Lyle's 2010 AT Section

Postscript for 2010 Section Hike of Maine

2010-10-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Well, Lyle has been off the trail for over a week now. We are pleased to report that his knee is feeling better but not 100% yet. The knee replacement doctor gave his knee a very thorough exam and confirmed that there is no permanent damage. However, the doctor did say that maybe the AT is more rigorous than what a new knee can take as it is not "God's work." So, Lyle and I are already talking about options to see if there is a way to lighten the load on his back to make the pressure on his knee "tolerable." But that is a new chapter later in our journey. Until then, we have selected two of the many spectacular photos he took during his 15-day hike completing Maine and crossing over into NH.

The End of Lyle's 2010 AT Journey

2010-09-29T03:32:00.000-07:00

Lyle enjoyed his stay at the White Mountains Lodge and Hostel. The family was very warm and welcoming and have the right stuff to make this a wonderful place to vacation. It sounds like this will be a very successful hostel/lodge for hikers and skiers. Based on its location near the ski slopes and adjacent to the AT, it should get a great deal of business.

One of the advantages of staying at the hostel was that it gave Lyle some time to really think about the remainder of his planned hike. As he told me, he was at a crossroads. Tuesday morning Lyle admitted to me that his knee was very sore and swollen. He had been given some ice for overnight but it hadn't helped much. He thought about taking a few days off at the hostel to give his knee some rest, but he was very concerned that he would have another flair or worse in the Whites out in the middle of nowhere. The Whites are the worst section of the AT so the chances of having problems with his knee are extremely high. So after we talked about it together, he decided to make a tactical retreat and leave the trail--and attack the Whites another day.

Once he made this decision, the stars aligned to help him back to his car because the hostel "mom" was heading to Rhode Island Tuesday morning to her mother's 92 birthday and could give him a ride to the bus station in Boston. They were able to leave in time for Lyle to get on one of the midday buses to Hartford CT. And he made contact with his driver in CT and he was able to pick Lyle up from the bus station in Hartford when he was done with work and get him back to the van. Lyle only had to spend a few hours in the Hartford bus station and was able to get some "real" food for supper. So, by early evening Lyle was back to the van in the parking lot in CT. His van was the only vehicle in the lot and it was covered in leaves--it looked like a big pile of leaves. His driver friend stayed long enough to make sure the van started...what a great, thoughtful person. Lyle was planning on sleeping in the van and leaving early Wednesday morning.

Lyle's knee was still bothering him even though he hadn't walked on it much--Lyle's comment was that his head knows he made the right decision but his heart and soul are still very disappointed. I know he is terribly disappointed but I have to be honest--I literally jumped for joy when he made the decision to leave the trail. I was dreading the White's given the lateness of the season, fewer hikers heading north passing through this section and the cold, wet weather. Selfishly I was afraid that the days between phone calls imagining the worst was going to be too much for me too.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement for Lyle. I know we'll be back in this same place in the future and that the Whites still loom in our lives. But I know Lyle can--and will--complete the AT, one section at a time. Until next time...

Gorham

2010-09-28T03:54:00.000-07:00

Lyle is done with Maine! He walked off the trail about 14 miles inside of NH and was he ever glad to say that. When he walked out to the road he saw a bed and breakfast right across the road but decided he wanted to stay in town. He set up next to the road to hitch a ride and the owners of the B&B were driving out of their driveway to go into town. The pulled up next to Lyle and they negotiated a real sweet deal for overnight accommodations, meals, laundry and rides into town for shopping and the post office. As it turns out this couple, their son and their son's friend are all working on renovating the B&B and it's not really open yet. So Lyle is their first guest and what a nice place it is. He had a queen bed and private bath, dinner Monday night and breakfast for Tuesday morning. Dinner was fish soup and he said it's the best he's ever had...could it be that he is practically starving? :) I'm sure the owners are good cooks if they are setting up shop as a B&B. The deal also included access to the TV to see the Monday Night Packer game. Too bad it was a disappointment for us Packer fans but at least he got a sample of the fall season.

He is going to get a ride back into town this morning to put his jump box back into the mail and then hit the trail unless the weather is too bad. He was so wet and miserable coming off the trail yesterday that he is seriously considering a zero day if it's the same weather again today. Not only was he miserable but the trail was very dangerous to navigate because it was so slippery. The White's are difficult enough without trying to pass through in bad weather. I think a dose of caution is definitely in order. Eveyone has told him that this next section is the second worst of the AT...he just finished to number one. He is encouraged that his trail legs are back under him but he knows how difficult it will be. He has now verbalized that if he hadn't done come back to finish this section this year he's not sure he would ever be able to do it.

We will chat again this morning now that his phone is powered up and by that time he'll know what the day's plan will be. If he does hit the trail it's just out the front door so he doesn't have to wait for a ride back to the trail!

Sunday Is Not a Day of Rest

2010-09-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

I held off posting Saturday's call because the connection was so bad I'm not sure I have the details correct. But given that his battery was really low and today's call was nothing more than Good Morning's and I love you's, I couldn't confirm what I think I heard. I may not hear from him again until he gets to Gorham so here is what I gleaned from our last two calls.

Saturday afternoon: He was standing on a high spot and it was so windy the words were being ripped away before I could really understand what he was saying. He couldn't find a direction to face or a way to protect the phone so we did the best we could by screaming through the phone at each other. He had completed the most difficult few miles of the trail with another hiker. It was a woman who was very concerned about making it through the "Notch" which I think is the Grafton Notch from the Maine AT map. I believe her husband knew she had a partner and was very thankful she wasn't alone for this part. I'm glad Lyle wasn't alone too...it sounded brutal. It took hours to navigate this short section but they had completed it by mid afternoon. They still had several miles to go to get to the next shelter so he was anxious to get going before it got dark. The terrain was still rugged but nothing compared to what they had just finished. I'm very interested to hear more about this as it's beyond my imagination how the trail could be so much worse than what he has completed so far.

Sunday morning: It was rainy and foggy and even though he was standing at the top of a mountain--Goose Eye Mtn-he couldn't see 50 yards out. I had to give him the bad news that he was going to be hiking in rain for several days but he took it remarkably well. As he always says, he can't get any wetter than the first time but I'll bet he gets awful cold when he slows down or stops to eat. He expects to reach Gorham as scheduled on Monday and he mentioned he wanted to watch Monday night football. I'm not sure he realizes that the Packers are playing--and I didn't get a chance to tell him as our call was so short. I don't think he really cares who plays so it will be a huge bonus that it's the Packers if he doesn't know. He has some energy back in his voice as he knows he's close to a bed, hot meals and an evening football game. I won't speak to him again until he gets to town and picks up his jump box that he mailed ahead which has his spare cell phone battery and cell phone charger.

He's a bit down because he is now about 5 days behind his original schedule. But, as the north bounders told him he should be able to make up time south of the White's when he leaves NH. He is so glad to be crossing over into NH, but realizes it will be no picnic either. Somewhere along here is where his roommate in Andover broke her wrist in a fall. But he did say that he is feeling stronger and is beginning to get his trail legs under him. And I'm sure his shoulders and back are getting stronger too. All of this should help him a great deal as he gets into the Whites.

10 Miles to the Border

2010-09-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Darn I missed Lyle's call this afternoon. He called me about 1:30 and was standing at the top of a fire tower on top of Spec (?sp) Mtn to get cell service. He said it had poured Thursday evening--sheets and sheets of rain--and he was so glad he had made it to a shelter and that there was room. He was dry all evening and didn't have to put up with a noisy tent that was blowing with the wind all night. He used the word "tough" about 6 times in a row to describe his "hike" today. He said it was actually more like a crawl. The terrain is just as rugged as they had warned...he sounded so tired. I'm so glad he had a recent night off the trail in a bed with good nourishment to carry him through these difficult days. He is planning to get to a shelter again tonight and actually he has to as there are no places to set up a tent along this section of trail. He estimates that he is only 10 miles from NH and boy oh boy Maine can't get behind him any too soon. He didn't know when he would get cell service again because he was going to start heading down toward the shelter. I suspect if I don't hear from him sooner than Sunday, he'll get somewhere that he can check in on his beloved Packers! I think that is about the time he is planning to be near or in Gorham too.

Andover

2010-09-24T03:19:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon: Lyle reached Andover ME on Wednesday afternoon. He described it as small community similar to Mt. Morris but with a general store and gas station. The first thing he did was check into the hostel and take a shower. The hostel was very nice and clean and the owners are very nice people. He then went to find food! By the time we talked he had consumed a large salad, a hamburger, a large bowl of chili and was finishing it off with a pint of ice cream! Oh, and the Postmistress gave him trail magic when he went to pick up the camera battery I sent to him. A friend of hers had brought in brownies and she said he needed to have one. So he had also enjoyed a "huge slab" of a brownie. He was sitting outside the general store with several other hikers that were staying at the hostel. It was a beehive of activity with people coming and going. Because it's a corner of several major rodes he thought everyone passing through town was stopping to pick up something.

His sleeping quarters were a bunk in a dorm with six bunks. One of the guests (and roommate) was a woman in her early 70's that was nursing a broken wrist--she fell in the White Mtns. She had been staying at the hostel for a week making visits to the doctor's office. She was just told that she would have to have a plate put in her wrist within the next two weeks. She was feeling really low because this was her 4th failed attempt to thru hike the AT. She has been injured and forced off the trail each time at different places and rather than complete the hike as a section hiker, she has always started over in GA. She has come to the realization that if she wants to finish (another year) she is going to finish as a section hiker. That is one determined hiker and it must be really hard to accept that her dream of thru hiking just isn't going to come true.

Thursday morning: He got a great night's rest at the hostel and had finished a big omlet breakfast when we spoke. He was getting ready to look for a ride back to the trail--about 8 miles. He was going to stand along the road and wait for a ride but if that didn't work within a couple of hours he was going to make arrangements to pay for the shuttle. What a great service these people provide--for a few bucks you can get a ride to and from the trail. It sure cuts down on the extra miles the hikers have to make to get into towns to restock groceries, etc.

He expects to be in Gorham in about 4 days. He has heard from the northbounders that the next few days are the toughest on the trail because he won't make more than 4-5 miles a day. He described the worst stretch as making his way through a boulder field meaning he would have to figure out how to get up and over huge rocks--keeping in mind he has about 40 lbs. on his back! It will be so uplifting to Lyle to say he has crossed over into NH and has completed Maine. Because so much of the trail is low and desolate I don't know when I'll hear from him next but he estimated reaching a 3500 ft peak some time today or tomorrow and we should have cell service.

It's cold in the mountains!

2010-09-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

When Lyle called me today he was standing on top of Bemis Mtn at 3,580 ft. He could see Andover, Maine, in the distance. Lyle will be leaving the trail to go into Andover to pick up some mail, supplies, sleep in a bed and have a hot meal! He said that Maine is as rugged as everyone told him it would be and then some! He had already completed Old Blue Mtn which was 3,600 ft earlier in the day. And the nights are really chilly! He is nice and toasty warm in his sleeping bag but he has to give himself a real pep talk to crawl out in the morning and put on cold, wet clothes. Especially his socks...I just can't even imagine having to stick my warm feet into cold, muddy socks! It was his second day in long pants too. He is usually able to zip off the legs and convert to shorts later in the day but the long pants feel really good in the morning. Once he gets going he gets warmed up so in some respects it's motivation to get moving quickly out of camp each morning.

Early morning sounds in this section of the trail include saw mills starting operations around 5:00 a.m. and moose calls for about the first 30-45 minutes in the morning. He thinks it must be the rut for the moose as they are quite vocal early in the morning. And what beautiful vistas and scenery he has been able to enjoy. He thinks he has some dandy pictures...I can't wait to get a preview.

For the past several days Lyle has been hiking with a young "couple" that hooked up as hiking buddies through the AT White Blaze publication. He lost his job--a new job he got after graduation--and decided it might be a good time to hike the AT and she had put in a want ad looking for a hiking buddy. They connected and decided to give it a go and I guess it worked. Lyle has really enjoyed his time with them even though they aren't really walking together. Lyle is up early and out of camp first in the morning but with their young legs they catch up with him around lunch. Then they meet up again in the evening for the overnight camp. They were leaving the trail today as they both had some place they had to go. I could tell he was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't have their company any longer.

He has passed quite a few hikers heading north yet. They have about 200 miles to get done by mid October if they want to finish before the rangers close the northern trail head. It's quite a chunk of ground to cover and considering how rugged Maine is, it will be a challenge for them.

Lyle will be spending the evening at Hall Mtn. lean to tonight and then will head into Andover for Wednesday evening. He said again how happy he will be to be done with Maine even though he knows NH is no picnic. I'll be glad when he's done and out of that part of the trail as well!

Conquering the Saddleback Mtns

2010-09-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Lyle has finished the Saddlebacks! This was a tough series of 4,000 ft peaks with very steep ups and downs. Some of the sections of trail were nothing more than metal bars pounded into the rock to pull himself up and lower himself down. But he also had some partial "balds" where he was above the tree line hiking through scrub brush. He had marvelous views of spectacular mountain and valley vistas. He crossed paths with a trail ranger who suggested Lyle stay at a hostel near Rangeley. He said everybody loves the owner and he could make arrangements to be picked up and dropped off the next morning. Lyle reached Hwy 4 late Saturday afternoon and waited 1.5 hours for a ride into Rangeley. He was about ready to give up and pitch his tent next to the road when a musician heading to a gig in town picked him up. His performance was south of Rangeley but he gave Lyle a ride into town. He said he has given many hikers a ride into town...another wonderful supporter of the AT hikers! Lyle contacted the hostel and made arrangements for a ride and he was standing in the IGA buying groceries when we connected. He was so looking forward to drinking a beer (which he purchased at the grocery store) and a hot shower! I believe he was also going to get breakfast in the morning too. He is very happy to have the Sadddlebacks in his rear view but knows he still has a lot of rough terrain ahead of him. In fact, one the hikers he passed heading north said NH is much more difficult than Maine so we are very glad NH is a shorter section of the AT!

I forgot to mention some of the hikers he crossed paths with throughout the week. One was a young man from Winchester, Wisconsin, that had taken the summer off from the family business to thru hike the trail. The young man was very excited to meet someone from so close to home and they had a great visit. Lyle also crossed paths with a group of 10 hikers and there was a woman who had a family member that teaches at Lawrence University in Appleton. And Saturday was international day as many of the hikers he met were from other countries...Canada as well as several European countries. And on Saturday when I was shopping for a second battery for Lyle's camera another customer near me heard me mention the AT to the cashier and he jumped in with his story. He's from Roswell and thru hiked the AT in 2003. His trail name was Wizard and we spent about 15 minutes talking about his experience and discussing the trail ahead of Lyle. It's amazing to me the wide reach the AT has.

Lyle and I didn't have a good connection from the hostel--in fact we were dropped--and I'm still waiting to hear from him this morning. It may not be until he gets to the top of another peak later today--maybe it will be timed right that I can give him Packer game highlights!

More Mountains and More Wildlife

2010-09-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a good day for Lyle after his eventful Wednesday evening. The weather was decent which was good because he completed three 4,000 ft ups and downs. And he made it to the next shelter which was full by nightfall. Lyle was so thankful that he was in the lean to rather than his tent because it just poured in the night. He has a good waterproof tent but he said it would have taken a beating in that rain. In fact two hikers came in during the night and those already in the shelter made room.

Friday morning dawned with no rain and breaking camp took little effort. Lyle also met "Trudge" who is a 70-year old man that was thru hiking the trail. He attempted a thru hike back in 2003 but he suffered a back injury in NH. He was forced off the trail and has been recovering ever since. He wasn't satisfied with completing the trail from NH to ME which was the section that wasn't done yet; he started over in GA again this year back in March. Go Trudge!

Friday was going well too. The weather was holding and Lyle was making pretty good time along a ridge. He had already completed a 3,250 ft. mountain (Lone Mtn) by early afternoon and was confident that he was going to make the next shelter Friday evening. The highlight of Friday morning was coming within 25 yards of a large bull moose--Lyle estimates about 1200 lbs. She was coming on to the trail ahead of him and at first all he could see was her head. They each stopped to look at the other with no fear on her part. This went on for about a minute. Then she came all the way out on to the trail, turned and trotted ahead of him and then turned left off the trail. She stopped just off the trail and looked back at Lyle as he walked by. He couldn't get over how graceful an animal of this size could be. Thankfully it was a pleasant exchange and not a repeat performance of Wednesday evening. After this wonderful event Lyle hadn't gone very far down the trail and he saw a beautiful red fox running down the trail ahead of him. Friday morning's encounters were a much more pleasant communion with Mother Nature...and more of what he was hoping for.

Lyle is expecting to be out of cell service for several days as he is moving further into the wilderness and staying in lower areas. I may not have anything to add for a few days but I'll post when I can.

Bear!

2010-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

It has taken me a long time to force myself to enter this post. I guess it's because I keep thinking if I don't write it down, it didn't really happen. As I mentioned in the earlier blog, Wednesday was a short day for Lyle because he took some time off to go into town. When he got back on the trail it was late, cold and raining. He found a spot next to the trail part way up the mountain to set up his tent because he knew he couldn't get to the next shelter. He had a cold meal that night because he was still full from his pizza and beer lunch. He fell asleep early because he was so tired and cold and what else are you going to do on the side of a mountain in the rain? In the middle of the night he was awakened by brush crashing and the ground shaking around him. Lyle couldn't put into words the noise he was hearing--a cross between growling, roaring and grunting. He knew in an instant a very large bear was charging his tent. He was sitting up by now and he has no idea how close the bear was at this point but he knows it was close. He grabbed his small portable air horn and let it blast away. This stopped the bear and it must have turned away from rather quickly the way the growling/snarling began to fade away. He said the bear was scolding him for quite some time as it crashed away again through the brush. He knows how lucky he was--you could hear the terror in Lyle's voice as he was telling me the story. He kept saying how the ground was shaking...are you kidding me on a mountain side? At this point in time I reacted by using many of our precious air minutes lecturing him on trail protocol as he didn't hang his food that night. There have been postings about black bear activity along the trail, but he made the mistake thinking that he was safe because he hadn't cooked that night. He realizes that this was a big miscalculation on his part and we both recognize that we are very lucky that this was nothing more than a big scare! When I had calmed down enough I reminded him that my nickname Trail Widow is meant to be figurative, not literal. When we spoke Thursday morning Lyle had cleared camp and was already on the trail even though it wasn't completely light yet. I think he wanted to get moving away from this particular campsite and I couldn't agree more. He also stated that he was carrying the small airhorn in a pocket that was within easy reach. I can't wait until he gets out of the wilderness of Maine and gets into more populated areas. This is no guarantee of personal safety but it would make me feel better.

Wednesday Was a Day of Rest

2010-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Lyle decided to get off the trail for the day when he reached Highway 27. He was wearing his jacket, his vest and gloves and he was still cold! He caught a ride into town in the back of a pickup truck--four drivers/vehicles had passed him by. Turns out the man was affiliated with the AT and was happy to give Lyle a ride and tell him where to replenish his supplies, where he could get the best pizza and where to stay overnight if he decided to stay in town. I've said this before, but the AT attracts the nicest, kindest people! Well, Lyle felt so good after the pizza and beer, he decided to go back to the trail and see how far he could get. He didn't make many miles--probably about 8--but he did get supplies and a good, hot meal. He was all tucked into his tent along the trail when I spoke with him around supper time. He was tucked in for the night because it was so cold...hopefully it will warm up again on Thursday so he doesn't stay uncomfortable for too long into the day. He has another climb up and over a mountain on Thursday and after that he thinks he may lose cell service for a few days because he drops into low country. We'll see how often I get a call from him.

Tuesday was a Tough Day

2010-09-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

Lyle didn't make it to the camping area Monday evening. It was raining and getting dark when he came upon a "cave" created by a huge boulder. He checked it out and decided to take advantage of the protection it provided. Good decision--it was a dry and restful night for him. He was so glad he didn't have to set up his tent in the rain (it had been raining most of the day). And what a relief to wake up to a beautiful sunny day Tuesday! The good news is that the day was beautiful but the bad news is that he spent his day navigating the "Bigelow's" which included a 4,000 ft peak and a 3,000 ft peak called the Horn. It was a very slow go for the day as the constant ups and downs slowed him down to a 5.4 mile day. And even though the rain had stopped the rocks were very slippery especially going down. He did make it to the shelter and set up his tent for a bit more privacy and quiet. When I spoke with him around 6:30 p.m. there were already 10 other hikers in camp for the night. I'm so relieved that there are so many others that he his passing on the trail even if they aren't going south. It just gives me a sense of comfort that there is a safety check and I know he appreciates the company even though the conversations are usually short. Needless to say he was very tired and discouraged when I spoke with him last night. He has three 4,000 ft. ups and downs in the next two days so he knows he is looking at another really big challenge...not easy to do when you are beat right down to your socks! Hopefully he has a good night's rest and has a more positive outlook when he crawls out of his tent Wednesday morning. I tried to convince him to take a zero day and rest but he wants to keep going and stick with his plan. He has a zero day planned in the next week or so to get into a town and replenish his supplies. Cell service has been good so I should be able to post often for the next several days. Until next time!

Safe Crossing and 22 Miles Done

2010-09-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Thank God for cell phones! I wasn't worried Sunday when I didn't hear from Lyle but as every hour passed today I was beginning to worry. Early afternoon the phone rang and it was him standing on high ground going up the mountain. You can take the man out of Wisconsin but you can't take Wisconsin out of the man. His first question was who won the Packer game! That's my Lyle! Then he said the trail in Maine is kicking his butt but he then said he is kicking it back! This is much more optomistic and upbeat than his 2008 attempt. In 2008 every mile he finished was a testament to his inner strength and determination because of the pain in his knee, bad weather from the backwash of the hurricane, and his hiking boot blow out. He is very glad he brought his knee brace because it is so rugged and going down the steep slopes with his pack on is a lot to manage on his new knee. But as of today he is pain free!

The river crossing was great and his guide was very talkative and pleasant. He has passed about 15 hikers (going north), several of which are in their 70's. One 70-year old gentleman heading north started in Georgia in February and fought through snow all the way through Virginia. He ended up leaving the trail for about a month waiting for better weather. Another group of hikers was a mom and her 12-year old son. What an undertaking for both of them to thru-hike the trail! Each story Lyle told was so inspirational!

It was raining for most of the day and unfortunately the weather report I saw this morning was for rain again Tuesday...he wasn't thrilled with that news but it really didn't upset him too much. He always says you only get wet once each day on the trail...the first time! He estimated that he had 22 miles done and was planning to get a few more miles done today before camping in the park. He wasn't going to be able to make it to the next shelter...too far...but there is camping where he is so that is what he is planning to do tonight. This will make getting up and over the 4200 ft. mountain easier tomorrow and he will be able to get to the next shelter without too much trouble.

I don't know when I'll hear from him again but thank you Verizon for having such good coverage in the "high" spots. He thanks you all for your kind encouragement and prayers.

AT map for Maine

2010-09-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know how often I will hear from Lyle in Maine...we had very limited service during his last section in Maine. It's Sunday afternoon and I'm hoping he has made it across the Kennebec River south of Caratunk. I'm attaching a link to a really good map posted on the Maine AT Club site. I had no idea how close Lyle is to Canada right now! At least we can "guesstimate" where he is depending upon the number of days on the trail if we don't hear from him for a few days. Looking at the map it looks like he has a very formidable mountain to get over within a week or so. Hopefully by then he'll have developed 80% of his trail legs and have his pack situated and comfortable!

http://www.matc.org/MaineATMap.html

Lyle is on his way!

2010-09-11T11:51:00.001-07:00

Lyle had a very uneventful drive to his parking spot in CT. He spent his Friday evening sleeping in the van in the parking lot as a transition to the nights on the ground or in the shelters. His ride showed up as scheduled around 6:00 a.m. this morning (Saturday 9/11) and it was a very congenial trip to the Greyhouund Bus station. When we spoke this morning he was on the bus heading for Boston. We realized that on the day of the 9/11 bombings, he and his son Alan were hiking in NM...I couldn't resist calling him a hiking fiend! He expected to be off the bus and catching his ride to his stepping off spot in Caratunk, Maine around mid-afternoon. He plans to camp overnight near the trail because his first section is a canoe ride across a river. The canoe has a white blaze so it is an official section of the trail and is the only way to ford the river to continue his hike. The canoe was incorporated into the trail following a drowning death from walking across the river during the spring runoff which used to be the only way to get from one side to the other. Since he doesn't know where he will be in line for the canoe ride over he plans to camp overnight at the base of the next ascent (400 ft. up to 1100 ft.) which takes him to the next shelter. The first few days will be a slow go because his second day is hiking from 1100 ft to over 3000 ft. He met a couple hiking (in their 70's section hiking the AT) walking by the parking lot who have already done the section he is heading for. They informed him that the trail through Maine and NH is very rugged and not to expect to make many miles in a day, but that he will be able to make up miles and time when he gets into Vermont heading south. This was good information because he was already wondering how he was going to finish 538 miles in 47 days! Hopefully this little tidbit of information will help him relax and allow him to enjoy the scenic beauty he is expecting in the wilderness of ME and NH.