Things looked so good when I woke up this morning: I had a shuttle lined up to hike in Maine (between Sugarloaf and Saddleback), three days to finish a 16 mile section and a weather forecast that looked awesome! As a result, I was feeling confident about being able to get another nice weekend on the AT. Since the shuttle didn’t depart until 1400, I took my time packing, making sure I was ready for three days in the mountains, possible rain and lower temperatures. By 0915, I got on the road and used I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road and NH-10 to reach Woodsville, where I shopped for supplies at Walmart (1010). I then got on US-302 and drove to Littleton, where I stopped for gas at Cumberland Farms (1040) and lunch at Burger King (1050). From there, I used I-93 to drive north to the exit for (NH-135), which I took until I took a side road back into Vermont (Mount Orney covered bridge) and, eventually, found US-2. Things started to look familiar as I headed north and I soon found myself at the rotary in Lancaster. A bit later, I got on NH-110 and took it to NH-110A, which intersected NH-16. I followed that all the way into Maine (it became ME-16). On the way, I listened to audiobooks. Unfortunately, my entire weekend plan started to unravel after I reached ME-4, north of Rangeley - I got a text from my shuttle driver that said he was running about 30 minutes behind. Since I was arriving early at the pickup point (1330), this was a bit disappointing. However, I used the extra time to check in with the Saddleback staff (so they’d know I left my car), add and remove items from my backpack, hydrate and eat additional calories so I’d be prepared for the hike when it started. The weather was still awesome and several people came down from the summit of Saddleback (easily visible from my parking spot) with stories of their great hikes. When 1430 came and went, I started to get a bit nervous about whether I’d make the last chair lift. I called Sugarloaf and found out that the last ride uphill left at 1545. Unfortunately, the drive between the two locations was about 50 minutes. Doing some quick math, I figured out that my go/no-go time was 1455. When that time also came and went, I texted the driver and told him I didn’t think the plan was going to work out. Of course, he texted about 10 minutes later to say he was almost there... By then, though, I’d checked the weather and decided that the 70% chance of rain the next day, coupled with a huge climb I’d have to do if I missed the last chair lift, made the whole itinerary less palatable. Sadly, I didn’t have an easily accessible section to hike while I still had good weather... In the end, I had to make a choice about whether to give up on hiking at all or throwing a Hail Mary and driving north into the Hundred Mile Wilderness (to try to squeak out some miles on Sunday before the rain arrived). Reluctantly (but with certainty), I chose the latter option and departed Rangeley on ME-4 (headed east). I used ME-149 to cut over to ME-234 and when proceeded almost exactly like the route I’d used with my dad the previous week (US-201A, US-201, ME-16, ME-15). By the time I reached Monson, I had decided to drive north to Moosehead Lake - this would give me an opportunity to look for alternate AT access points on the west side of the KI / Jo Mary Multi-Use Area. When I got into town, I got more gas at Irving (1730). From there, I explored near the waterfront and checked around all four sides of Greenville for lodging. Everything looked crowded and expensive so I ventured out to the east on East Road, which took me all the way to Big Wilson Pond and the west side start of KI Road (towards the Hedgehog Checkpoint). I backtracked to town and, hoping to find some maps, drove over to the Moosehead Visitor Center. They were closed by then (1815) but there were some good resources for making hiking plans. In fact, I discovered that I could get on the AT from a trailhead located outside KI / Jo Mary if I drove about an hour north of Greenville. This seemed like a good place to visit the following day so I then looked for a place where I might be able to park/camp outside of town. There appeared to be a promising place located just off ME-6 (west of town) so I felt like I could relax. My day had included very little walking or hiking so I took advantage of a few trails near the Visitor Center and stretched my legs for 30-45 minutes. By 1915, I drove back to town and started looking for the camping area. On the way to Mount Kineo on ME-6, I located North Road, which I then used to find the Big Moose Mountain trailhead parking area. There weren’t any signs saying I couldn’t stay overnight (it actually had the same signs that said “don’t camp for more than 14 consecutive days”, just as they did at the Little Wilson Falls parking lot) so I felt confident I’d be able to stay there. Dinner was snacks in my car. I set up my “camp” and then read for about an hour. It got very dark (pitch black actually) by 2000 but I later went outside to look at the stars and saw a bright half-moon. With no cell signal, I only stayed awake a little longer before going to bed (2130). The day didn't go the way I'd planned it but, at least, I'm close to the AT for a hike tomorrow...
