"It was SO bad...."

Judd got home a day early ( Friday night, in time for strawberry shortcake.)  I've never heard so much moaning and creaking just getting out of the car and walking up the  garage steps. It seems this stint lived up to it's "one of the most difficult" titles. He sent this text Wednesday, then last message before departing the AT is below. He says he's looking forward to the hot tub and yoga this weekend.

all perky going IN-to the woods on Wed.

 Nice pics, coming OUT of the woods on Friday.....NOTE: no selfies......

63° Cloudy
Appalachian National Scenic Trl, North Oxford, ME, United States

Day One Entry: Jul 8, 2016

Inbox

x

jmthompson79@gmail.com	Jul 8 (2 days ago)
to me

13 miles. 13 grueling miles. Holy crap! And of course it rained the last two hours.
Did I say that  I broke one of my poles and then sunk into a muck hole up 
to my knees and that was with 8 miles to go!
74° Mostly Sunny
Appalachian National Scenic Trl, West Central Franklin, ME, United States

Rain. Duh.

Day One Entry: Jul 7, 2016

Inbox

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jmthompson79@gmail.com
to me

Waiting for the rain.
So the rain came in. Duh. But just as I was about to cross south arm road and look for a place to
 pitch my hammock a shuttle pulled up for another fellow to take him into Andover to a hostel. I tagged along.
This is one funky place. I think I'm in a converted chicken coop but it sure beats setting up on the rain
and breaking down a wet camp. Lots of folks on the trail nobo and soho. There are a even some nobos
that started at Springer in March. I hope to get out early and get
to the car before dark.
79° Mostly Sunny
Appalachian National Scenic Trl, North Oxford, ME, United States

AND a second:

jmthompson79@gmail.com	8:44 PM (10 hours ago)

67° Mist and Fog
2–36 Pine St, Andover, ME, United States

what the heck is a hiker heart attack? from Judd: July 6, 2016

From JUDD:  

Melanie dropped me at Grafton Notch State Park at 0830. I immediately passed a hiker “Heart Attack” that. I had met the previous weekend while hiking with Mike Benjamin. We carried our fishing rods between Oquossoc and Rangeley on the AT. I. Caught the most beautiful brook trout I have ever seen. At 6" it was legal but I just couldn't bring myself to kill it. Mike caught his 10 incher and we ate it for brunch. It was solo good thanks Mike. Caught it on little swift river pond. We found a canoe that wasn't locked up with paddles life jackets and an anchor. Thanks to the generous owner.

So "Heart Attack" walked right by. I'm on my way to Height of Land. So far the Mahoosucs are not for the faint of heart. If you are south bound on the AT by the time you get to VT you have gone 20% of the distance and done 80% of the work.

85° Sunny
Appalachian National Scenic Trl, North Oxford, ME, United States

First word from Judd

So the section of trail Judd is presently on includes the most arduous sections.  It's the place where the hiker Inchworm went missing and was not found for two years.  Judd and I talked about it on our hike.  He couldn't believe she wouldn't just make a fire.  I said, maybe she broke both her ankles and couldn't reach her backpack.  He said that's why he carries matches on him.  I said, maybe they were all wet.  He said, that's why he carries waterproof matches.  I said, maybe she was already delirious from dehydration or exhaustion. Maybe a bear mauled her and took her matches.  I said he clearly was not imaginative enough to invent all the ways a person, even a smart person with matches in their pocket, could fall to harm.......

But then I stopped thinking about it, spent the night in the nice British-y Inn and Pub, newly purchased by a couple from California (what were they THINKING?) and kissed him goodbye the next morning, making sure he did have the car keys for his vehicle parked at the other end. He *said* he had his bic lighter on him.

And so, to allay any worries I might invent, here is the first text I get from Judd, July 6, 2:30pm........................guess he's alive, albeit with low battery.

Melanie's big day on the AT, ......"but I've got the map."

Grafton Notch Trail, Newry, ME

      I got my day in the sun on July 5. After 
leaving extensive directions for our Daisy sitters (Kelcy and Ryley) we were off. We needed to stop in Augusta for some chores (a protracted wait at Supercuts for Judd to get a kinda haircut and me going to every store we could think of between China and Bethel to find a small gas canister that fits into Judd's stove kit.  (They were all sold out the week BEFORE the 4th of July.)

      Judd and I drove circles around Bethel looking for the gas canister and finally gave up.  We found our Jolly Drayman's Inn and Pub and went to check in.  They don't really open until 5pm but the innkeepers let us drop stuff early so we could go hike.  I'd about lost hope that I'd get a day of AT with Judd as Siri kept saying it was another 1.5 hours away, but the maps told us it was 22 minutes, so we went for it. We parked at Grafton Notch Campground parking in the Grafton Notch State Park (yes, that's in Maine.)  I had researched "day hikes around Bethel" and chosen Table Rock Trail (as it was one of the only ones less than 17 or 23 miles.) Out of the car, Judd heads east, the opposite direction as the trailhead and I said 'but the trail is west. across the street.' Judd said, "but I have the map."  But the trail I wanted WAS to the west, across the street where the giant AT marker stood. 
        I chose Table Rock because it was a 1.9 mile loop--2-3 hours. We took the left trail up(blue blazes after you leave the white blazes of the AT;) it was purported to be the kinder and gentler straight up path.
After reaching the top, we'd passed so many people who had come up the right (orange blazed )really-steep path who said they'd never do it again, that we decided to go back down the way we came. We encountered bevies of camp girls 10-15 at a time, Rocko from NY who was traveling with someone who said I looked familiar and turned out to be a respiratory therapist from MaineGeneral from my stint there years ago.
We had our picnic lunch and photo op and went down, still looking for an actual AT hiker to whom I could leave my "trail magic"--4 newly, road-stand-purchased whoopie pies. Nearing the end of our hike, we came across a mom with 3 girls just hiking in so I asked permission to give them magic.  The mom said to expect another mom coming along with 2 boys and we did give them the last one. When we were alone the last 10 minutes of my walk in the woods, Judd turned to me and asked my trail name.  I hadn't planned one and no one had named me. So I spontaneously said, "Little Miss Sunshine."  I wish I had a yellow shirt too.

The Jolly Drayman's Pub

Judd, with the map

Height of Man

July 1, Judd went hiking with Michael B. Oquassoc  to Rangley--two cars--one at each end. Not sure if Mike B got a trail name in that short trip but know they had a wicked good time. Before they even hit the trail, Judd apparently came out of the coffee-meeting-place-shop in Farmington with a pocket full of creamers purloined from the coffee shop. Does Judd ask Mike, "did they see me?" or " what will they do if I get caught?"  No, he asks, "how many did YOU get?" Apparently, the cream greatly embellished the percolated coffee mornings.  (p.s. Judd NEVER carries a percolater when he hikes alone.)

The only hiker story I heard was about the newlywed "flip floppers"  (i.e AT hikers who SoBo (south bound)  from Katahdin to Harpers Ferry then fly to  Springer Mt GA and hike north, or someone who hikes Harpers Ferry No Bo to Katahdin then gets themselves to Harpers Ferry going South..... or some such permutation.....I can't recall.....( I told Judd to type me some stories or I'd start making them up.)....

I also had a text on Saturday that they'd caught the "most beautiful brown trout."  When Malindi asked if they'd cut off its head and eaten it, Judd texted, "no," he "threw it back like a real man." Yet, the next day I see pics on the icloud that someone has decapitated and eviscerated a beautiful trout and they're eating it like it was ice cream. 

I understand that at some slow evening point, they asked each other if there were cards or cribbage. The answer was no.... so they ended up playing iphone games like "Heads UP" and "Fruit Ninja."  They're real things.... look for them in your app store.

that's not cooking oil in the flask!

Ryley, on his Minnesota-Mall of America-Chicago road trip, had sent a snapchat of beers and burgers on his actual 21st birthday so Judd and Mike perseverated about burgers on their entire hike out. When they finally met pavement, they hightailed it to Farmington and found their burgers and beers (and texted about how hard it was to leave live music....)  Judd got back to China 6:30pm ish on the 3rd of July, in time to cruise 3 Mile Pond on a sunset boat cruise. And then commenced the unpacking and re-packing for the July 5 trip.

Back in the saddle.....

It was 354 days ago that we blogged that last Judd trip. And......now, July 1, 2016, he's on the trail again. Turns out he owes a couple -4-day stints in Maine and New Hampshire and then will go finish his last 500+miles, Greylock, MASS to Harpers' Ferry, come Fall.

This morning Judd left for Farmington to meet up in a coffee shop with Mike B. They suspiciously took their fly rods with them. These don't SEEM that heavy but those rods and the carefully aligned flies will slow them down significantly. They're driving to page 18 in the Maine Gazetteer: Height of Land--leaving a car up by Rte  4 . They will hike north toward  Sabbath Day Pond. And if fishing isn't fun, they'll be home Sunday and if fishing is awesome, they'll be home Monday. And the plan is to leave Judd's car up there so when I drop him next week, he has a way to get home.

For dessert last night, Judd let me taste his powdered milk and freeze-dried raspberries and protein Cheerios. Oh boy!  And then he tricked me and I had to taste the powdered BUTTERmilk and granola. I told him I just couldn't tell which was better (which was true. )This morning he weighed in at 33pounds.

Is that the 'mellow yellow' shirt from 2013??