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she hikes mountains

she hikes mountains

she hikes mountains

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Old Spec

A dog on the trail, seen while hiking Old Speck in Grafton Notch State Park, Maine

4000 Foot Hikes / Smaller Hikes

Old Speck | 4170 ft | ME

A ho-hum hike... and Luna's first 4000 footer.

November 5, 2020

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She Hikes Mountains

shehikesmountains

The Moats . I love this hike, and I was excited to

The Moats
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I love this hike, and I was excited to try it in the snow. The trail was broken up to South Moat (from Passaconaway Rd trailhead), but beyond that it was fresh powder. It was manageable with microspikes, but snowshoes would have helped. Water was flowing over the ledges despite below freezing temps, and the snow was sticky in places (ice balls on the spikes).
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Also noteworthy: after the Red Ridge Trail cutoff (between Middle and North Moat), the Moat Mtn Trail drops into the woods. There are zero blazes btwn the cut off and the North Moat summit. ZERO. The trail was relatively easy to follow in the woods, but on the ridge it’s a crapshoot. Keep an eye on your GPS!
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The 11 mile round trip took 8 hours, thanks to the added work of post holing for several miles. The views were worth the effort. I think the Moats have some of the best under-4000-footer views in the Whites!
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#moatmountain #moatmountaintrail #hikethewhites #whitemountains #winterhike #postholing #hikenh #snow #snowyhike #grayskies #gooutside #winteroutside

Mount Pisgah | Winthrop, ME . This little mountain

Mount Pisgah | Winthrop, ME
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This little mountain (807 ft) has big feelings! The 60 ft tower at the top provides views of the Whites and Mt Washington on a clear day. The Tower Trail is lined with old stone walls and gnarled sugar maple trees. The elevation gain is a modest 334 ft, but the uphill is enough to get your heart beating.
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Take Blueberry Trail down for a nice 2.4 mile loop, or add the Ledges Trail for even more mileage.
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Mount Pisgah Conservation Area is managed by the Town of Winthrop and the Kennebec Land Trust. It’s just under and hour from Portland!
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#hikeme #kennebeclandtrust #mtpisgah #smallhikes #maineviews #winterwalk #winterhike #towerview #snow

Piper Hammond Loop . I wanted to get to the mounta

Piper Hammond Loop
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I wanted to get to the mountains before the storm… and maybe avoid some holiday tasks…
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I’ve hiked the Piper Trail to Mt. Chocorua, but I’ve never continued over the summit to Liberty, Hammond, and Weetamoo Trails.
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It was a snowshoe situation the whole way up. Crusty snow at the bottom and then deep, fluffy snow at the top.
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I took the West Side Trail to avoid going over the exposed summit. It was broken at the start… by a moose, whose trail eventually turned into the woods and left me in knee-deep drifts. Liberty and Hammond Trails were broken and had beautiful views.
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Weetamoo Trail wasn’t broken at all… but it is now!
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Overall, this was a tough hike. Every step was hard, even with snowshoes. But I got to spend the day in the woods, decompress before the holidays, and break a trail through the silent snow. I have no complaints.
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#mtchocorua #hikenh #hikethewhites #holidayhike #mountaintherapy #solohike #gooutside #snowhike #winter #snowshoeing

Bald & Speckled Mtns . I love it when a hiking tri

Bald & Speckled Mtns
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I love it when a hiking trip takes me through towns I’ve never seen and on roads I’ve never traveled on.
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After choosing a different hike and finding a seasonal road closure (luckily before we got there), we ended up in Woodstock, ME to hike Bald and Speckled Mountains. The drive up there was beautiful, passing through old farmland and small towns, and only 1.5 hours from Portland.
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This 4.7 mile, 1600 foot gain hike is rated hard on AllTrails, thanks to a very steep final half-mile that requires some scrambling over rocks. It would make a great conditioning hike to start the season. The rise never really lets up, and there is a nice variety of terrain before you reach the steep section. Both summits were beautiful with clear views of Mt. Washington, Sunday River, and three wind parks.
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Warning though, there is also ice. We bushwhacked around it, but it was still pretty sketchy. Spikes would have helped, but in some places it was too slick even with traction.
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I didn’t realize until we got there, this is also the location of Shagg Crag, an enormous granite climbing wall. We’ll be heading back for that activity another day and will definitely hike these two mountains again… maybe when the ice melts or gets covered by snow!
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#shaggcrag #hikemaine #climbmaine #hikemainemountains #winterhike #mainetrails #crags #rockclimbing #icyhike #winterviews #bushwhacking
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@rootsinme 🥾

Avery Peak, Bigelow Preserve . Good thing @rootsi

Avery Peak, Bigelow Preserve
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Good thing @rootsinme didn’t listen when I said, “There won’t be much snow.”
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We had microspikes. We needed snow shoes… or skis!
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We broke trail the whole up Safford Brook Tr and the AT in ankle-deep snow. At treeline, ankle-deep became knee-deep, then thigh-deep in the drifts. We got to Avery Peak at 2pm with 50 mph gusts and made the choice to turn back instead of pushing on to Bigelow Peak.
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It’s tough to turn around when you’re working on your 4000s and the summit is in sight. But… going to Bigelow would have added at least 1 (probably 2) hours to the trip. Even with the u-turn, we hiked in semi-darkness and popped out of the woods at 5pm with only a sliver of moon in the sky. Bigelow Peak will be there, and we’ll go back for it another day.
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Aside from the blustery ridge and frozen summit, it was a beautiful, snowy day in the woods.
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#bigelowpreserve #averypeakmaine #at #winterhike #snowyhike #hikeme #me14 #ne67 #hikesafe #flagstafflake #mainemountains

Humphreys Peak | 12,633 ft . Arizona looked very d

Humphreys Peak | 12,633 ft
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Arizona looked very different today! I’ve had my eye on Humphreys Peak (highest peak in AZ) since I visited Flagstaff a year ago. The significant alpine exposure means it can be pretty wild at the top, so it’s not a hike to try on a whim. This time I came prepared and lucked out with a beautiful, sunny day.
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You can see the Grand Canyon and California from the top.
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#humphreyspeak #flagstaff #hikeaz #hikearizona #tundra #alpinezone #12000feet #hikethesouthwest #findatrail #hikeeverywhere #winterhike

Lower Antelope Canyon is one of the most beautiful

Lower Antelope Canyon is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
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It is powerful and humbling to visit this place in the Navajo Nation. Our guide, Arlo, told us he’s not that impressed by it. There are numerous slot canyons like this one on the reservation. This place is special to him because of its history. When the United States government forced his people toward Oklahoma, many hid in the canyons and remained on what was, is, and will always be their land.
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From the top, you can’t tell the canyon is there (last pic).
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#weareonnativeland
#lowerantelopecanyon #navajonation #arizona #slotcanyons #hikearizona #southwest #hikeaz #redrocks

Horseshoe Bend 🙌🏻 . . . #arizonahiking #sout

Horseshoe Bend 🙌🏻
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#arizonahiking #southwestcolors #horseshoebend #hikeaz

Saddleback and The Horn . The last time I hiked th

Saddleback and The Horn
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The last time I hiked these two mountains, it was a humid, foggy day. There were no views, but I had a feeling if I came back on a clear day I would not be disappointed. A beautiful day in November (65 degrees) proved I was right!
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The hike from Rt 4 on the AT is steady, varied, and pleasant. And long (7.3 miles to The Horn, so 14.6 round trip). Once you hit the alpine zone and the ridge connecting these two peaks, the terrain turns up. There isn’t much scrambling, but there are significant stretches of ledge, steady incline/decline, and very exposed summits (windyyyy). The views are worth every step. As @rootsinme said, ‘They rival any 4000 footer in the Whites.’ You can see Sugarloaf, Spaulding, Abraham, and Mt Blue, along with countless smaller mountains and forests.
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If you don’t want to take the long trek from Rt 4, start at Saddleback Ski Resort’s base lodge and hike up the slopes.
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#hikeme #hikemaine #saddleback #thehorn #at #appalachiantrail ##westernmainemountains #maineviews #alpinezone #me14 #ne67 #liveoutdoors #hikewithdogs #keephiking

Saco Heath Preserve . Two miles of unique, fragil

Saco Heath Preserve
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Two miles of unique, fragile raised bog traversed via wooden boardwalks. Lots of tamarack, cedar, and spruce. A beautiful place to spend an hour!
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Note: no pups allowed due to the rareness of the ecosystem.
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#sacoheathpreserve #sacomaine #boardwalk #hikelocal #gooutside #walkeveryday #hiddengems #localadventures #bog

Old Speck . Sandwiched between two rainy days ther

Old Speck
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Sandwiched between two rainy days there was a hiking day!
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Old Speck up The Eyebrow Trail and AT… definitely recommend going up the Eyebrow. I was too busy hanging on to the metal railings to take photos, but I promise it would be harder to come down than go up. It is steep, rocky, and rooty.
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The AT intersects at about a mile, and from there it isn’t super steep, but it never lets up, either.
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Not a ton of views from the summit unless you climb the fire tower via a vertical (but sturdy) metal rung ladder.
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Coming down beware of slippery leaves, it’s that time of year!
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#oldspeck #hikeme #ne67 #me14 #appalachiantrail #hikemaine #fallhike #firetower #getoutside #happyhiker

Best rainy day of my life. . Feeling overwhelmed,

Best rainy day of my life.
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Feeling overwhelmed, happy, relieved, honored, and proud to be a steward of this amazing state… most of all, I can’t wait to share my love of Maine’s woods, waters, and mountains with others.
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Thank you @mainesoutdoorlearningcenter and @forageriverguide for helping me prepare for a really freakin’ tough test.
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#maineguide #mainewoods #mainewaters #lovemaine #gotoutside #hikerforlife

Baxter State Park . One last trip to the north bef

Baxter State Park
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One last trip to the north before the snow flies! Well, it already flew on Katahdin… but the day we hiked was mild, clear, and calm.
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Kidney Pond’s OJI cabin via canoe is a pretty nice way to spend a few fall days, too.
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This was my first time hiking up Abol, and it was every bit the rock pile I expected it to be. We took the cut off to Katahdin’s less famous Hamlin Peak to tag a ME14 for @rootsinme … and agreed this view just might be better than the one from Baxter Peak. Looking back at Knife’s Edge and the bowl of Katahdin is worth every loose, pink, gravelly step.
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Exploring ponds, trails, and waterfalls made up the rest of the trip. It doesn’t get much better than fall in Maine…
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#baxterstatepark #aboltrail #katahdin #hikeme #hikemaine #fallhike #canoe #canoecamping #paddle #kidneypondcabins #me14 #ne67 #climbrocks

Mt. Tom | 1073 ft . This was a great hike on the w

Mt. Tom | 1073 ft
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This was a great hike on the way to the Fryeburg Fair! The 3.3 mile out-and-back Mount Tom Trail is part of the Mount Tom Preserve in Fryeburg. The trail starts at the site of a large old stone foundation. The outside basement walls are mostly intact and you can see where the center chimney stood. There is a barn foundation nearby too.
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The first mile is an easy woods walk on soft ground, followed by a steep half-mile climb to a surprisingly lovely view in one direction.
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This is a great hike for kids or when you’re short on time but want a little more than a flat walk. Note: dogs are not allowed here (no idea why, but it’s clearly posted).
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#hikemaine #smallhikes #fryeburg ##stonefoundation #quickhike #mttompreserve #woodswalk

Anyone know what this pretty plant is? . Spotted

Anyone know what this pretty plant is?
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Spotted in the woods today in Falmouth.
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🌱👀
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#maineplants #plantidentification #forestwalk #falmouthmaine #prettyplants #discovery

South, Middle, North Moat Mtns . Moat Mtn Trail :

South, Middle, North Moat Mtns
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Moat Mtn Trail : 10.8miles
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I found a new favorite hike! This trail has everything: woods walking, rock climbing, streams, ledges, a ridge traverse, and incredible views.
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The Moats are 2700, 2750, and 3100 feet, and most of the elevation gain is in the first 3 miles of the hike (lots of rock to get over). The ridge is long, about 5 miles of the hike, with minor ups and downs along the way. Views at all 3 peaks!
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Luna needed a few butt boosts, and her paws got pretty sore because of all the rock. It might be time to try pup booties.
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I think this hike would be amazing on a sunny, low wind winter day… but I’d avoid wet or icy conditions (there is so much rock!)
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Go see it before the leaves are gone!
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@thorlabradormaine @fitnessformountains
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#moatmountain #hikenh #hikethewhites #hikewithdogs #hikingwithdogs #goldensofinstagram #fallhike #climbingrocks #fallleaves

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 6 9/18/22 . Rainbow Strea

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 6
9/18/22
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Rainbow Stream Lean-to -> Abol Bridge Campground = 15 miles
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The good news about pushing hard on Day 5 was I had a chill day ahead of me when I woke up in the rain on Day 6. Not feeling rushed on a soggy day was well worth the push. All my gear was dry (hooray!) thanks to the shelter, and I knew the 15 miles ahead were not hard. In fact, this is one of my favorite stretches of trail in the 100.
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The AT hugs Rainbow Lake for miles. There are some spots where roots and rocks need to be paid attention to, but the elevation is flat until you reach Rainbow Ledges. The ledges are beautiful with lots of interesting vegetation and contrasting colors. There are views on good weather days, too.
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After passing Hurd Lean-to, it’s pretty smooth sailing over 3 miles of forest trail to reach the Golden Road. Make a right to cross Abol Bridge and take in one of the best views of Katahdin, reflected in the Penobscot River.
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Abol Bridge Campground is private ($24/night for a tent, they also have little bunkhouses). Cost includes a hot shower (!!!), access to laundry, and a continental breakfast (nothing to write home about, but hey, I didn’t have to rehydrate it, so I was thrilled).
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Highlights on this day are pretty easy to guess: the feeling of accomplishment stepping out onto the Golden Road… and also being prepared to process the mixed emotions of finishing such a big hike. I was less prepared last year and seriously considered turning around and walking right back into the woods.
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#100milewilderness #hikerlife #hikemaine #hikeme #hikeat #appalachiantrail #abolbridgecampground #katahdin #backpacking #thruhike #sleepinthewoods #foresttherapy

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 5 9/17/22 . Antlers Camps

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 5
9/17/22
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Antlers Campsite -> Rainbow Stream Lean-to = 20 miles
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I woke up to a beautiful sunrise over Lower Jo Mary Lake. My goal for day 5 was to make it over Nesuntabunt Mtn, the last peak in the 100 Mile Wilderness. It’s another small mountain, but last year I crossed it in the pouring rain, and I wasn’t up for that again. The forecast called for rain overnight and the next day. I knew if I got over the mountain, there was a stealth camp site just before Pollywog Gorge (I collapsed there last year). My secret hope was to make it to Rainbow Stream Lean-to for a dry night, but I wasn’t sure if I had a 20 mile day in me.
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Turns out, I did. It was a push at the end, for sure. The first section of trail travels along Nahamakanta Stream and Lake, both beautiful, and Pollywog Gorge is an amazing geological feature that comes out of nowhere (don’t miss the small sign!) Nesuntabunt is a unique mountain with huge slabs of rock shooting up the sides, very cool to see. I hit the summit at 3:30, so I felt confident I could make the next 5 miles to the lean-to before dark. I was afraid the shelter would be full, so I moved fast, but it was empty when I arrived. At first I was relieved… but as it got dark I was less excited to stay there alone (lean-tos can be creepy). Luckily, I didn’t have to!
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Highlights: gifting extra food to 2 hikes who had underestimated the 100 and were rationing supplies (I was happy to help AND to unload the weight), seeing the view from Katahdin at the Nesuntabunt summit (last year all I saw was rain), and spending a dry night with Morgan and Bailey, sisters finishing the AT after 6 months on the trail.
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#100milewilderness #atmaine #thruhike #nesuntabuntmountain #hikemaine #leantolife #hikeintherain #appalachiantrail #hikehard #naturefix #hikewithfriends #girlhiker

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 4 9/16/22 . Logan Brook L

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 4
9/16/22
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Logan Brook Lean-to -> Antlers Campsite = 22 miles
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I started day four knowing it was going to be a long one. I had a resupply waiting at Jo Mary Rd (thanks to Phil at 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures), and I wanted to make it to Antlers Campsite where I knew there would be enough cell service to call family. I also knew 22 miles was doable because the terrain on this stretch is pretty flat, or at least forgiving. There is one mountain (Little Boardman) but it’s not big.
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For planning purposes, this stretch of trail is a great spot to make up time lost in the beginning of the 100. Ending the day at Antlers puts you over half way there!
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The big highlight of the day was a visit from @fitnessformountains and @thorlabradormaine. They drove in on Johnson Rd and started hiking south, intersecting me just after Little Boardman Mtn. They brought snacks and excitement!
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#100milewilderness #atmaine #appalachiantrail #hikingwithdogs #trailsnacks #hike #hikemaine #intothewoods #thruhike

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 3 9/15/22 . Chairback Gap

100 Mile Wilderness: Day 3
9/15/22
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Chairback Gap Lean-to -> Logan Brook Lean-to = 17 miles
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Day 3 started with a harrowing descent off Chairback Mtn. Somehow every massive rock in the pile is pointed on top, like an enormous set of jaws. There was a lot of butt scooting involved.
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Next up was the West Branch Pleasant River crossing (easy) and then a long, relatively flat stretch along Gulf Hagas Brook. If you’ve never been, it’s worth taking the side trail to Gulf Hagas, aka the Grand Canyon of Maine.
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Day 3 featured four more mountains: Gulf Hagas Mtn, West Peak, Hay Mtn, and White Cap Mtn. These are all taller than the peaks covered in Day 2, but somehow they are infinitely easier to manage. There is less up and down between them, and the MATC has done an outstanding job of building stone steps up the hardest sections (thank you @maineatc)!
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One of the challenges of this day was deciding whether or not to push over White Cap. My timing put me at the summit at 5pm and at the next shelter at 5:45, which, at this time of year, doesn’t leave a ton of daylight in the woods. Luckily there was plenty of tent space and I’d left the freezing, gusty wind behind me. There is cell service (limited) on White Cap, so I was able to check in, although the temps up there were not inviting.
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Highlights: crossing a river that didn’t require clinging to a rope (all others did), finding the Maine-shaped rock (found it last year too), and my first view of Katahdin from White Cap.
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#100milewilderness #atmaine #whitecapmountain #appalachiantrail #hikeme #hike #backpack #thruhike #gulfhagas #rocks

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