Rangeley, ME 1973.9 (zero miles, 948.5 total miles)
I managed to stay asleep till 8AM, when everyone woke up around the same time. After hanging out for a while talking, we made our way to Sunrise Bagel in Waterville.
Even after all the bagels I’d eaten while hiking through New York and New Jersey, this place’s rosemary olive oil variety was by far one of the best bagels I’ve ever had. The shop had a very cool vibe to it that I appreciated as well.
After eating, Ashley and Jordan drove Sunshine, Catchup, and I to Walmart in the same town. I bought a couple accessories for my phone I needed to replace, and Sunshine got a dress to wear to the brew fest later.
We made one more stop on the way, to a dispensary called Sweet Dirt, also in Waterville. Maine is fully legal for recreational, and this one had a lot of products and a very friendly staff.
Back at the house, we quickly got ready to head to the Kennebec Brew Fest. Ashley lent me a dress and Jordan let Catchup use one of his shirts. I wear a lot of dresses off the trail, and I always enjoy the experience of getting different clothes to wear on trail, since I’m always in the same two outfits when I’m hiking.
It was turning into a scorching hot day, as we drove to Ashley’s brother’s house nearby. Ashley’s sister in law, Stephanie, met us there. Stephanie is a great person, who I’ve been lucky enough to know for years, and it was awesome to see her.
The brew fest was in an open field next to the river, though they had plenty of sunblock and water available, since the day was now approaching 90 degrees, and felt like 100 degrees according to our phones.
The brew fest was very fun, though. We also met up with Glen and Riva, friends of Ashley and her brother’s that I knew previously, as well.
I had a great time, but it did remind me that working every Saturday for five years meant I’d been missing out on fun stuff like this for a long time. It reinforced my desire to have a much more flexible work life after the trail.
We tried samples of beer, cider, and wine, had vendor food, and played a round of cornhole. While we were sitting under a tent eating, I saw in the group text that the Cult had finished their hike.
Seeing all the pictures of them on Katahdin made me a little emotional. I was so happy for everyone, and for Jedi completing his Triple Crown (CDT, PCT, and AT).
It was bittersweet, of course, because for a few hundred miles or so I thought I was going to complete my hike with them. I’d realized on reflection yesterday, that things had honestly worked out for the best.
It was hard when I fell back, but it was better for my body. Beyond that, if I’d finished Katahdin August 6th, it would have been three weeks earlier than recommended to go back to Harpers Ferry and hike south.
It is suggested to start the southern portion of a flip flop September 1st or later because it is extremely hot and humid in Virginia in August, and the other flip floppers and SOBOs wouldn’t typically be around to hike near till September.
Going from hiking in New Hampshire and Maine is going to be a culture shock regardless I’m guessing, but no point in making it harder on myself by starting weeks earlier than I need to.
Wizard said he’d taken ten days off between the northern and southern halves of his hike, and he told me that was too much time, and took him out of the head space of thru hiking.
I’m planning no more than five days off, three in CT and two in PA, but finishing August 6th most likely would have resulted in me taking too much time off, or having a rough time at the start of my southern half.
I was glad everything had worked out the way it did, and I had used all the extra time I’d banked to take my time in the two most beautiful and fun (for me) states of the northern half of the trail.
It is a lot logistically to start a flip flop sometime in between mid April and mid May, without knowing how fast the hike will actually go, and hope to finish at the right time to go south at the opportune moment.
At the brew fest, were absolutely soaked in sweat after a couple hours, so when Ashley and Jordan suggested renting a canoe and paddle board to go swimming on a nearby lake, there was no hesitation in our agreement.
Stephanie brought us back to Ashley’s car at her house, and Catchup and Sunshine got to meet Moxie and Bowie, her and Andy’s dog and cat.
At Ashley and Jordan’s house, we switched cars to Jordan’s 2500, so when we got to the rental place, we could load the canoe and paddle board onto the truck.
Jordan and Catchup did a great job getting everything secured, and Sunshine, Ashley, and I enjoyed watching their male bonding moment.
A few minute drive later, we arrived at a boat launch on Belgrade Lake. We unloaded everything into the water, and Catchup and I shared the stand up paddle board.
I’d never used one before, so he did the paddling at first while I sat near the front of the board to keep balance. The other three took the canoe, and we paddled out to the middle of the lake to swim.
The water was the perfect temperature, 70 degrees or so we were guessing, and it felt like heaven after the heat all day.
We swam and hung out on the water for a quite a while, during which motorized boats zoomed through the lake, and we rocked on the waves of their wakes. I got to try out paddling the board as well, and got the hang of it quickly.
We realized after a couple hours that we’d drifted out quite far, and the sun was getting low in the sky. We paddled back, and tried unsuccessfully to get a tow in from another boat or jet ski.
Catchup did a great job paddling all the way back, though I offered to take over. He is big into surfing, so was very at home on the board.
We swam again when we were close to the dock, and loaded everything back on Jordan’s truck. At the house, we changed and got ready for dinner. Ashley lent me some jeans, and I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of wearing jeans again.
We went to Silver Street Tavern, where I’d gone with Ashley for lunch my last time in Maine, and got a table outside. It was after 9 by then, and we got apps, dinner, and dessert.
Catchup and I ate the most, as he had two entrees, and I ate a huge plate of stuffed haddock. I was uncomfortably full for the next few hours, but I couldn’t pack out haddock and I needed the calories.
At Ashley and Jordan’s we played one more game of spoons, which Catchup won this time, and got to bed around midnight. I felt super grateful to have such good friends that had given us multiple nights of lodging in Maine, driven us all around, and treated us to the canoe and paddle board rental.
It had been a wonderful triple zero, and I was glad we’d taken the bonus day. Ashley is one of my favorite people in the world, and it was awesome to spend time with her and Jordan, plus the people I hike with. It was a colliding of my two worlds in the best way.