Day 145 – Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to to ME 15 (mile 2070.8, Monson, ME)

Last night the loons were making their loony noises for a while. It was a really neat sound to hear them with the breeze blowing through spruce fir trees. It was another one of those magical Maine moments.

We got up pretty early to get to town a bit earlier. I was scoping the pond out before 6am in hopes of a moose sighting, but no luck, just a few of those crazy loons floating around. The sunrise came up and exploded gloriously over the pond though, so it was still awesome.

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So cool. Ok Maine, you already won my “most scenic state” award, there is no contest.

We hiked today over alternately good and evil Maine trail. We had 3 fords today. Trippy took her shoes off and forded all 3 in her crocs. I rock and root hopped 2 of the 3, which mostly just got my feet wet. She is much smarter than I am.

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Taking the ford the smart way

We were able to move pretty fast throughout and we got to the trailhead at ME 15 by 3:30pm or so. We got a shuttle from the Lakeshore Lodge where we are staying quickly. Monson is tiny, but seems pretty cool. The Lakeshore has a pub attached where we grabbed dinner with our trail doppelgangers Z and Gia. We did both our 1000 and 2000 mile days on the same day, so it was great to catch up and have some beers and try to figure out where we can do trail magic someday somewhere between PA and Kentucky where they live.

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Z and Gia

We also got our 15th and last maildrop from Packy and Tapey today (it was actually more like 17 or 18 drops I think!). Thank you guys so much for all the logistical support on this adventure! We also got the bonus goodies from Aunt Linda and Uncle Mike – thanks a million. It’s been awesome to have so much support out here from friends and family.

Tomorrow is our last zero day on the trail. It’s already a little bittersweet for me. We are really excited to finally finish and come home, but I know I’ll miss this amazing adventure real soon.

Vital stats for Sunday, September 7th :
Miles hiked today – 17.9
Mood – awesome
Physical state – tired, but resting up for the last week out here
Smell – like a fresh Maine pond
Song stuck in my head – Don’t Stop Believing by Journey

5 thoughts on “Day 145 – Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to to ME 15 (mile 2070.8, Monson, ME)

  1. Mom - Tapey

    Yay! Another successful maildrop! It’s always good to know that they’re where they’re supposed to be at the right time! Thanks to UM for taking the last box to the post office on Tuesday morning. It was heavy! Be careful with all that pack weight, please. What a beautiful sunrise. Thank you for sharing this incredible adventure with us. You have a wonderful knack for giving us a sense of the day with great photos and a few paragraphs. Be safe and stay healthy through the upcoming wilderness. Sending sail-through-the-wilderness-and-soar-to-the-top-of-Katahdin thoughts, many more prayers and 2000+ tons of love.

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  2. Dad

    We have totally enjoyed supporting your adventure with mail drops, some lodging, and a Rutland/Killington visit. We are also excited about the upcoming REALLY BIG trip to Maine next weekend. Hang tough…you’ll see that moose in the 100 mile wilderness. Enjoy the zero, be safe and good luck!

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  3. AL

    It won’t be an end to the adventure, just a change in venue and a pause until the next one! Keep the moose faith! Loons are always precursors to moose 😉

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