[at-l] hikers up north

[Cody Girl]

Thanks RockDancer, I enjoyed reading about the hikers up there this year.

We ate at a Thai place in Rangely that was really good, can't say I remember
the name, but on the main drag near the laundry and ice cream place.  They
were very nice to us there.

As you mentioned the lonely hiker who almost quit at Grafton Notch.  That
was a place I was really struggling too, I had a tough time with Mahoosic
Arm and Old Speck was done out of sheer determination as I was plain old
wore out.  There was a Maine State Parks worker that I met in the parking
lot there at Grafton Notch.  He gave me some cheese & crackers and my first
ever Moxie and told me if I could do what I'd done up till then I sure could
make it to Katahdin.  He also told me that the reason there's a garbage can
at the trailhead there is because he told his boss he personally would be
responsible for keeping it emptied and tidy. His name is Soda Mike.  One
very fine trail angel.  Don't know if I would have quit or not, but he sure
made think hard about it and was so positive.  I was so lucky to meet him.

Ah well, thanks for the memories RD, back to work now.
Cody

On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 8:21 PM, RockDancer <rockdancer97 at comcast.net>wrote:

> I’ve just returned from a weekend with the hikers around Rangeley and
> Stratton, ME, the ones that have just reached the end of the tough part of
> Maine. My hope was to turn up some hikers I met one my summer’s section
> hike. I was happy to find:****
>
> Little Bird, English Chatter, Achilles, Pacemaker, Sundance, Yoga Boy, Red
> Stripe, Holy Cow, Phishnet, Buddha, and Skyhigh – 11 hikers****
>
> These hikers I met for the first time: Whiskers, Snags, Rolling Stone,
> Icebreak, Bearbag, Hover, Showy (or Snowy?), Engineer, Old School, Frosty,
> Captain Redbeard, Wiggles and The Dude (same Dude from 2003).****
>
> Hobo was heading S on the Flip from Katahdin. Gunner and 1 other are
> possibly the last southbound thruhikers for the year. After 180 miles they
> seemed pretty happy with the trail so far.****
>
> Rangeley was interesting because Gull Pond hostel was closed. A local
> business, Ecopelagicon, helped the hikers and allowed camping on their
> property, just a stone’s throw from Sarge’s (sports bar on the main drag).
> Friday night saw 12 tents set up, a local brought over some firewood and a
> pub sent over a few free pitchers of beer. All in all a quiet, mellow time.
> A town official came by on Saturday morning and posted a “limit of 4 tents”
> sign, sad, but also indicated that the town wants to take up the idea of
> having their own hiker hostel. In my years of visiting Rangeley this was the
> friendliest time I’ve had, nice change overall.****
>
> Stratton seems to have less & less life in it each time I visit. No gas
> station in town anymore, the Diner has fewer hours they are open, but the
> White Wolf and the Motel are still unchanged. About 12 hikers in town each
> day, with a few taking their “second to last” zero day of the trip. Some
> hikers are doing great, some not so. I noticed a gaunt hiker, smiling no
> less than the others. Another one was lonely & came close to quitting in the
> cold snap when he was coming into Grafton Notch. All wanted to know in
> detail what was in store for them, and “could they really relax after the
> Bigelows?” Such anxiety.****
>
> I’m glad I made the trip and helped shuttle the hikers. Over 900 miles in 4
> days but I heard some great stories and caught up with those 11 hikers I met
> over the summer. Many of these won’t make the Gathering in North Adams but I
> bet a few will manage to get 188 miles done in the next 12 days. Then, if
> they get a good connection, they can make it to N. Adams.  --RockDancer***
> *
>
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