Episode #578 - Days 150-153 Appalachian Trail 2026

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2:10Hey guys, this is good to be back with you all again. You're listening to Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis, and I'm Steve Adams on Mighty Blue. And I am on the Appalachian Trail, in close. I'm currently recording in Munson and staying in shores, even though we've reached Karatunk in Trial Miles. Quite how that works out, I'll tell you later. This week, unfortunately, we lost one of our tramring members, and the fact that it was September the 11th has something to do with that. I've been surprised at how impacted I was by this, but I can smell the end now, and even though I still have 400 miles to go, getting contoured and climbed and checked off will be a significant step in my progress toward a third through hike. Once again, I've been constantly overwhelmed by the kindness of friends and the level to which people will go to help me along my way. I came out here, I said that I wanted to experience community, and I think I can check that box thoroughly. There are many reasons to do a through hike, and I know that most of my guests will say it's the people. They're right, but only by coming out here and experiencing it yourself, can you fully understand what that means. But before we hear what's happened in these

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4:20Day number 150, which was last Wednesday, Crocker Cirque-Campsite, Mar-2002.2, to Main Route 27, Mar-2009.5, 7.3 Mar-Day. This shorter day was, I guess, to be our payoff for the two solid days previously of about 11 or 12 miles. And that had left us with just over seven miles to reach Main 27, and our next host all the main roadhouse. And when you've got three days in the woods, I like to get some of the tougher days out the way early, to give ourselves an easier day into town. And that seems to have worked out quite well for us so far. And I'd previously interviewed the two gens who had run the roadhouse for a while, and I wanted to see what it was like, never having been there before. As you know, in the last podcast, we heard from Kriegus at the Main Roadhouse, because I wanted to get that in for him. And he, along with his mum,

5:24were the new owners of the podcast, and sorry, not the podcast of the roadhouse. And I'd heard great things about it, and the three of us, me, Nuke and T-Time, were looking forward to seeing what it was really like. And I think this is probably true. People will talk about the benefit in the past of through Hiker's opening hostels. They know what Hiker's want. They've done it themselves. They know they've gone to hostels thinking, oh, we're saying this or I wish they had that. And these guys have really worked out how to make the hostel work for Hiker's. And you know, I'm especially I'm especially pleased with, I was especially pleased with the place myself, and I'll tell you about what it was like when we got there in a minute. But before we could reach the hostel, there was still the matter of north and south Crocker Mountains to cross. As I mentioned before, if I am going to do a big climb, I often don't want to, but I far prefer it to be first thing in the morning.

6:25And I certainly got my wish that day. We'd climbed up already part of the climb, as it were, we'd to get to the campsite. So we ran our way up it, but it went immediately uphill from our tentsite. We didn't even ever, you know, half mile, but respite before we got started. And it gave us a 1,300 foot climb in just over a mile. That is quite steep. And so welcome to the day. It does certainly get your your heart pumping and your sweat flowing. So very quickly, I took off my jacket and we were pushing our way up. And we actually managed the climb well. So by the time we were only just over two miles into the day, both the mountain tops have been passed, and it was downhill for the rest of the day. We took our time with several opportunities for sitting rocks, and I think I've told you what sitting rocks are. Nuke is ahead of us, and he invited rocks to sit on, and we, he waits for us to catch up, and we sit and eat and have some water and chat. And it's a really nice

7:28way to just keep keep in touch with each other when you're hiking. So silly rocks have become part of my elixir couldn't for this hike. But even though we did stop quite a few times, we still managed to get there in the early afternoon, giving me time to get my podcast down, which I was pleasful. At the bottom of the hill on Main Route 27, somebody set up trail magic. So we happily gauze ourselves for a couple of minutes, and guzzled down a couple of gade rays before Krieger's drove to, drove up to pick us up, and he took us back to the roadhouse. I liked the place immediately, with a really relaxed vibe, you know, that's once again that set by the people who run the hostel. And he was just a cool, cool young man who knew what he was doing with the hostel, and he'd worked out the business for it. And it was just a good place. And they had a terrific selection of loner clothes. And those you don't know, loner clothes are basically clean clothes you can put on when you want to wash all your stuff. You put this stuff on and you can wander about in it for

8:36a long day or a day if you like. And before you get your clothes washed and back. So they had a great selection. And for some reason, after my show, I sat for a colour veils in a fluffy dinosaur onesie. And I know some of you have seen, I put the picture up on Facebook and I look ridiculous. Before she and not quite as ridiculous, and as nook, I don't think who feeling the vibe as well dressed up in a cow or onesie, we look quite the couple. But the place was still pretty quiet, you know, not many people had turned up as early as we had. So I was able to record my podcasts, get my podcasts recordings done and get everything squared away by the time we went back into Stratton to resupply and get some dinner. I do remember very well in Stratton. I stayed at, I'm not sure if it's called, it was another hostel just across the road from the Wolf Inn, actually in Stratton itself. And the Wolf Inn had a Wolf Burger, which is a massive burger, which I had two nights here, I think. So I had a Wolf Burger each time, with a wash down with

9:40a couple of beers, it was awesome. And that was still there, the Wolf Inn, but it wasn't actually open on this particular day. But before we went into Stratton, and after I completed the podcast, yet still in podcast mode, I managed to snag an interview with the young man named Brandon, a southbound thru-hiker. I'm going to play that after this. But once in Stratton, we were taking straight to the general store, and there's not much there to be honest with you, not in the general store, but in the, in Stratton itself, places to stop. There's certainly places to stop that were open. But the general store we were told provided food as well. And so it provided us with both the resupply and our dinner that evening. So we bought some beer, which we could drink in the place, and then we pulled it into a cup, which is kind of a weird rule, but whatever. Got all our resupply for next three faces, and stuffed our faces with a pretty good burger and a lobster sub, which was magnificent, by the way. They do some business there. I'm not telling anyone tells

10:44out of school, but between me, Nook and Tea Time, on resupply, and dinner, and tons of snacks. I'll tell you in a minute why I'm eating tons of snacks. But they do a tremendous business there, and we spent, my recollection is, about $450 between us in this Bippin' General store. They've got their business water. Let me tell you. They've got a lot of freeze-dried meals there. So it's a really good stop to resupply. I say you might want to consider that when you get into Stratton. So we're sitting outside the back of the main roadhouse, right now, because we started recording inside, and it was too noisy. This is Brendan. Hey Brendan. Brendan, is that Brendan? Right, and you started waiting? I started on August 25th. Okay, and you started Southbound. Why do you leave it so late? Because that's pretty late for Southbound, so they tell me to come behind you.

11:44There are. I know of two or three that are behind me. There's a German guy. I hike with him for a couple days, but I think he's still kind of waiting on a friend. And then there's one other guy that some people at Charles told me that they saw on the trail. So I know of two to three that's behind me. And there's likely going to be a few more that still starts. So starting in August, you could, if you wanted to, you could finish this next year, but you decided alarmingly for me, that you're going to go all the way through to mid-January or something. Yeah, that's the plan. What's on what do you base that plan? Because it's freakishly cold in January down there. I mean, I base the plan less about, you know, I mean, a lot of the trail is kind of suffering and finding yourself along the suffering. Yeah, Mito, you don't have to push it. Right, right. It's not necessarily to say, do it the hardest way possible, as well as what makes it enjoyable. No, I mean, a lot of it's that, you know, let's say that I stop, right, what am I going to do in

12:45the meantime? I'd have to go and get probably a part-time job. I can't go pick up another career job and then quit that in a few months to go and do it. So it kind of puts me in a weird bind, otherwise. And it kind of just makes sense. I feel like there's also a little bit of, a little bit more magicalness to the trail, starting from one end and just finishing it. I totally agree with that. On top of that, you know, it's like, I live in Denver now, but I grew up in Georgia. So in a sense, right, I'm just walking home, you know? And so there's like, there's a couple elements to it that make it really cool to just go through all one way. And to be fair, you do know these cold and you're totally right. Yes, yes, it will be cold, especially when they're this smoky. So why now? Why is this time? I mean, if you're probably in your late 20s? Yeah, I'm 28. Okay. And good guess, wouldn't it? And why now? You could get out of a career or what? Yeah, so I mean, there's a few reasons to do it right to do it now. You know, firstly is like, when I'd been kind of unhappy in my job until like getting a change of pace,

13:49this is kind of like a good way to switch things up and have like an intermission. You know, another big reason is that, you know, my fiance and I, we broke up back in February. And so, you know, that's like, when I say I started planning the six months ago, that was around that time. Did she know you were doing this? I, I have told her, yeah. So, you know, and it's just like, it's kind of a big change of pace, like a big, a big change in life to just try and, it's certainly yes. Yeah. But you must have spent quite a long time on this trip already. I say a long time, you've got to be that 14 days, I'm not sure. Yes. You already, already here. So you're doing pretty well. You're doing some good models. How are you finding the, are you finding it lonely? No, not too bad. You know, I spend a lot of time on my own head, which is not always the best place to be. Yeah. And so, you know, as I was going through the 100 mile, I didn't really have enough charge in my phone with the battery life to really be listening to music or anything. So that was like a very intense time on the trail for me, with like those first, you know, seven or eight days.

14:53So do you need, do you need to, the music to take you out of your head? Yeah. I'm like that. That's what I'm like. Yeah. I have music and then I've also like started the Harry Potter series. Oh, yeah. That's a good idea. I haven't, I haven't actually read the books and I love the movies and series. So, you know, I just, I started that. I almost feel like a hypocrite of how much of a Harry Potter fan I am and I haven't read the books. So this is like a perfect time. And so I just finished the first one. I'm about halfway through the second. So I've always said, you know, it's going southbound, your approach trail is Catardin. So what was your Catardin day like for you? My Catardin day was rough. So I started from foster field and that's about a three and a half mile hike just to the base of Catardin. Then you go up Catardin and I chose to go both up and down Hunt Trail. And technically, you only have to do Hunt Trail once, even going southbound, right? I really, I didn't know that. I thought you had to go, I presumed you had to go southbound Hunt Trail. No, it's kind of weird. It's really, it's similar to slackbacking

15:55in a sense, right? Where it's like, I would just be going northbound for if I was to go up Hunt, that would be quote unquote northbound. Sure. And then I could go down Abel, walk around for the base of Hunt and then continue the trail. Oh, I didn't know that. I could do it like that. I didn't know either. There was, there was a couple at the top whenever I submitted and I was talking to them. That was tumbleweed and mutter goose. And she was the one that was saying that, you know, I could go down Abel if I wanted to, but you know, it's like I wanted to, I wanted to start the trail right. And so I went up Hunt, which maybe I should have gone up Abel, but then I also went down Hunt. You've also made, I wouldn't say an error, but you'll carry southbound food. Yes. So what happened there? It's common with anybody whenever they start that they make mistakes, right? And you know, I'm still figuring out a lot of mine. And so when I started, I did not, I did an exceedingly little research starting this. Certainly on food you did. On everything. And when I was inside of Baxter, I was, I was a mess, like luckily the, the

16:59warden there really helped me. And so we kind of got it all figured out. But yeah, so I started off with 10 days of food because I didn't know that there was a resupply just outside of Baxter. And I also didn't know that there were food drops available in the middle of the 100 mile wilderness. So I took 10 days of food with me, which is what I plan to get from the top of Qatar and to Shaw's, which it took me nine days. So I finished a little bit sooner as well. And then I somehow just had it in my head while I was at Shaw's that I needed to resupply that much as well. And then I also had a package come in that I forgot about. So then I had like 18 days worth of food making Shaw's. My pack was like 55 pounds. And, um, you've got a, you've got a, you've got a canister, haven't you? Did people fit in there? It did not. It was, it was very close to fitting in there. Don't tell me you've got a second canister with you. No, I do not have a second canister with me. But I've got the REI one that like actually splits into like a smaller one. So

18:02it's like, it's basically the biggest one that you really can have. I'm going to be ditching that here. I got a bear bag and I'm going to try and send that back to REI tomorrow. Along with my hiking poles, you asked how my day one on Contaden was. And, you know, I rolled my, my right ankle, which is my bad ankle. I broke it about 10 years ago. Just continued to have problems and I tweaked my right knee. But I also, I also broke the top off of one of my hiking poles. Good start. And that, that was my day one. On my day one in 2014, I got, I hit my head on an overhanging branch, literally on step number one, literally on step number one at the top of the spring. I had a lump size of a leg. And then I went straight past the turn off to the campsite at the top of the trail. So I got, I injured myself and got lost in the first 100 yards. I still finished. So you're fine. So don't worry about it. You learn by message. You think, you think to yourself, that was bad. Don't do that again. Exactly. Well, I wish you all the best and you're going to love it. I'm sure, hope you can cope with the loan list and hope you hope you're enjoying your fun and I'm so you

19:06need a bit of music on the way down. Absolutely. Thanks for talking to us. Appreciate it. Thank you. Cheers. Day number 151, which was 30, Main Route 27, or Stratton, mile 2009.5 to Safford Nock campsite, mile 2019.9, a 10.4 mile day. Oh my gosh, what a start of the day this was. The previous night, I'd gone out of the shower and looked myself in the mirror. And it was, I was a pretty frightening sight. My bones, I can see all my ribs. I can see the chest bone in the middle. I haven't seen that bone from middle over years, even on my previous hikes. And my shoulder blades, my shoulder, the bones at the top of my shoulders are sticking out. I'm feeling them now actually. They're just sticking out. I'm not terrible to be honest with you. I'm going to let that a scale there. I asked Krigas later if the scale was accurately said it was. And I started this,

20:11if you remember, at 260 pounds. I got on the scale. And I was 193.7. I'd lost already 66 pounds, over 66 pounds. And it's time I had about, I don't know, just about 600 miles to go. So it was quite dramatic really. And I kind of wonder why I was losing so much weight. I felt I was eating tons, but I've certainly been buying more since I saw how much weight I'd lost. But I've thought about it more. And also at the main roadhouse, I have a scale to weigh your pack. And with four days of food and water, my pack weighed 41 pounds. And that was heavy of the nooks. And either way, this was quite heavy. 41 pounds is way too much really. And I made a post on Facebook in which I included a picture of myself looking at my skinniest. And people, and by the way, thank you so much for being so kind and caring and worrying about me because

21:11has nice comments in terms of look after yourself and all that sort of thing. But I think it's because I carry so much weight that I'm eating so much weight. And one, the guy's commented on my post, Robert Myers, Robert Myers Jr. He said that it's a bit of a conundrum that you're losing weight. So you eat more, you eat more, you carry more, you carry more, you lose weight. And I don't really know how to get around it. I'm sure I'm carrying stuff I don't need. And I'm thinking of sending some stuff home for this last 400 miles once I get to Qatar. And because I don't think I can carry on losing weight at this rate. So I need to be careful with that. Obviously though, New Hampshire may not have been much tougher anyway. So I would have lost more weight that way. Hopefully in Virginia, it's going to be a little bit easier for me, but it is never known. But this day, this Thursday on day one 51, one of those days that were always taken my memory. I have never experienced wind like it when I've been hiking, especially at the top of mountains. Even more so, we were crossing the big lows, a spectacularly dramatic hike in itself.

22:17And it takes in four peaks, much of which is above tree line. Hiking the big lows was a high point from both of my hikes. Nothing came, nothing came close to the drama that we had on this day. It was more of the climbs were tough, but insurmountable and we were soon near the top. And once you're at the top, it goes up and down and up and down. It's just beautiful up there. We could hear the wind roaring above us and blowing in the occasional raindrops from the leaves from other previous evenings. But I don't think you realise quite how protected you are in the trees until you get above tree line for the first time. The first main peak was north horn with a very steep couple of hundred feet to the very top where we were buffeted all around by these winds. In fact, I had to hold onto the sign at the top for dear life to get my photograph taken. Big low west was higher and even more exposed. And by the time I got there, Nuke was already head and crossed over the top. A couple of women were crouched down just below tree line, not really known what they could do and they told me

23:18that they were going to wait out the wind. At this stage, I had no real idea of how fierce the wind was going to be. Though several people told me later that they thought the gusts were as high as 60 miles an hour. Now I've no idea if this is true, but I've no real reason to doubt it. And so I ventured my way above tree line and I started clawing my way up. It was hand over hand stuff. Looking back, I'm thinking about it. It was horrific to me. I was often on all fours as I reached higher and the wind continued to whip around me. I looked back but nobody else was venturing out the trees. It was then that I thought, is this a good idea? But like falling on the trail, there aren't that many options. You're where you are and the options are to stay where you are or you go forward. So as I was halfway up and only about 150 feet from the very top, I continued.

24:19I'd like to say that wasn't scared though. I would be lying terribly. It was terrifying really. There's a sudden vulnerability that you expose yourself to out here all the time. But I felt as vulnerable as I felt on the entire trip. In fact, my entire hiking life so far, it was kind of scary experience. But you know, made thrilling at the same time. It's a bit of a combination of scared and thrill at the same time. But I made it to the top. Quickly took a selfie. I don't know how I did that. And started down, getting into some trees and pretty much out the wind. It was then that I got texts from Luke warning me not to try to cross the top because it was too dangerous. I wrote back too late. I've done it. Tea time followed me and we both made it safely before starting another climb. This time over Avery Peak, the wind was still roaring around, but we felt more able to cope this time and we both made it over the top. We soon came to Luke and reformed as a traminy once more, which I was very grateful for. The climb down was steep but mercifully not windy and we decided to call it a day once we reached

25:24Safanotch campsite. This campsite was approached on a blue blaze trail that took us around massive moss covered boulders and even out of touch of the Mahouset notch in the scoping size of the boulders. But the site was fine whilst we got there and we set up for the evening. There was a young lady, Lacey or tent steaks doing the northbound hike. So I took the chance to interview her. I'll play that after this. We were going to we retired to our tents pretty early as the wind knocked it out of us and we were pretty tired. So much oxygen we were inhaling we were at the top and it was getting pretty cold anyway. And tea time and I noticed that Luke was quite quiet that evening but a septemberi lehmeth was the following day and he'd been at ground zero a couple of days after the disaster. We knew it was paying on his mind. Quite our much it was paying on his mind. We'd find out the following day. So I'm sitting here now the microphones aren't working as well as we'd like so we'll see how

26:24this works but this is Lacey. Hey Lacey thanks for talking to us. No problem thanks for having me. And what's your trunno? My trunno is tent steak. I don't know why but tell me why you're tent steak. Well it's such a long story and it's not a very good story but I was sort of collecting and well right now I love 17. Something is that enough you know you get the kids there mate. And you're a genuine 2000 mileer now because you actually done this whole northbound trip and we're less than 200 miles to go. So how are you feeling? Pretty good? I feel pretty good. I go from like one day wanting to hurry up and get done and then the next day I feel a little sad that it's almost over. Are you really? A lot of people slow down at this time as well. Yes for that very recent. I think in the 100 mile other than some I slow down a little bit. So what got your actor in the first place? I'm not sure and I was just saying I wanted to do it for a long time maybe like the last 15 years just probably reading different books and watching different movies.

27:25Right and is it being what you thought it would be because most people would come out here they've got an idea what it's going to be like or is it if you found it physically or mentally challenging? Um I did like two other like long distance flights but yeah not like 2000 mile hikes. I did the Penn Hoody Trail and then I did a Shenandoah National Park. Right. So I had kind of knew what I was getting into but it has been very challenging. And what about most you? Because you're not in a family right now or not you know? Well I know I've had different hiking partners. Most of the time I've been with someone I will finish the last 200 miles I'm not and you you good with that? Yep I prefer air. Hey. Do you so what are you staying at 10th site so you say it campsite what are you doing you say or you getting off trail sometimes? Um I just try to stay I just try to do like 15 or 17 miles a day sometimes that requires still camping. Wow. Well whatever but since I'm more on my own now I'll try to say it shelter here 10th site or something. And 17 miles you haven't been doing 17 miles in your actual main

28:29hobby? Uh the last like probably 40 miles of Maine I've been trying to do like this team do. Wow and we're talking just now on the way here that you uh you're finding it as I'm finding it much more expensive than we've built. Yeah. Uh did you save enough or were you now running the rest out into a deficit? No I did save enough. I was fortunate enough to deal with it. I've been able to stay out. I'm just spending more than way I wanted to. Yeah because you just kind of had enough food to you know cool the carers you're burning. Yeah exactly. And you're not obviously not a big girl. You losing weight still? Oh yeah I would say I lost 20 pounds. I was fat when I'm started. The whole night. A nice night shift nurse just um drinking coffee and not really exercising to take care of myself. Pretty much straight from that to your hiking I've lost the abutings. But you're hoping to go back to nursing? Yeah. And what else? Look at just how else you said? I was doing like traveling nursing and my last contract is a psych nursing job. So but whatever

29:35idea I do hope it's station because it's better for you. Okay um travel nursing gives you that flexibility to do more hikes. Yeah. And we talked about the PCT and so on and you said you're you said you're somewhere in your first years. And is that something you think you could possibly take on a next couple of years? I'm not sure. What I'll end up feeling like in the next couple of years. I'm probably a good actor school. I like a nose practitioner or something like that. Right. But I can see myself getting HS and wanting to get down on the trail. It does something to you. Yeah. No. Are you mad? Been your friends? Well I would say a handful. I'm paying the loaner. Yeah. Um that's okay. And this is perfectly fed up to be a lot of to make you a lot of nursing it. To try to hang out and do what you want to do and get get through the trial. Is it still training about you? So? Or was it revealed? Yes. If you're a character you won't

30:37quite sure. Oh definitely. Um one reason I will the biggest reason I came out here is because I probably listened to too many like David Dawgins podcasts and stuff. But I did want to challenge myself and trying to do some part of it difficult. Um I'm shocked as anyone that I've lasted this long and will probably most likely make it to Todd. Um yeah I'm shocked about that. But David Dawgins would be proud of you. Um yeah maybe. I wish I had more patience with myself and with some of the clients. Yeah. Why? I don't know. I feel like I get frustrated. Um with them. Like even that Tommy just did. I was like you know a little frustrated and stuff like that. So. But it's in front of you. It's the thing. Yeah. That's the trial. That's what you've got to do. This is what you just signed up for. And it really? Yeah. But that is I'm just saying that's one of my own character calls like my patient. This is not what I'm showing you. Well, congratulations on getting

31:38become in 2000. And of course you're going to get there. I enjoy it. To Todd and that. Yeah. It's good talking. Thank you. And you thanks. Day 152 which has last Friday is September 11th. Safan Notch campsite, Marl 2019.9 to West Carrey Pond, Lintu, Marl 2032.5, at 12.6 Marl Day. The previous day have been our last big big day before Katar. We still had a little mountain, a little mountain. A little it was called little big low mountain actually to go over. But with no real wind today and only about 800 feet of elevation gain over two miles it seemed like a walk in the parts of us. Certainly the profile ahead of us and certainly ahead of that flattened out considerably. Even though there were a couple of short climbs at the end of the day to get to West Carrey Pond, Lintu. To be honest there wasn't that much I recall from that hike on that day.

32:38Even though it was just a couple of days ago we enjoyed the relative relaxation of a flatter, easier trail. Though the routes continue to be persistent and often aggravating. Man these routes they really get here. Especially this a little bit of dampness on them. They are lethal. Yet I felt kind of untested for much of the day. Our normal routine has been to have Nuke out front, me in the middle and T-Time at the back. Every now and then I would come upon Nuke sitting down at a sitting rock as he calls it. Although it was often sitting on a log. I sit with him before T-Time would be a minute or so off to me. We'd talk and on this day we could tell that Nuke was having a tough day. He'd reach out to his friends and spoke him several of them during the day. We respected his need for a bit of silence but he also had a need to talk. We let him talk. Not let him talk, you know what I mean. He talked and he kind of talked it out. Shortly after this though at a road we came across some more trail magic that filled us

33:43up once more. We sat around with a bunch of guys who feed the hikers in rain in Maine quite regularly. It's always great to see her trail magic set up as you exit the woods. Once again there's another things that never gets old. Nuke reached camp well before us and when we got there and started looking for our tent sites I noticed that he hadn't chosen one. We kind of gathered and he told us that it'd be in 9-11 and all the emotions that that intel for him. He'd been thinking all day about missing the celebration of life for his buddy. A man who was shot himself while Nuke was on the hike. He felt that he should give it a shot of getting to the memorial and that necessitated pushing farther and faster than tea time on me could really take on. I wasn't surprised but I was shocked if you know what I mean. Nuke and I have been hiking together now for hundreds of miles and I respect to the man and I loved him like a brother. Those of you who have been out

34:44there for a long time hiking with other people will know that those relationships are strong and quite intense sometimes. But tea time and I both realized that this was something that Nuke had to try and we gave him as much encouragement as we possibly could. We hugged. He was gone. It surprised me how upset I was. Our small tram we had broken up and now it was just tea time and me. As it happens I think the note probably benefited from moving ahead of us because he was a faster hiker anyway so I was pretty sure we could make it to the end in time. I really, really hope that he does. And if you listen to this note you know we're behind you at 100% the way keep at it man and hopefully we'll see you a picture in time before you can get off trail and go and celebrate the life of your friend. Tea time and I are very similar play pace and we laugh that we can now have as many sitting rocks as we wanted to. We would miss Nuke but the show was going to go on. Then number 153 sadly West Carrie Pond Lien 2, Mar 203 2.5 to Pierce Pond Lien 2,

35:59Mar 204 2.5, 10 Mar day. Having I don't know if the word is endured but having experienced Southern Maine our short hike into Pierce Pond Lien 2 would leave us just four mile short of the Canombat River which we were crossing Sunday morning and meet my friend Sloughie on the other side. Sloughie had arranged an Airbnb for us that evening and we decided to take a zero on the Monday. We haven't taken the zero for quite some time actually we've taken a lot of Nero's but no zeroes. Sloughie even surprised us by saying he bought a roof for us at Shores in Monsoon and then he would drive us there on Monday morning before picking us up and taking us back to Caratunk on the Tuesday morning. What a guy. Now profile on this saturday was the easiest we'd probably had on trail so far. There was less than a thousand feet of elevation gain or descent with a 3.4 grade over the entire 10 miles. Man that was easy. I haven't found that these shorter easier days turn

37:01out to be more difficult than I expect them to be but it wasn't the case on this day. The weather was in the early 60s there was no rain and there was no rain forecast so the conditions were hiking were perfect. We didn't hurry we took several sitting rocks as I said we were going to and we reached Pierce Pond by about two o'clock in the afternoon. I remember from my 2019 hike and I got pictures to prove it that there was a spectacular tent site just in front of the shelter and down about 10 feet right in front of the pond itself. There were several people camped when we got there yet they hadn't discovered this incredibly beautiful site so I immediately snagged it. It was bloody perfect. I set up my tent and set up my chair and just sat there looking now at the water just a few feet away. I even heard the occasional to complete the picture. It was still quite early so I set up my sleeping pad and had a nap for a while before I heard a voice I recognised. It was machete. A guy we met several times before I really liked him

38:06and called out his name. He told me that there was a rumor that Harrison's Pierce Pond camp were running hikers into town to a brewery for dinner that evening. The car was going to be leaving at five o'clock and I certainly wasn't going to miss that. So I told T-Time we decided to head out around 4.30 pm. I already knew that the camp served a massive pancake breakfast at seven a.m. in the following morning but you had to register for the breakfast the previous evening. It's only a .2 blue blaze to get to the campsite. I was well worth doing that. So we set out T-Time and I set out machete had already gone but then we saw machete coming back tening us somewhat crestfallen that the dinner story was just a rumor. We should remember Drake but we registered some for breakfast and then we returned to the shelter to chat and cook with other hikers. It was a warm evening and the mood was high. We knew we were getting close to the end by now and as I have in the past it really felt like we were rationed to Katardon.

39:11We get in truth you really weren't. You're still doing short days, really 10 mile days and less. But you just get the feeling that the miles are just going too fast and I know that a lot of people on both my hikes slowed down towards the end because they wanted to as much as anything else. Back at the shelter I sat down with a guy named Nougat who we met at the trial magic a few days before and who had been through hiking since February. I'll play that after this. While we were looking forward to breakfast on the following morning the bad news was we were likely to get rain around four o'clock in the morning and packing up a wet tent. I certainly didn't fancy that though that is of course part of the trial and of course we were meeting slugging the following morning so if we did get a wet tent so what we can soon try it out. So I'm sitting here at a shelter by I don't even know where it is actually carry something

40:13or what's the carry pond? Yeah something like that. With Bill or do good. Hey Bill thanks for talking to us. I appreciate it. And you've been out for quite a long while. Tell us why you bid a hit for so long first and when you came. I started February 15th in that spring or mountain and the journey has just been amazing. I haven't rushed the journey. I took my time in the beginning so that my body in 60 years old. They didn't want to get injured. Sure. So I did low miles at the beginning just to listen to my body and how long is life now? I was doing like six to eight miles. I'll run the cutting. And if I how long? Probably through till North Carolina. I think I really did like at the 200 mile mark. I think I started to do like I think that's quite sensible at that stage but you then start increasing the miles don't you? What would you get up to? So I went from six to eight to eight to fifteen and that was probably two. I really felt like I got my

41:19trail legs in Damascus for a journey. Right. And then I was doing between 15 and 20 after that. So now obviously we're in we've done New Hampshire and we've done Maine and that really slowed us down as it always does and we knew it would. Now you're coming towards the end of your journey. What has it been like for you? It's been amazing. It's been my why at the beginning was for the challenge. I know many six year olds have done it but could I personally challenge myself to do 2,197.4 miles? Feeling every single one of them? Yeah. Thinking like it would just be a challenge. Like I've run 11 marathons and I love the challenge with the marathon and I thought that was my why and it turned into a lot more of spiritual growth and personal growth. What did you

42:23have anything to do about you doing it? Do they think it was a good idea? I didn't expect this but I think everybody is inspired by what I've done and how physically demanding it is and mentally demanding it is and what do you think the balance is between physical and mental? I think that number has changed. I think it would probably be at the beginning it was probably I was thinking it would be 70% physical, 30% mental and now I think it's the 70% mental and 30% physical because we have hiker legs and we're so the physical part isn't as tough. I think the terrain and the challenges of the trail are really tough but I think your body is ready for it. It's very rigorous but that's why I always think it's a south to north hike. The toughest parts are at the end when you've got these miles on your legs and so on and I know you've had a

43:26person who lost today and obviously sorry sorry for that boy. Thank you. Has been out on the trail when something like this happens been challenging for you? Is that the part of the mental part? That's the so difficult bit. Yeah and I'm so thankful for my Lord and when I got the call from Colvie my wife. As spiritual as I am I felt so alone. I felt like I used to out I could tell that. Out in this big wilderness, God's country right and I was just so small and I needed I needed as much as I lean on my God I needed somebody and I think I think people like you and Bluebird who was here and T Tim time I think that that's the path that I needed. And he was around

44:26yeah and humans you know that's the part of the trail it's so hard as you leave your family. Yes yeah yeah and it's hard on them as well. It's not just you so when you touch the sign of the sign of the sign that's something obviously you've been looking forward to. Quite some time. Are you eager for it now to be over or are you ready for it to be over? Which isn't the same thing? No I don't think I'm eager for it to be over but you struggle with the fact in Kent, Connecticut. I really thought I was going to get off trail because I didn't think I could emotionally I was drained because I miss my wife and my son and my family and friends. So that was a struggle usually I think. Did I encourage you to stay on? Yeah you know you do you do that thing where you tell your wife that if I call you someday and tell you I'm going to get off trail then you say not today it's a bad day quit on a good day.

45:31And that's so true when it works. So she said no you can't quit today go get out there I know it's difficult but go hike and if you want to quit tomorrow on a good day quit. What'd you say to her next day? I really it's what I needed to hear and I said I'm good. Yeah yeah I'm going to continue. And so this is you've done this challenging thing. Does this make you want to do some of the other longer trails or is this too much for you? Yeah it's too much for me but what it's given me is the love of camping and doing I think I'll do many three day hikes or two day weekends camping in the woods. Not seven months. Yeah I think like 30 miles going out and coming back 30 miles is a love that I didn't have before. I never camped before I never hiked before. You said you were kept you were kept. Couched trail. Couched trail and I told everybody I don't think you can train for this trail.

46:34I think the trail will train you and I you you sort of give open my eyes that you have a trainer and that helped you immensely. I really that's why I was so slow in the beginning I think I was just afraid to push my body too much because I wasn't physically ready yet. So well I feel privileged to be a human here when you've had bad news and I I'm sorry for your loss obviously but the connections we're making the woods are important and they are and they can be quite intense quite quickly. So appreciate your channels. Yeah my pleasure and I'm glad our paths crossed. Thank you. So Lucas gone and it was clear the right decision being because when we turned up in Monsoon this morning it's Monday morning by the way it already completed the miles from Caratheant to Monsoon. He's going to make it I could not be more pleased for him. He's got a spring

47:36spring back in his step and he looks happier than I've seen him for the past week. Truly it was great for tea time and I to see him again. I'll see you next time. This year's girls trip to Telluride was the best. We won up ourselves with my Sapphire preferred card and with five times points on Chase Travel plus three times points on vacation homes with top brands we got this incredible cabin. It was a mansion and with three times the points on dining we ordered a Wagyu steak dinner and that pistachio gelato was too good. So where should we go next year? I've got ideas. Chase Sapphire preferred the card that's

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