I slept OK overnight but had not counted on the drop in temperature - in the middle of the night, the huge rock that had seemed so inviting (due to its flatness) began to get REALLY cold. I put on all the extra (dry) clothes I'd brought and managed to sleep a good amount of the night, fortunately. However, the decision to leave behind my sleeping bag and only carry a light blanket almost bit me in the @$$... At 0300, I was awake enough that I was ready to leave the campsite - however, it wasn't nearly light enough (the view of the stars was incredible). I managed to sleep until about 0430, when visible light was sufficient, and quickly packed up my campsite, ate some food and steeled myself against the multiple big peaks in the seven miles of AT (plus two more miles of road at Saddleback) I still had to hike in order to meet up with my dad. The weather was cooler and I was happy with the conditions as I continued my climb out of the Orbeton Gorge. Still, the appearance of the sun behind me indicated a warmer day than I'd wanted. Time/temperature appeared to be my enemy as I made my way to the Poplar Ridge Lean-to... I didn't mention this yesterday but I saw LOTS of frogs, toads and snakes last night and this morning - perfect weather for them, I guess. I encountered about eight NOBO Thru hikers during this time - they told me they'd all stayed at the Lean-to and that there hadn't been enough room for everyone to camp. Feeling a bit relieved that I'd camped alone, I continued SOBO. When I reached the Lean-to, I found a group of four tents with hikers who turned out to be SOBO Thrus. I spoke with all of them but only the youngest (recent college graduates from UVM, Ethan and Anna) stuck around while I replenished water and ate some snacks. Actually, I was really feeling thirsty and hungry and needed almost an hour to recover the lost electrolytes from hiking only two miles to start the day. When I finally did leave the shelter (last place anyone saw Geraldine Largay alive in 2013), the SOBOs accompanied me for a few miles before we began a steep climb up the first (of three) peaks: 3597 foot Saddleback Junior. The youngsters left me in the dust but I kept on moving my feet, scrambling over huge rocks and avoiding falls - eventually, I came out of the trees onto a flat plateau. This allowed me a view of where I'd been (back to Sugarloaf) and where I needed to go (Saddleback) for the first time. I was over half way through the section but didn't feel any more confident that I was going to make it to my dad's RV by sunset... After a big descent, the next place that I stopped for a longer break was the Redington Stream Campground. Despite having crossed multiple muddy areas during my hike, the only clean water available nearby (and, for that matter, the rest of the day) was 0.2 miles off the AT. Since I was nearly out of water at that point, I had no choice but to hike the extra distance. Fortunately, I met up with Ethan and Anna at around the same time and they told me the walk was worth the effort (cold water). After wishing them well as they departed, I took the extra time for eating and drinking, still holding the line against getting dehydrated or undernourished. The next phase of my day was (by far) the most challenging: climbing to the top of "The Horn" (4017 feet) took all of the mental and physical strength I had. Gradually, I clambered my body (mostly unwilling) to the summit and was rewarded with spectacular views of the entire Rangeley Lakes region and all the higher peaks nearby. I was finally able to send my dad a text about my progress (note that I'd earlier drafted a "I may not make it there today" message but it failed to send). While I was only about two miles from the end of my hike at this point, the toll of the two climbs, the hot sun, long balancing act with water/food and sheer exhaustion finally began to hit me in earnest. Every step was painful and I started to have fantasies about dropping my backpack on the ridge, paying someone to carry me out of the area and, even, hoping I'd pass out at Saddleback so I could get rescued. Of course, I didn't get to do any of these things and I was left with "I have to get there myself, it's the only way..." I'd drunk too much water by this point - for the first time in memory, I couldn't stomach anymore and actually vomited up most of the liquids I'd had in the previous hour. I'm not certain if this was a sign of heat exhaustion or some effect of drinking less-than-clean water over the previous 48 hours but, strangely, I felt much better afterwards. Somehow (I still can't believe it), I made it to the Saddleback Peak and then hiked an additional few hundred yards to the trail junction for Saddleback Mountain Lodge. What a relief to get there! But, unfortunately, I still had a steep descent (and about 1.7 miles) from the nearly 4125 feet where I left the AT and the base of the ski resort. This walk (mostly on ski trails and gravel roads) was frustrating and even more mind-numbing. Needless to say, when I finally reached my dad's RV (he was waiting at the Lodge), I wasn't even excited to have tamed the wilds of the AT. I was so overwhelmed by the relief of not dying that I collapsed and counted my blessings. My dad was a bit concerned but kept on telling me how proud he was of what I'd accomplished. I heard everything he said but my internal monologue was yelling at me about how stupid I'd been to try the hike at all. By the end, though, the positive vibes from my dad won out - I definitely agree that this was a real feather in my cap for the whole AT journey. Overall, this may have been the toughest section I've ever hiked and I'm not even sure I could have done it when I was much younger. Getting done was almost completely due to psychological reasons, coupled with the leg strength of nine years of hiking 400-500 miles a year. When I finally felt ready, we drove back into Rangeley and stopped at the IGA, where my Dad bought me a sandwich and Gatorade (1700). Both really hit the spot and I was "ready" to start driving home (I had to be on a train to DC in the morning, after all!). We left Rangeley (via ME-16) and continued west into NH. We used NH-16 all the way to Berlin, where we fed Ana (1900). After that short break we continued towards home (via US-2 and NH-116). In the twilight, we saw a bear cross the road - my dad was very excited about the wildlife encounter ("A real treat!"). We stopped for gas and snacks at Cumberland Farms in Whitefield (2030) and then continued south to Littleton. Next, we used US-302 and NH-10 to get to Hanover. It was quite clear that rain was on the way. The last few hours of the drive were in the pitch dark. We arrived at my Condo by 2130 and I did my best to quickly unpack the RV (so my dad could go to bed). After that, I cleaned myself up and went to bed (2300). What a whirlwind weekend - only two sections left to hike and I'll be finished! AT Today = 7.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 2153.1 miles / AT Left = 32.2 miles
