Here is the journal of Jim's next three days:
Sun., Sept., 17 - Jane:
We got on the road again today at 7:50 and headed to Randolph, ME,
where the last hike temporarily terminated exactly a week ago. In that
week we drove to NJ so Jim could attend a Board meeting and - what else?
- do some hiking. Over two days he managed to walk a total of 22 miles
to cover some territory he missed last year due to bad weather and
uncooperative feet. Now those gaps are filled and he has a continuous
hike from Key West to Maine.
After
more than a 2.5 hour drive we arrived at the start point. As Jim was
gathering his gear to start walking, he realized that he didn't have his
cell phone! Well that could certainly be an issue for the next five
days. We made fairly precise plans of where to meet for lunch and I
said a quick prayer - a hiker without a phone is not my idea of ideal
conditions.
Jim: I left Jane and began to hike in a really sour mood. How could I forget my phone at home? I had never done such a stupid thing - well, other stupid things, but not leave at home the phone that I need to speak with Jane several times a day. With a rested body that had last hiked three days previously, I set off at a blistering pace, my frustration helping to power me forward. And since I was leaving the river-side town of Randolph, it was a moderately uphill climb for the first hour or so. Weather conditions were favorable, with cool temps in the low 60s and clouds and fog to shield me from the sun. After two hours I was leaving a slow country road for a busy state highway with lots of fast-moving traffic. As previously arranged, we met for lunch at the only restaurant in the area, one quaintly named Aunt Gin's. Though it would have been perfectly appropriate to order a gin & tonic libation, I instead requested a cold beer to slake the thirst I had created.
After
a 45 minute break and a decent meal, I was back on the shoulder of the
highway. By now the clouds and fog had dissipated and the temperature
rose into the 70s. With high humidity, these are pretty uncomfortable
walking conditions. After several more miles, I was able to leave the
highway and walk along a partially shaded road. Several times I passed
under high electrical power lines that mostly ran northeasterly as did
my route today and will for the next several days. Of course while they
ran in a straight line, I had to zigzag first easterly, then northerly,
then easterly again as the roads permitted. So naturally I kept meeting
up with the power lines multiple times.
I
saw little of interest today - in fact this is pretty boring territory.
I plodded on most of the afternoon, hoping to chew up as many miles as
possible on this first day when my legs were still feeling good. But the
heat sapped my energy and by mid-afternoon I was happy to see Jane
arrive to take her soggy hiker back to our nearby bed and breakfast. We
are the only guests here tonight, so we got one of the two ground-floor
rooms. With no other dining alternatives in the vicinity we drove 20
minutes back to Aunt Gin's for a great dinner, where our server was the
only non-kitchen staff visible and he is the owner!
Miles Today - 17 Total Cumulative Miles - 94.5
Mon., Sept. 18
- It's always great to start off a hike day with a scrumptious
breakfast, and our hosts came through for us. And the weather today is
far better than it was yesterday, although others might not appreciate a
light mist as much as I do.
After a quick trip back to yesterday's pickup spot, I began today's
journey clad in just a light short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts. But with
the mist continuing and a bit of a breeze, I soon donned a light jacket.
After two miles, my road switched from pavement to gravel, which I
welcomed as the dirt roads are a lot softer on my knees and feet. The
gravel roads took me through many miles of woods and up and down a
series of rolling hills. Alas, no wildlife was sighted save for three
ducks as I walked a bridge over water. As they flew off, they squawked
their disapproval for my disturbing them.
As
was the case yesterday, by late morning I had to hike a busy state
highway and share the road with lots of noisy and foul-smelling trucks.
But at least I had a very wide paved road shoulder and much of the time I
was walking in the grass next to that. After three hours I had hiked 10
miles and was ready to ingest a few calories. Jane and I arrived at the
local cafe (again the only lunch place in the area) at the same time
and marveled at how that happened. Much to our surprise, we are coping
with being unable to talk to each other between meet-ups. And 35 minutes
later this refreshed hiker was back on the road. While I was hiking 8
more miles this afternoon, she spent the time traveling to and from
Augusta, a round trip of 60 miles, to pick up some supplies. Tooting as
she passed me, she parked a mile up ahead so we could rendezvous at the
agreed upon time. With comfortable temperatures and overcast skies, I
could enjoy today's walk far more than yesterday's and finished a
moderately long distance by mid-afternoon feeling fine.
Looking
ahead, we note the forecast for the next two days includes lots of
rain. I will hope for the best, and pray for the ability to deal with
whatever comes.
Miles Today - 18 Total Cumulative Miles -112.5
Tues., Sept., 19
- We are sad to have to leave the Blueberry Fields B&B this
morning, but had another great breakfast before packing our bags and
loading the car. Before leaving we purchased some maple syrup and
blueberry jam, both made "on the premises" here. It took us half an hour
to drive back to the spot of yesterday's final step on the big
highway. This morning I have to walk only a bit more than a mile before I
can leave this noisy roadway for good.
The
weather today is ominous, and the forecast calls for showers mid-day.
After we part I resume hiking east-bound and Jane soon passes by,
heading to the city of Belfast, where we will meet for lunch. Within a
few minutes I notice a coin on the road, then another, and now many
others - a veritable treasure trove! Altogether nine nickels, dimes and
quarters totaling over a dollar in value. Now it's not the monetary
value that excites me, but the symbolism that this is going to be my
lucky day.
After
this, I am really pumped, and maintain a brisk hiking pace for the
balance of the morning. I pass through a variety of rural landscapes,
some residential, and much of it agricultural - fields recently
harvested, and cows grazing, and an occasional rooster greeting me as I
pass by. And, of course, countless dogs (mostly unseen) barking at me as
I approach and leave their territory.
By
11:30 I am approaching downtown Belfast, and a few minutes later see
Jane waiting for her hiker on a street corner. I had finished a little
more than 11 miles in 3:15 and was feeling fine. We found a fine
restaurant with views of Belfast Bay and chose to eat on the patio,
alone as it turned out as all the many other patrons chose tables inside
on this cloudy day.
I began this afternoon's hike by walking about 3/4 mile along the bay
on the paved Harbor Walk, which brought me to a large pedestrian bridge
over the Bay, within view of the larger Route 1 span just a short
distance north of there. The Harbor Walk went right through an active
shipyard, which appeared to be the locus of much shipbuilding and
repairing activity.
Belfast
is near the northern end of Belfast Bay, which together with the
adjacent Penobscot Bay provides many miles of saltwater shoreline in
this part of the state. If you are a lover of seafood (and we are) this
is a great area to be. We have been enjoying the locally caught bounty
of the sea in recent days, with haddock chowder (pronounced "chow-dah"
hereabouts) and crabcakes (today's lunch) being two of our favorites.
Within
minutes of leaving Jane, I was on Route 1 and would be for the next two
hours. In fact, I will be on this road for the next two days as well,
as there really aren't decent alternatives if you want to travel east
from this part of Maine. Naturally, traffic is pretty heavy and includes
lots of trucks, so my respite from truck traffic today was a brief one.
The road provided occasional but distant views of the Bay. The rain
held off all afternoon, so I stayed dry. It was indeed my lucky day. I
managed to cover another 8 miles this afternoon, and was really getting
tired when Jane arrived at 3:00.
Miles Today - 19 Total Cumulative Miles - 131.5
Pictures:
Day 6 - Hike Start in Randolph, ME
Day 7 - Hike Start in Somerville, ME (same shirt, but he did wash it out yesterday afternoon)
Day 7 - Beautiful Living Room at Blueberry Fields B&B, Washington, ME
Day 7 - Our Journal Writer at the B&B
Day 7 - Better View of Breakfast Area at B&B
Day 8 - Too Busy for a Picture at Hike Start in Searsmont, ME
Day 8 - Lunch at Dockside Restaurant in Belfast. ME
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