Rain was inbound to my location but it looked like I had enough time to squeeze in the last section I’d planned this week. I was up early to maximize use of the best weather! I efficiently packed up the car and got breakfast at North Country General Store (0625). I then drove (via US-201, US-201A, back roads, ME-16 and Long Falls Dam Road) to the AT Trailhead on Long Falls Dam Road near North New Portland (just east of Flagstaff Lake). All this driving was worth the effort because I was hiking (NOBO) in mostly dry conditions before 0715. Temps were in the 50s (so nice!) and it was overcast when I started and, before I’d walked a mile, it started sprinkling. Fortunately, I was under a thick canopy of branches and leaves - I never even got wet in the 30ish minute “downpour”. I was chugging along (uphill) when I broke out into a small clearing - there was a sign about reforestation and I was going to go read it when (suddenly) I noticed that there was a BULL MOOSE standing within 50 feet of me! I was out in the open and wondered if he might charge me (especially after I noticed there was also a cow behind him). I slowly got out my camera and snapped just one picture before walking back into the woods. I don’t think he even moved… Wow! During the rest of my outbound hike, I passed a group of (9, spread out) SOBO Thru hikers and chatted with some of them. At the West Carry Pond Lean-to, I turned around and started back towards my car. The climb up the hill I’d traversed was steeper on the backtrack but I powered through it OK. I encountered 7 NOBO Thru hikers on the way back but they all seemed to be racing for the Kennebec Ferry and we didn’t talk much. Near the end of my hike, however, I passed a LASHer couple who told me they were on their annual three week trip. As I was talking to “Detour” and “Bear Bait”, I figured out that they’d met and married in the Navy, lived and worked in Sardinia and had started section hiking a few years before, trying to finish the whole thing just like I am. They were very nice and I learned a lot about the Mahoosuc and Bigelow Range from them. Actually, their experiences and determination went a long way towards raising my own spirits (“if they can do it, so can I”). Felt very good during the last half mile of my hike and reached my car at around 1100 (after more than 7 miles). Would love to hike more in the area but 100% chance of rain during the next few days was a deterrent. After getting back in my car, I retraced my way to ME-16. I checked the internet (when I finally got a signal in North New Portland) and then used some back roads to reach ME-27. From there (with intermittent rain), I took US-2 (there were some amazing clouds!), NH-115, US-3, NH-141, Wells Road, NH-116 and then used NH-10 all the way back to Hanover. I got rained on a bit, with visible precipitation below me in the Valley as I arrived in Piermont. I arrived at my condo by 1630 and quickly unpacked. Until next time, Maine! AT Today = 3.5 miles / G.T. AT = 1840.2 miles / AT Left = 345.1 miles
