Friday, June 17, 2016
Start: Stratton/Rt 27 (1396′)
End: East Flagstaff Rd (1200′)
Miles: 16.7 (+ ~0.6 for side trails to views and shelter; + ~1mi of pacing along the road)
This morning, I was up at 6am, with the shuttle leaving at 6:30am, and on trail by 6:45am.
I hiked up and over South Horn (3831′), Bigelow Mountain west peak (4145′), Avery Peak (4090′), and Little Bigelow Mountain (3010′). I passed by Horns Pond Lean-tos and Little Bigelow Lean-to.
I arrived at Little Bigelow shelter by 3:30pm, with only 0.6 miles left to hike to the road for my pick-up. So I sat down for a while, drank water, and chatted with the folks at the shelter. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, my shuttle didn’t show up until 6:15pm. To sweeten the deal, Stacey from the Farm House Inn in Rangeley gave me an Arnold Palmer she had.
Over the course of the day, I saw 16 SOBOs, a section hiker, and 3 day hikers. I also saw four snakes, which is more than the number I’ve seen on the trail put together. On the drive back to the Stratton motel, we saw two moose as well; one was a yearling and the other was a full grown adult.
Transcending Mountains 