My goal to finish the entire trail this year got a boost today when I drove up to the Rangeley (ME) area and found a way into the middle of a rather remote section I’ve had on my radar since 2014. The first time I saw the multi-peaked profile of Bemis Mountain from Height of Land, I remember thinking “that hike is gonna suck.” The main reason for this was because it was clear from the viewpoint that the AT followed a “V shaped” profile to cross the huge gorge below. For many years, I’ve checked maps and other sources in an effort to figure out whether a road or side trail might pass through the valley. Today, I decided to drive to the area and find out for myself... I left my condo at 0630 and used I-91, I-93 and VT-18 to reach US-2. On the way, I listened to audiobooks. I stopped for breakfast at McDonalds in Lancaster (NH) at 0810 and then got on US-3. Not long after leaving town, I stopped for a gas fillup at Irving in Groveton (0835). After that, I continued on US-3 until I reached NH-110 - after that, the route was NH-110A, NH-16, NH-26, NH/ME-16, ME-4 and ME-17. I began my search for the AT Trailhead by first locating Bemis Road (1030), a dirt track originating just a little bit south of the "town" (hamlet? village?) of Oquossoc. I’ll admit that I was dubious about whether I could actually park near the AT crossing as I left the pavement… Eight miles later, after ignoring a “private property” sign, I found myself within feet of white blazes! Since I’d expected to have to walk for a few miles to get on the AT itself, my location boosted my spirits tremendously. Figuring that my car would be fine if I only did a day hike, I headed SOBO into the woods (1045). Even though I expected to return in the evening, I brought my big backpack - the climb and distance across typical Maine terrain could possibly require an overnight. Temps were in the low 60s, the day was pleasantly sunny and there was a light breeze. The trail surface was, as usual, rocky, rooty and muddy. I started passing NOBO Thrus almost immediately - none of them really talked to me, though, until #8 (“Racehorse”). By then, I was tired from the seemingly ceaseless up/down and I spent time learning about his journey. He made observations about the difficulty of Maine (I did not disagree) and said he couldn’t wait to be finished. After saying goodbye to him, I continued over a series of 3K+ feet peaks (named “First”, “Second”, “Third” and “Fourth”), some of them consisting of wide open “balds” of granite slabs. I got some good views of HOL and ME-17 on the opposite side of the deep ravine and also caught glimpses of Saddleback and more distant mountains. I skipped a stop at the only lean-to on the route, intending to visit it during the backtrack. Instead, I kept climbing. I’d just passed NOBO Thru #10 when the sole of my right hiking boot came unglued! This would not be a good situation at any point on the AT (right, Robert?) but it was especially bad to encounter where I was. Using some tape I always carry, I did my best to repair the boot. Unfortunately, the combination of mud, rocks and general moisture did not help. For the next mile, I stopped repeatedly to retape. Needless to say, my pace slowed down considerably… I was beginning to despair when I met “The Voyager”, the first NOBO Thru I’d seen who was even close to my age. He had some Leukotape, something I’d never used before, and it worked wonders! With a few strips of the waterproof adhesive, I was able to affix my loose sole and reach some peace about getting off the mountain. The Voyager told me he’d found the tape in a hiker box - so this was basically third hand Trail Magic. As a result of all this difficulty, however, I made the decision to exit the AT at the nearby Junction of the Bemis Stream Trail (just over six miles since leaving the car). This alternate trail (the old routing of the AT) had a few decided advantages: first, it quickly descended off the ridge; second, it was far less mountainous, paralleling the AT as it followed Bemis Stream back to my car. For the next few hours, I made my way on a mossy, untraveled track (lots of trees down) and felt good about my choice. However, I eventually reached an area that had so much mud and standing water that I began to worry I’d be unable to reach the bottom. At one point, I had to make a particularly sketchy crossing through deep, black water… So, when I encountered a dirt road (really just an ATV track), I took advantage of the opportunity to walk on a firmer surface. This decision definitely added distance to my return hike (my backtrack was almost seven miles) but was worth the extra steps. By the end, I was actually walking on Bemis Road. I made much better time than I had earlier in the day and reached my car at 1945. I figured out then that I’d dropped my Mount Lassen bandana on the way - that was a bit disappointing because it was a good souvenir of my trip with Mollie... All told, I’d walked over 13 miles and conquered a difficult section of the AT without having to camp in the mud. And I was positioned perfectly to resume hiking first thing in the morning. Speaking of that, I decided not to leave my excellent parking spot and just set up my "car camp" as the sun disappeared beyond the surrounding peaks (2030). I ate dinner (dehydrated meal) and listened to more of my audiobook until I felt like going to sleep (2130). Tomorrow, I can finish the last mile in this area and complete my next-to-last AT section hike! AT Today = 6.2 miles / Grand Total AT = 2159.3 miles
