Geraldine, Stratton, Into the Bigelows

Post date: Sep 02, 2016 12:58:2 AM

On 8/31 I hiked out of the Poplar Ridge Lean-to and with reverence covered the first 3 miles knowing that somewhere in that span Geraldine Largay got off the trail turning left walking 80 paces into the dense woods of Maine for a bathroom break from which she would never return. I looked into those woods many times thinking about the tragedy of what happened. The woods are lovely, dark and deep says the Frost poem, and can be unforgiving as well. As a fellow hiker, with occasional lapses in judgment myself, I feel a particular empathy for her and her struggle to survive for many days alone in the forest.

I hiked with Spoon about 14 miles to our next campsite Crocker Cirque at mile 1994, set up the tent on a tent platform due to a forecast of possible rain, and fell asleep.

Today we hiked 7 miles to the road crossing leading to Stratton. On the way we passed the 2000 mile mark!! Wow! Lots of steps up and down hills large and small, over and, yes, even under rocks. Quite the journey with the end getting closer every day. I have mixed emotions about the end approaching.

We went into Stratton and bought supplies and ate a nice meal at the White Wolf Inn which has been around for many years serving an eclectic group of vagabonds, including AT hikers. Sandy, who has been with the Inn for 27 years, welcomed us and served us a nice tasty big meal. It was a very nice break from trail food. We lingered longer in town than planned, but finally shuttled back up to the trail hiked 5 more miles and climbed 2000 feet into the Bigelows, which brought us to our current campsite, the Horns Pond Lean-to. Very nice. We ate dinner sitting at an overlook with a nice view of Sugarloaf Mountain across the valley.