Trail Lingo

We came up with this list after leaving Monson and having a bit of time after our short 9 mile hike. Here is a list of terms that are common on the trail:

Thru hike: attempting to complete the entirety of the trail

Flip-flop: starting Northbound on the trail to Harpersferry, once there, heading from Katahdin back to Harpersferry

Yo-Yo: completing a Northbound hike and completing a Southbound hike right after
SoBo: one heading South on the trail
NoBo: one heading North on the trail
Me-Ga: Maine to Georgia
Ga-Me: Georgia to Maine
Pink blazing: slowing down or speeding up to stay hiking with a female
Blue blazing: creating your own path on the trail
Green blazing: hiking under influence of some certain green stuff
Aqua blazing: skipping sections of the trail via boat

Yellow blazing: skippin sections on the trail via hitch hiking 
AYCE: All You Can Eat
Stealthing: camping in a prohibited or unusual spot
Coned: when a privy is of disgusting condition 

Zero Day: taking the day off from hiking 

Nero Day: taking a near zero day 

TG Network: trail gossip network

Day 18, Hitchhiking, Care Packages, Happy 32nd Anniversary Mom and Dad

July 31
On our way into Stratton, we crossed a bridge. When I looked back, I sign read "Dick Brown's Bridge," a "God wink." Dick Brown is my Papa's name. What are the chances?
We arrived in Stratton, but not before testing our luck at hitchhiking. NotYet was first to arrive off of the trail, onto the Maine Highway. He walked out with his thumbs up, right as a pickup was passing by. He stopped immediately and pulled off. Success! And it was a dear older man who picked us up, not a serial killer. What a relief!
Unitic had just made it into town before we did. We hadn't seen him since taking our zero day at Pierce Pond, but knew he was just ahead. He had signed some registers at the Lean To's letting us know when we would arrive.
We dropped by Northland's Cash Supply to pick up packages from both sets of our parents. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) We talked to the owner about looking for a spot to camp in town without having to pay. (Hostels and motels are nice, but we've got a budget!) He said, well you can just pitch a tent behind here. So, right off the river, behind the Cash Supply, is our orange Marmot Tent. After we pitched our tent we went through our goody box: snickers, chicken, pasta sides, twizzlers, granola bars, and more awesomeness. But our favorite part was the letters from our parents and sister and brother-in-law, complete with a lock of Grover's hair! He must've gotten a haircut.... Love it! THANK YOU, MOM AND DAD AND SIS!
We are still waiting on a package from NotYet's parents...hoping it comes today!
NotYet and I enjoyed a 16" pizza from Northland's and sat around the table with Unitic and Cindy (a friend of Unitic's, section hiker). Off now to do laundry and shower. Spending the night in Stratton and back on the trail tomorrow.
Think we might be past the point of seeing Karma again, our first dear trail friend. We will not, however, stop leaving notes for her in the Lean To registers!
We were just talking to Unitic about meeting people on the trail randomly at the right time and how it's such a great part of the experience. I think God brings those people into our lives at just the right time!
Longer post today, but it feels great to update and catch up with family and friends. Happy 32nd Anniversary to Mom and Dad! Your marriage is such a great example for us to follow! You are incredible!

Sign after crossing a bridge, my Papa's name...too cool

Care package from home! Nothing brings up a mood quite like getting goodies and love notes complete with your pup's fur!

Enjoying a Nero day. Unitic, Floss, Cindy and Billy, chowing on some homemade goodies! Calorie fest!

Day 17, The Bigelows

July 30
183.1 down, 2002.8 to go
We woke around 5:30 and enjoyed coffee and a couple cookies we had packed from the day before for breakfast. We hiked around 13 miles today, over the Bigelows, which were quite the climb!
There is a missing hiker, Inchworm, who has been missing since last Tuesday (a week ago). She is a 66 year old woman, whose husband was waiting to pick her up off of a Maine highway. We have heard search helicopters today and yesterday and are now going into the area where she went missing. How heartbreaking it must be for her family. We are praying God will comfort them during this hard time.
Just over 5 miles into Stratton tomorrow, where our first care packages arrive, hooray! Knowing we have packages with various goodies arriving has really been keeping us going!

The view of Avery Peak from Little Bigelow Mountain. Doesn't look like much but it's over 4,000 ft

Enjoying lunch and the sun on Little Bigelow

At the top of Avery Peak

Day 16, Trail Magic

July 29
170.3 down, 2015.6 to go
We enjoyed sleeping in. It was a bit of a rough start after doing nothing the day before. We stopped at West Carry Pond Lean To for lunch for our first encounter with trail magic. We'd heard Trail Magic was something great when you least expect it, and it was definitely unexpected at just the right time! Snickerdoodles, cookie bars, cupcakes, Ramen, instant coffee, Juicy Fruit gum and candy...and wine in a box! We weren't planning on staying at the shelter that night, so we used our empty Gatorade bottles to fill up. It was perfect.
We left the shelter with happy spirits. It was thundering on our way to Flagstaff Lake, our campsite for the night, so we booked it and were able to put up the tent by the time it started raining. After 15 miles and a bit of some wine, we are feeling great! Lovin' life! Happy one month anniversary to Amy and Trevor!

Trail magic from the West Carry Pond Trail Angel

Note with the trail magic

Day 15, Zero Day, 12 Pancakes, Tutie and Kayaks

July 28
Zero Day!
We had a relaxing day. We had breakfast at Harrison's with Unitic. Breakfast include 12 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 4 cups of coffee and juice. Needless to say, we all finished our plates. Hiker hunger developed? Check!
After breakfast, we sat and talked with Tim Harrison, the owner of Pierce Pond Camps. Unitic got on his way to finish his hike and NotYet and I were enjoying the backporch at Harrison's with Tutie, Tim's adorable black miniature poodle. There were more hummingbirds than we could count at four feeders. We got real close and stood still and they hovered around us, not minding us at all. Meanwhile Tutie, who is smart as a whistle, would bring us a toy. We would throw it over the porch onto the first floor. She would study to see where it landed, go over and down the stairs and bring the toy back up! She also outsmarted us when we put a pile of treats on the table. She tricked us into looking the other way and grabbed the last treat! Tutie  also liked to growl and Bonnie (a stuffed something or other) and bark at Clyde (a big moose head on the wall). The view from the back porch was breaktaking. Surrounded by greenery, we looked over at a waterfall in the distance and a footbride going over the river. The perfect spot to relax!
After a while, Tim offered to let us take his kayaks out....Um....yes! We enjoyed an hour or two out on the lake, surrounded by sun and calm beauty.
Nighttime brought a raging fire and an early night's rest. It was the zero perfect day!

A sleepy but happy NotYet

Playing with Tutie and breakfast 

Unitic and NotYet

Breakfast, including blueberry, raspberry and apple pancakes

Tutie looking for her toy 

Hummingbirds on the back patio 

Kayaking on Pierce Pond

Day 14, First Long Day

July 27
155.2 down, 2030.7 to go
We did 18.7 today! The most we have done so far. It feels great to be able to do this amount of miles, after averaging nearly 10 on previous days. Although we are still building mileage and won't do 18 everyday, it's nice to know that we have it in us and that we're getting in better shape!
We booked it to Pleasant Mountain, which was hard with a lot of ups and downs and false summits. After a very steep downhill, we made it down the mountain. We were leapfrogging with Unitic all day, our new friend! We made our best pace yet after the mountain, to make it to Caratunk to resupply and make it to the ferry to cross the Kennebec by 4. We made it and enjoyed a pint of ice cream once we crossed the ferry. The ferry was a little canoe trip that took a whole minute and a half to cross. We made it to Pierce Pond today and are taking our much anticipated first zero day tomorrow!

Unitic crossing the Kennebec River. The man giving the ride said his record this year was 78 passengers a day! Over 40 crossings!

Sunset at Pierce Pond

Sunrise

Day 13, Eerie Mountain

July 26
136.5 down, 23049.4 to go
No sign of Karma after leaving Monson, but just as we were dropped off onto the trailhead, who do we see coming off the trail? Karma! We were able to chat with her before the people from Shaw's turned back around to pick her up.
After leaving Monson, we made a quick 9 miles to Horseshoe Canyon. We had a great fire and NotYet even cleaned around the Lean To he was so bored! Last night we talked with Isaac and MountainCity, who was completing the AT after being on the trail for 11 years, a little bit each summer. We talked abourt marriage being a lot like the AT, with its ups and downs. MountainCity has been married for 43 years. He gave us Lifesavers, which were a treat on the trail the next day! We also met Sunshine and Sunrise, a Brazillian woman and her fiance, who had started NoBo but switched because of bad weather in the South. This morning we got going around 7:30, making great time. (We are getting better and better at getting out of camp in the mornings!) We had a 9 mile climb up Moxie Bald Mountain. It was eerie at the top, because it was a cloudy day and we were in the clouds, but a great experience. We made it to Bald Moxie Pond Lean To and talked with Unitic, a fellow SoBo who has Lyme Disease, after being bit by some tics a few years ago. A lot of NoBos, since it's raining.

Our friend Karma!

Moxie Bald Mountain

Day 12, AYCE Breakfast

July 25

114.5 down, 2071.4 to go

Ahhhh, remember when we said it was the little things? It really is. Taking off wet boots, taking a shower after 11 days of not having one and clean clothes! The difference between being overwhelmed and rejuvenated is just a stay away at Shaw's...I sound like a commercial.

We enjoyed relaxing in our room last night and waking up early to the small of bacon. We had our first AYCE breakfast, all you can eat...I had five blueberry pancakes, two pieces of bacon, a sausage patty, two eggs and some hash brown. NotYet had even more.

When we left the trailhead yesterday we were blessed with a car waiting for us! Our new friend Flaco (Spanish for thin), who we met the rainy night before at the lean to, was a few minutes ahead of us all day and called for the ride. They waited a few minutes for us, how nice! Flaco is SoBo as well, having done two precious NoBo thru hikes in 2010 and 2011. Flaco is taking a zero day. We'd love to take our first one, but want to get back on the trail to avoid spending excessive money in towns. We've heard one of the biggest ways to save money on the trail is to not linger in towns too long. We did pack enough food to take a zero day before hitting the next town. It'd be nice to stop by a great swimming hole. Forecast predicts a lot of rain this weekend so we will see...

NotYet is chatting outside with Flaco and Floss (promoting dental hygiene on the trail or named for his awesome Mohawk?) before we hit the trail again. We met Floss at breakfast this morning. He is SoBo as well, a Spanish teacher and marathoner, taking the year off. He did Katahdin last Tuesday so he's got a quicker pace than us. Like us, it sounds like he's been wanting to do more mileage, comparing it to running and being able to do more in less time... However, running and hiking really don't compare! We want to get going before the rain hits hard tonight.

Thanks to our family an friends for the support! Love is an incredible form of motivation.

Dog across from Shaw's, the twin of Lucy, our family dog back in Washington. He even rolls around in the dirt on his back! The only difference is this dog doesn't seem to be heftily overweight...

Flaco, Floss and NotYet enjoying some sitting and conversation outside.

Informative fridge at Shaw's, including a map of Monson, hiker code and my favorite sticker so far on black flies, ha.

Day 11, Out of the Wilderness

July 24

114.5 down, 2071.4 to go
We made it out of the 100 mile wilderness! Hooray!
Let us tell you, it has never felt soo good to shower! And eat a big, fat juicy burger you've been dreaming about for the last week.
The wilderness has been tough. The trail isn't easy, but any ordinary man's terms, but again, it's a mental challenge and it's how you think of it. NotYet and I are both in good physical shape, healthy and ready for whatever terrain the trail brings, but it will be a test of how we endure the hardships along the way.
We are staying at Shaw's tonight to resupply and enjoy a nice easy day tomorrow, since we haven't had a day off since starting. NotYet stepped onto the scale...He dropped 12 pounds. I stepped on, half expecting to have lost 20....nothing. Oh, the joys of being a woman. If anything, I've gained muscle....Is it just me looking down at the trail all day, noticing my legs...Or do my calves look DARN good?
It is so nice to catch up with family and friends! NotYet and I are out for the night... Splitting a half gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream. We saw so many moose tracks on the trail that it's only right to celebrate...right?....RIGHT?

Shaw's, the people here are wonderful!

Clean clothes to wear while yours wash? Please! Love the hiker chic sign!

Our hiker chic clothes and water crossing shoes.

Lake in Monson

Day 10, First Rainy Day

July 23

104.1 down, 2082.5 to go
It rained all day. We stopped at Wilson Valley Lean To from rain and decided to spend the night, after only nine miles in for the day. We will get an early start into Monson. We only have 10.4 left in the wilderness! NotYet fell on a rock and slid and landed on his elbow, but he is okay. Our backpacks are lifesavers!

We chatted with a couple today from Kentucky, who are celebrating their 40th year as newlyweds! (How sweet!) Their accents were so thick I had to have NotYet translate.

Today, we realize more than ever that this experience is what we make of it. We will have plenty of rainy days, especially this fall. It's how we think about them that matters.

Setting up tent in the shelter, a big no no. But no one was around yet!

All's well, we are dry after a long day of rain!

Day 9, Climb Every Mountain

July 22

95.4 down, 2090.5 to go
Today was rough! We went over four mountains with amazing views, but tough climbs. Chairback Mountain was one. Seemingly harder for us than the previous day. We are so glad to be finished for the day at Cloud Pond, or Crowd Pond (named by the NoBos who stayed there last night, a trickle of them are starting to come through more everyday). There are none here tonight, however! No sign of Karma, we must have passed her. There is a raccoon in the tree, who does not seem to like that we are staying in HIS home! So loud. Birds are chirping. Off to bed!

Climbing Chairback, trekking poles put away

Day 8, Moose of Maine

July 21

84.2 down, 2101.7 to go
Today is the first day of our second week! It's gone by so fast already. We started the day with the dehydrated eggs and bacon we got from the marathon runner at Antlers a few days ago. The eggs were foamy and delicious. We started on our White Cap Climb, which we had heard was the hardest climb in the wilderness. There were four "mountains" to climb up and back down, for a total of 7 miles, with a lot of "stairs," which are really rocks placed strategically on a steep uphill. The view from White Cap mountain was beautiful. It was nice seeing the opposite of what we saw from Katahdin. We finished all the hills and got to where we were going to stay for the night, Carl's Lean To, and felt so great we decided to keep going. We must finally be getting into shape and used to our packs. Today, we saw a moose eating right off the trail at Gulf Hagos Mountains. He stayed for a while eating just looking at us. We are trying to make it out of the wilderness soon, ready to be done! NotYet says the air today is "crisp and cold and breezy like fall." As I (Billy) was writing in the journal tonight, NotYet was pumping water and I turned around in the tent because I heard a noise outside...a moose was staring into our tent from four feet away! Needless to say, I FROZE. Unlike I thought, he didn't trample over the tent and tear into it with his teeth and eat me whole...He just walked away. 

Climbing the stairs at White Cap

View at White Cap, Katahdin behind

Day 7, Bear in the Water

July 20

71.4 down, 2114.5 to go

We started around 8:00 this morning. On our hike today, we heard a noise from the trail, sounding like someone running through water. We stopped to see what it was from the trail and past the trees we saw a bear getting out of the water. He must have enjoyed a swim.
We ran into Karma again around lunch time.
We are staying at Logan Brook. We talked to Steadfast, a NoBo. He is a Christian man doing this hike to raise money for cancer research. His 17 year old daughter passed away around  6 years ago to cancer and his wife currently has cancer. We enjoyed some good conversations with him before heading to bed. Today ends our first week on the trail -- it's been amazing!

Day 6, Imaginary Hostel

July 19

59.7 down, 2126.2 to go

Written by NotYet:

I woke up at Antlers Campsite this morning and looked out at the lake. It was slightly hazy and so calm and peaceful. The birds were singing, the bugs were buzzing and the air tasted like blueberries. This was the kind of place you wouldn't think existed anymore, or that you could only read about in books. The only reminder of the technologically advanced world we live in was the distant sound of a jet overhead. As far as the eye can see, everything was a natural shade of green, blue, grey, or brown -- truly awe-inspiring. I wish in had more food, I would have stayed longer. 

Today started off nice. Woke early and spent the morning enjoying the sun and peninsula at Antlers. Officially half way through the wilderness! We met a marathon runner who gave us his extra dehydrated eggs and bacon to take with us. We will use in two days before White Cap, a hard climb. NotYet got study pretty bad by hornets on his wrist yesterday, his arm is swollen. He had dug his poop hole in a hornets nest! They were NOT happy.

We left in the morning with the plan of staying at a near hostel and getting a ride into town for some Benadryl. We met two men on the trail who gave us some meds -- what a blessing. When we got to the road for the hostel, we looked in the hide book and realized we were looking at the wrong page...there was no hostel. After the giant letdown of the imaginary hostel, we had to sit down for a bit before continuing on. Karma came at just the right time. We enjoyed talking with her for a few minutes before hiking again.
We continued on 3+ miles to Cooperbrook. We got in early, at 2:30, since we only did 7 miles. We spent the afternoon chatting with JustDave, a NoBo, just finishing. And a sweet couple who were both widows. They gave us marriage advice. Each had been married twenty years before. We made it to bed right before dark clouds rolled in.

At Antlers Campsite, our favorite spot so far

Cooper Brook Falls

Day 5, Antlers

July 18

51.8 down, 2135.8 to go

It poured down rain all night with thunder and lightening. Glad we put the rain fly up after all! We woke up at 6:40, on the road by 8:59. It took us a while to pump water for the two of us. The hike was pretty level, we were able to do 13 miles. We met ItsAllSmallStuff, a sweet 66 year old man from Texas, doing a flip flop hike (start your hike NoBo and go until halfway, then switch to SoBo). He said, "at my age, I stop when I need to." 

We were teased along the way when we came up to what looked like our first trail magic! No way -- free trail mix?! There's a note..."to Sam. Congratulations! You're almost done." Ah man, so sweet that Sam's family cared enough to have trail magic arranged in the wilderness, but come on! What a tease for the rest of us, and right around lunch time too! 

We are camping at Antlers, right on a little Peninsula. We are the only ones here so we ended up bathing a bit. Not enough to feel clean, but refreshed. It started pouring down right as we got to our campsite so we put up the tent frantically. As soon as we finished setting up the tent, it stopped raining. Eating dinner in the tent, I told NotYet to enjoy the meal and take small bites. He said "Believe me, I'm  enjoying the big bites."

Ethan's trail name is officially NotYet. Just a few days into the trail he still hasn't had a name and people kept asking, he would say, "NotYet" and it stuck!

Day 4, The Little Things

July 17

38.2 down, 2146.7 to go

Used coals from fire last night to make lukewarm coffee and oatmeal, what a treat! After a few days in, it really is the little things! We are trying to wean off coffee by the time we are done in the wilderness. Save money and its extra weight..never thought you'd see the day, eh?! Don't worry we will start back up when we get home. Started out making great time and stopped to watch loons swim on lake. Time went by fast. Day started out drizzly off and on, reminded us of Washington weather. Sun came out in the afternoon. Huge uphill climb, strenuous! Saw Karma again, she is staying at the same campsite as us, Wadleigh Lean To. Turned on phone surprised to see we get a little service. Got in the tent just in time before the rain started dumping.

Pollywog Gorge

Taking a break at Pollywog Gorge, Ethan got a lot closer to the edge than I was willing.

View of the valley