A Family Adventure of the 2,185 mile hike from Georgia to Maine - 2014

Category: Uncategorized


August 22 – Moxie Bald

As we get farther north we have more and more river fords. Mama Bear lost her footing early in one of them and took a wet seat in June stream, but recovered in time to shepherd the kids across the…

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August 21 – Crossing the Kennebec

The kids all cruised ten miles in a little under four hours to make it in time for the morning ferry across the Kennebec. The ATC runs a canoe ferry for two hours in the morning and two in the…

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August 20 – Almost Home

The last thing I did in my real job (other than pawn work off on my colleagues : “you need me to do what while you’re gone?”) was to handle a conservation easement closing for the Maine Appalachian Trail Land…

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August 19 – The Bigelows

Little John’s top three favorite things about hiking the Appalachian Trail: 1. Going to bed. 2. The views. 3. Having hot chocolate with hot buttered bagels in the morning. Actually, after hiking with us for a few days, Little John…

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August 18 – Imaginary Lines

Parents are always setting imaginary lines and kids are always crossing them. Today, however, we all crossed a much more interesting imaginary line: the forty-fifth parallel. Just before reaching the top of Spaulding Mountain we all found ourselves exactly half…

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August 17 – Robin Hood and Little John

RobinHood and Little John have been thick as thieves since they met crossing a daycare sandbox and neither would give way. They sat there happily throwing sand in each other’s faces and have been mixed up in misadventures together ever…

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August 16 – Water, water everywhere

Bemis ridge proved to be some scenic ridge-walking with mountains melting the distant horizon and granite balds spreading thee view for all to see. In other places the trail was wet with myriad muddy mires. We engaged in a futile…

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August 15 – Back in the Saddle

This was our easiest return to the trail, despite it being our longest time away. There are likely a number of reasons for that, among them that it was a mere two and half hour drive instead of the ten…

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August 9 – 14 – Remembering Family

We came off trail for what we thought would be two days for a memorial service for Mama Bear’s uncle. The members of her large extended family were all present to celebrate her uncle’s life. That night, his wife passed…

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August 8 – Baldpate

We awoke to a misty morning and a relaxed morning routine. After we had all begun to sip our breakfast beverages, we were chagrined to discover that a mouse had drowned himself in the water bucket for which we had…

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