No rain and no bugs. That’s pretty darn perfect in my book! I slept quite well and was looking forward to meeting up with Blue. The kids left a few minutes before me and one offered me her water before she dumped it. That’s golden, especially since I finished my last drop when I made coffee this morning. I packed up and hit the trail a bit later than usual at 6:45am.

The morning was cool and the clouds were low. First job I had today was climbing White Cap Mountain. the highest peak in the region of the Hundred Mile Wilderness. It has some of the finest views in the state. The south face of the summit is totally open and rocky, with tremendous views to the Chairback Range, and down over Big and Little Spruce Mountains. On a clear day you can see Mt. Katahdin but that wasn’t happening this morning. I powered up the 700’ climb which was fairly easy. The summit was shrouded in clouds, foggy and dismal. The top was piled with rocks and shale, which is typical for a peak like this. I headed down being it was quite windy.

About half way down the mountain, I saw Blue coming sobo. Yeah, my partner has come to hike with me. We hiked the last two miles to the car. I shared with her the events of yesterday and my idea to slackpack today. She had already considered the same idea and had two options. The first would be sn additional 6-8 miles and the latter, a 13 miler to Jo-Mary Road. I chose the longer route as this would set me up for shorter miles in the days to come.

I dropped off my big heavy backpack and put on my daypack, which contains nothing more than my lunch, water, first aid and jacket with gloves and a headlamp. You never know what happens out there. Blue got in her car and drove to Jo-Mary Road and started walking sobo to meet me.

The day was fairly flat with a couple of smaller peaks to get up and over. The terrain was nice with the occasional creek crossing and typical mud and muck. That hasn’t gone away yet and with the extended forecast of rain, it won’t ever leave the trail this year. But for the majority of the day was pleasant.

I saw more Sobo’s than Nobo’s today. One gal that really got my interest was Casper. She flip-flopped in Pennsylvania and adopted a cat. She named him Spook. He was perched upon her pack with a bell on his collar. She says he likes to roam the forest chasing critters like squirrels and such, but sometimes doesn’t know how to get back. So she goes and retrieves Spook. She wrote in the log at the Shelter that I stopped by for lunch that Spook caught a mouse and killed it. That’s one good Kitty!

Once I reached Crawford Pond outlet, I saw Blue. She hiked some six miles to meet up with me. It was like old times hiking the trail together. Oh how I miss my Blue. We hiked the last six miles together talking about what we liked and what we won’t miss about the trail. It always comes back to the mud! We both agree on that. Mud and bugs. Gnats and mosquitoes are our nemesis. And Blue does not like snakes. I saw two more snakes today. I had no idea that Maine is a big producer of all kinds of slithering critters. We made it to the road by 5pm. Blue drove us to Millinocket and I found a Motel. All I really wanted was a shower and to charge my gear, and wash my clothes. I was too tired to go out and eat so with made due with Chips, Salsa, Guacamole and Beer. That was truly a perfect evening.

I am now more than halfway through the 100 Mile Wilderness. With Blue as my wingman, I can power through the next few nights. Thank goodness that I have her! With all my clothes clean and dry now, and my body bathed, my electronics charged up, there’s nothing standing in my way. I’m so grateful that Blue decided to stop hiking and rented a car. What a great way to finish this northern route and it gives her a chance to explore Maine! It’s a win-win for both of us!

My sweet Lord knew what was going to come. He knew that Blue would get off trail and I was going to walk with Him. In the past few days, I’ve had much time to reflect on this journey. It has been physically exhausting from the time I hit The Whites. Once in the wilderness, it feels more natural and less painful. Yet this trail has been a challenge, more for my mental health. I’m just trying not to get terribly consumed by my disgust of the muddy trail and endless river crossings. But God keeps reminding me that He has a destiny in mind and sometimes you have to go through the fire to get there. I’m holding on to that, my God.