June 27
So I successfully made it back on the trail by 7:00. I was hoping for a bit earlier, but I'm new to this whole early morning thing.
The hike up Little Bigelow Mountain was a gradual climb. It took me roughly two hours to climb to 3000 feet. The views were semi decent. There was a light haze all around, but you could see the other mountains. I could see West Peak, which I was to climb later in the day. It was exciting to see, but I saw that it wasn't going to be an easy climb.
I continued along on the mountain. I met a section hiker from Georgia. We didn't talk long. I kept walking until noon, when I decided to siesta on a large rock in the sun. While I was there, a guy passed me. I asked about Matt, and he said he wasn't far behind. I stayed there for two hours, resting my feet, getting skin cancer, and being bitten by ants. He never came.
At 2:00, I packed up and continued on. Half an hour later I passed a campground, which was my last water source for several miles. I went back to try and find the water, but no luck. On my way out, I met Smokey. He said Matt was right behind him. It was true. I told them my sad water story, and said I was going on. They told me it was completely dry on top, and I had to get water. We all went back into the campsite.
Matt and I went on a safari to find the water. We eventually came to a stream. All was good. I got 2.5 liters of water, since we were planning to camp up top, between the peaks. We then decided to lounge on one of the tent platforms. It took us awhile to get back to everyone, which made them fear that the water was far away. We gave them directions and charged up the mountain. We started to climb at four, and I didn't reach the summit until a little after seven.
The view on top was nice. There was an abandoned fire tower on top that I wanted to break into. Going down to the campsite was a pain. It was all rocks, and they were turned on their side, so they were skinny and jagged. I made it to camp by eight. Matt already had his tent set up, and was trying to make room for mine on the same platform. I told him that wasn't going to work, since my tent isn't free standing. He invited me to a sleepover in his tent, which I gladly accepted. The black flies were being a real pain, and the Deet wasn't helping. I retreated to the tent and called it a night. We talked for a bit and then I passed out. Then the storm came. It was nice to be in Matt's tent, because it's a 4-person tent, and that meant it wasn't going to blow away. The storm lasted almost all night, and I hardly got any sleep. I was excited to get up in the morning, because I knew I was going to be in Stratton by dinner.
The hike up Little Bigelow Mountain was a gradual climb. It took me roughly two hours to climb to 3000 feet. The views were semi decent. There was a light haze all around, but you could see the other mountains. I could see West Peak, which I was to climb later in the day. It was exciting to see, but I saw that it wasn't going to be an easy climb.
I continued along on the mountain. I met a section hiker from Georgia. We didn't talk long. I kept walking until noon, when I decided to siesta on a large rock in the sun. While I was there, a guy passed me. I asked about Matt, and he said he wasn't far behind. I stayed there for two hours, resting my feet, getting skin cancer, and being bitten by ants. He never came.
At 2:00, I packed up and continued on. Half an hour later I passed a campground, which was my last water source for several miles. I went back to try and find the water, but no luck. On my way out, I met Smokey. He said Matt was right behind him. It was true. I told them my sad water story, and said I was going on. They told me it was completely dry on top, and I had to get water. We all went back into the campsite.
Matt and I went on a safari to find the water. We eventually came to a stream. All was good. I got 2.5 liters of water, since we were planning to camp up top, between the peaks. We then decided to lounge on one of the tent platforms. It took us awhile to get back to everyone, which made them fear that the water was far away. We gave them directions and charged up the mountain. We started to climb at four, and I didn't reach the summit until a little after seven.
The view on top was nice. There was an abandoned fire tower on top that I wanted to break into. Going down to the campsite was a pain. It was all rocks, and they were turned on their side, so they were skinny and jagged. I made it to camp by eight. Matt already had his tent set up, and was trying to make room for mine on the same platform. I told him that wasn't going to work, since my tent isn't free standing. He invited me to a sleepover in his tent, which I gladly accepted. The black flies were being a real pain, and the Deet wasn't helping. I retreated to the tent and called it a night. We talked for a bit and then I passed out. Then the storm came. It was nice to be in Matt's tent, because it's a 4-person tent, and that meant it wasn't going to blow away. The storm lasted almost all night, and I hardly got any sleep. I was excited to get up in the morning, because I knew I was going to be in Stratton by dinner.
