and placed my order. My challenge: consume 3 wolf burgers and three orders of fries in under an hour. The wolf burger is no joke. A half pound burger topped with a sausage patty, 4 pieces of hickory smoked bacon, mushrooms and cheese. With the 3 full plates laid in front of me, the challenge was on! 1st burger, no problem. Second burger, getting full. 20 minutes in...third burger is uncomfortable. With a few bites remaining in the third I began housing the fries and mixing in bites of the burger. 1st plate of fries done with 25 mins to go....very uncomfortable at this point. I began dipping fries in water. Second plate of fries done with under 15 mins left. Every bite becomes extremely difficult. Fighting the urge to lose my dinner now. Blue, Wolfpack, and Humpty Dumpty are cheering me on and playing inspiring music on the jukebox. 3 mins left and only scraps left to clean up. I bite into a small piece of roll with the last remaining mushroom clinging to the bottom and try to swallow....my body says no... My feet say run....out the door....and there, just outside I lose my bid to become the 5th person to complete the Wolf Burger Challenge.....

Breakfast of Champions!

Gunny cooked us pancakes and bear sausage. Squirrel added the Budweiser

Andover

.   One of the greatest parts of being on the trail is never being able to expect what will come next. When we caught a ride into Andover Saturday we were on a quick mission. Pick up packages and get back to the woods. When our shuttle driver, Gunny, pulled up in a mini van blasting old school rap we didn't know what to expect. Turns out, Gunny was a great guy. In his early 50s, retired military, he runs a casual ATV tour company and a really casual hostel. A short ride later and he had us staying at his hostel for the night..,.which then turned into a much needed zero day Sunday. 
 Andover's "Homes Day Celebration" was in full swing as we entered town. "The biggest day of the year" Gunny explained. After a minor detour thru town due to the local parade, we got set up in our palace for the night. An old RV served it's purpose. Our expectations are extremely low after 5 months on the trail. Satellite tv and worn out mattresses equals heaven for tired thru hikers. Not long after arriving Gunny took us on a tour of Andover's best swimming holes, rope swings and cliff jumps. We missed the local lawnmower race downtown in favor of cooling off from the Maine heat....a blistering 85 degrees. 
  It was a great weekend we never expected. I sure will miss this!

Southern Maine

Bluegrass, Squirrel, Wolfpack and I crossed into Maine on Friday. The final state! I wish I could say the hiking got easier but like the last 200 miles, more tough days.
It's been difficult to estimate our distance in these hills. Most mountains have sections requiring hand over hand scrambling up or down near vertical rock faces. At one time is was easy to assume that I could average over two miles an hour thru moderate terrains. Now, thru certain sections we average 1/4 mile an hour. Ever since northern Vermont the mountains have been extremely difficult. After finishing the White Mts. I was under the impression things would get a little easier....I was wrong. The Northern Maine terrain requires slow and deliberate moves. A 16 mile day from Gentian Pond Shelter, up Mt. Success, across the Maine border, up Goose Eye West and East Peak, down into the Mahoosuc Notch, straight up Mahoosic Arm, then a night hike to the peak of Old Speck Mt. took us 13 1/2 hours.
The Mahoosuc Notch is regarded as the "toughest or most fun mile" on the A.T. I wouldn't agree with either statement but it was interesting trekking thru the boulder strewn notch with vertical walls rising a thousand feet on either side. We hopped from rock to boulder, squeezed thru tight openings and crawled underneath gigantic rocks. As we carefully made our way thru the boulder field we felt the cold air escaping from caves below. We heard a stream running underneath us but couldn't see it. I found sheets of ice still holding strong in the deeper holes.
We made camp well after dark that night. We were rewarded with rare views from Old Spec the next morning. After waking up on the peak, the sun burnt thru the cloud resting over us revealing a blanket of clouds beneath us, covering all the lower peaks.
As always, the days on the trail are long and difficult but always rewarding and beautiful. Our days are numbered though. With over 1900 miles completed we have 16 days until projected summit of Katahdin.

Blue-bead Lilies

And then there was one.....Maine!!!

Fresh Blueberries

Hiking or rock climbing?

Many sections of the Whites require hand-over-hand climbing. Here, Wolfpack demonstrates the proper technique.

Goodbye White Mts!

After 8 days of hiking we dropped out of the White Mountains late yesterday afternoon. It was a spectacular run across the toughest terrain I've had the pleasure of hiking.
Monday morning Bluegrass, Squirrel, Wolfpack, Cotton and I began our climb up the boulder strewn side of Mt. Washington. We were extremely lucky to have views from the notoriously cloudy summit. It was a great moment to reach this Mountain which we had been talking about for months but I was quick to make an escape from that tourist trap. The summit has a weather observatory, museum and restaurant. There were tons of tourist that rode the Cog railroad up the mountainside. Yes, a train that spits a plum of black smoke a hundred foot high delivers weekenders up this huge peak every hour on the hour. There is something extremely annoying about tourist when you have spent consecutive months in the wilderness.
Leaving the summit, the rest of the northern presidential range loomed ahead. That afternoon was spent hiking across the ridge in perfect weather crossing Mt. Jefferson and Madison. No less then an hour before we hit the peak of Madison a hiker had to be air lifted off the peak. One missed foot hold and the older hiker fell a number of feet onto huge boulders which caused a dislocated hip and severe head lacerations. Only two nights before Bluegrass and Wolfpack delivered water up mt. Webster to two section hikers who had misjudged the terrain and hadn't been able to locate water. They slept by our fire that night and hopefully learned a valuable lesson. Another hiker, Tom who stayed with us last night, dislocated his hip this morning and is currently being carried off Wildcat mountain by rescuers. I'm feeling lucky to have left the Whites with only sore knees.
Maine is less then 15 miles away now. Everyday anticipation is growing. There is a feeling that nothing can stop us now. There is still plenty of tough hiking left though. The Bigelow Mts. of southern Maine, Mahoosuc Notch and the 100 mile wilderness are still out there. Roughly 20 days until our expected summit of Katahdin. Living the dream!!

Blue caught a brown trout!