Bemis Stream 1959.9 to Rangeley, ME 1973.9 (14 miles, 948.5 total miles)
This morning Catchup, Sunshine, and I all got up together at 5:30AM. Normally she’d get up before us, but we were all excited to get into Rangeley and meet with Ashley.
Another hiker, Trail Mix, had arrived in the evening, a NOBO who I hadn’t met before. I packed up my wet tent from the rain of the night before, though everything else had stayed dry, fortunately.
I led the way as Catchup and I hiked up the ridge from the road. It wasn’t too bad of a climb, 927 feet over one mile, though I had to walk off more calf tightness.
Close to the top of the ridge, we passed Route 17, which has a scenic overlook that I’ve driven by several times before. Unfortunately, there was still too much fog rising off the lakes to get a good view.
Once we arrived on the ridge, the hiking became very easy. A couple miles in we passed Moxie Pond, which we could only see through the trees. Moxie is part of Long Pond, where we arrived after another mile and a half.
The day had cleared up to sun and blue skies, and though the sandy beach of Long Pond was very tempting, it didn’t feel warm enough to swim in yet.
We saw Sunshine at Long Pond, who was feeling in pain and sore. Catchup and I chatted with her for a few before we all hiked on.
We passed Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to, but didn’t stop, and as we were hiking up a hill we saw power line work being done in a clearing.
It was peaceful in the forest, and the trail was more generous than it had been since the flat 4 miles of hiking after Zealand Falls Hut back in the Whites.
We stopped at a campsite located at Little Swift River Pond to get water, 9 miles into the day. At the campsite we saw Legz and Rude, and Sunshine arrived a little after us.
While I used the privy just down the trail, Catchup was nice enough to collect water for both him and I. The water tasted and smelled like sulfur, and I was only able to drink half a liter of it by mixing in both Propel and Crystal Light.
Legz and Rude had us cracking up with a few zingers they made while we were all sitting and having a couple snacks. Two SOBOs joined us as well. The SOBO migration was still very much in effect, and we were seeing several of them every day on the trail.
After half an hour, we hiked out of the campsite at 11:30, toward a beautiful 4.8 miles of gradual descent toward the parking lot on Route 4, where Ashley would be meeting us.
A few miles in we stopped at a beautiful overlook, where we could see Saddleback Mountain ahead of us. We would be climbing that one right after our two zeros.
I got a text from Ashley that she could meet us later in the afternoon, so we spent a little more time there hanging out.
When Catchup and I descended to the road after Sunshine, we were surprised to see a second set up in two days of trail magic at the parking lot.
A former section hiker named Basco was there with her mom and friend giving out drinks, food, and essentials we always need such as hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and wet wipes.
There were also several dogs there when we arrived, which Sunshine and Catchup were especially thrilled about.
Basco had a 10 month old baby, Stowaway, with her, who was extremely cute and well behaved. We found out she’d hiked a third of the Appalachian Trail while pregnant with him, and had later on hiked Katahdin when she was eight months along.
I thought that was fascinating, as I’d always idly wondered about hiking the AT pregnant. Basco was definitely made of tough stuff, and I personally think there is something to be said about the spiritual significance of carrying her baby up and down mountains so ancient.
Legz, Rude, and Daddy Long Legs all came and left, getting a shuttle into town where they were staying at a local hotel. Three SOBOs were there as well for a bit.
After the trail magic packed up, we decided to hitch into town, since it was hot and we’d gotten done hiking early.
We stood in the bright sun on the side of the road for 20 or 30 minutes, one of the longer hitches we’ve all had. Finally, a nice older couple picked us up in their Subaru.
Their son had thru hiked the trail in 1993, and they were from Texas, but had a house on the lake as well. As we drove, I suddenly remembered Catchup had left his hiking boots on the side of the road, having changed into his Crocs earlier.
With no hesitation, the gentleman at the wheel turned around to take us back to the road. I saw we passed Ashley in her car as we were heading back to town again, but I didn’t have enough service yet to tell her we’d gotten a ride.
After getting dropped off in town, we walked over to Sarge’s Sports Pub & Grub, where we were seated on a patio on the second floor, probably to keep our stink away from everyone else.
Not long after we ordered, Ashley texted me that she’d gotten my messages and was on her way. I met her down at the sidewalk, and we gave each other the biggest hug.
I was excited to introduce her to my trail family, and we sat and had a big meal together. We split fried pickles and onion rings, and I had a reuben with curly fries.
After food, Ashley drove us to IGA, the local grocery store, to get drinks and breakfast ingredients for the next day because Catchup wanted to cook for us.
We got to the lake cabin around 6:00, where Ashley’s dog, Ava, was there to greet us. She is one of the best dogs in the world, so we were all delighted to see her.
The cabin is right on Rangeley Lake, with a view of Saddleback and a couple other mountains in the distance. I helped Ashley take out a couple kayaks and a canoe after we got settled in.
While Sunshine took a shower and rested, the rest of us went out on the canoe around the water. Ashley and Catchup paddled while I sat in the middle, and we admired the gorgeous scenery.
It was amazingly picturesque, with little islands we paddled to, the sun setting over the lake, and mergansers and loons floating in the water. It couldn’t have been more serene.
Back at the house, I took a nice, hot shower and had a PB&J sandwich and a package of Dunkaroos before bed. There were enough beds for everyone, which was very appreciated.
The stars in the evening were incredible over the lake, and Catchup and I each saw a separate shooting star when we went outside to admire them. We listened to the loons call, echoing over the water in an otherworldly feeling.
We had all hiked hard to get to Rangeley. We’d been treated to the easiest day of hiking terrain wise I could remember in ages on our last day to town, but had hiked the hardest sections of the trail since our last zeros in Gorham.
I was very excited to relax for a couple days, spend time with one of my very best friends, and get to hang out by a beautiful lake. It was very nice of Ashley and her grandmother to let us stay here, and it would definitely be one of the highlights of my hike. Hiking here from West Virginia after visiting so many times by car was quite special, to say the least.