Virtual AT: Grafton Notch State Park to Saddleback Mountain & Sabbath Pond

Moose Cave and Mother Walker's Falls

"Beans, again!"

Woke to an absolutely

gorgeous day

and 57 degrees.

Going to explore

a little more of

Grafton Notch 

before 

moving on.

 Unseasonal warmth for

early October

here!

White Blaze App

says it is

even 

60 degrees today

on Mount Katahdin.

Hope our luck holds!

Mother Walker Falls

(from above)

https://youtu.be/fsawoFHjzGE

Moose Cave

https://youtu.be/i3b_mTR16HY

But x marks our spot 

and we have miles to go

so we must

hike on.

Heading up Old Blue Mountain 

today.

The range encompasses

Old Blue

Elephant Mountain

And Bernis Mountain

In a local's words

"It's quite a hike."

We pass along the way

The Frye Notch Lean-To

The Hall Mountain Lean-To

Until at last we reach to top of Bemis Mountain

 

and the Bemis Mountain Lean-To

Where we are going to take a breather

and a snack

before moving on.

Peanut Butter Granola Bar and Chocolate Chips and a quick rest (...nothing like a little dark chocolate to set you right...) and we are back on our way.

Trying for Saddleback Mountain today.

The Trail to Saddleback Mountain

 

The Hike to Saddleback

https://youtu.be/urJ6K2bA4ac

And Sabbath Pond Shelter where we will be spending tonight.

Pondside at Sabbath

We have made some miles, and are now 1959 miles in on the AT...only 231 miles left to go.

Working on a fire...and maybe some one pot
Mac and cheese with bacon (jerky) for supper.

See you tomorrow!

Love, 

"Beans"

Our Progress Today!

Vitual AT: Maine State Line to Grafton Notch State Park

"Beans..back!!!"

We've made it to Maine.

 Can you believe it???

Our final state...Mount Katahdin awaits us only 281 miles to go!!!

We've GOT this.

Usually 281 miles in this wilderness takes nearly 20 days...

Virtually we hope to reach the summit in 7 or less.

Maine is not nearly as well mapped out as the last 13 states have been. So I am relying a great deal on the above map and a list of shelters along the way...as well as the White Blaze App.

In short...we may be screwed!

Still we persist!

The first mountain before us is The Goose Eye 

There is still Fall color here...but it is less and less as the leaves die and pile up on the trail. A rustling accompanies our footsteps.

Goose Eye is about 11 miles from the Maine State Line across 2 and has an elevation of 4367 feet.

Near the top we find the Carlos Col Shelter nestled in fir trees.

 White Blaze App shows the local temperature at 55 degrees...but the nights are falling into the mid-30's here, already.

Climbing along Wright Trail we near the Summit.

And the view from The Summit

Five miles further in we find Full Goose Shelter

Where we will stop and catch our breath...then start the trek down...

Down to Speckled Pond and Shelter

Speckled Loop Trail

 and Speckled Pond only 6 miles further...

 Up Bald Pate Mountain

 Western Peak Trail.

And up close and personal over looking Grafton Notch

Descending again...to Grafton Notch

And into Grafton Notch Park...to Screw Auger Falls

Which still has a lot of beautiful Fall color! It must be staying warmer down here. The only color on the Mountaintops tends to be the green fir trees and brown fallen needles.

And not much further near the park (9 miles) our home away from home...an off the grid rental cabin...

Fully furnished with a wood-stove for heat!

A BED!

And no other smelly, snoring hikers.

A quick side trip into Rumsford for dinner supplies since we have a stove to cook over tonight!!! Maybe a steak!!!

See you tomorrow!

Love,

"Beans"

October...Happiness is...Chris and Tina's Honeymoon...and More

 

Loving the chilly mornings...dark hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkles..oh...and decorating around the cats.

"Decorations??? You mean this amazing new cat toy I've discovered???"
                                                                                                        ~Suri

Seriously...I fear for this year's Christmas Tree.

Had a scare the other day when she accidentally slipped out when maintenance was here. Came home and tossed the house like the DEA looking for Meth...and no Suri.

Even Sofi got in on the search and was trilling and nosing around for her.

Called her inside and out. 

Knew she was not in the house because we had literally looked EVERYWHERE. 

My friend and neighbor, Sue, looked around the outside of the building and back to the treeline.

Still no Suri.

Lacey (and her husband) upstairs found her up there having an adventure...and they, and Sue) brought her home about 9:30 PM...much to our relief.

Even John was desolate by then.

"Call me when you find her...no matter what the time!"

(...you have to love a man who loves not only you...but also your cats...)

Sofi and I were so relieved.

Suri wasn't scared, or even contrite...

"I had the most wonderful ADVENTURE, Mom!"
                                                                     ~Suri

"Don't you EVER pull that stunt again...Missy!!!"
                                                               ~Sofi
           

Best Buddies!

"Kittens are nice...but they are a hell of a lot of trouble!"

                                                                     ~Gizmo


So all is well that ends well. 
And when maintenance is in, she will be crated from now on.

Chris made the Dean's List and attended the awards program at College!
 (...4.0 GPA...Way to Go!!!)

He and Tina, now sending pictures from their Honeymoon in Mackinaw City and on Mackinac Island.

Took the White Star Line over to the Island.

"Don't worry, Mom. It is much improved...lifeboats for everyone and we didn't see a single iceberg along the way!"

 So happy they made it!

Michigan truly is HIS State...and Mackinaw City was his happy place since he was just a child!

LMAO!!!

Loving all the pictures...and imagining how cold is must be up by Lake Huron by now.

(...we went during a Fall Break in October once and literally used the in-the-shell hard boiled eggs from the hotel breakfast as hand-warmers during an early morning shoreline walk...)

The Bridge to the Upper Peninsula

So happy for my boys who have found love and their "happily-ever-after" !

James and Nicole at Rehearsal

Chris and Tina on their Honeymoon.

 To see your children grown, married and happy is all any mother could ever ask for in life.

Okay...that and maybe bacon...good coffee...and dark chocolate...

And right now...maybe Impeachment and Removal.

RIGHT?

As much as a politiphile as I am...Trump is just exhausting.

There is so much...every hour...of every day...it is insane.

I've never seen anything like this (politically) in my lifetime.

Drag Queens don't generate THIS much DRAMA.

Talbott Street- Ruthie Dix

https://youtu.be/DarQKRVExns

Since they have started the Impeachment Inquiry he has been totally unhinged and attacking...well...pretty much everyone.

And trying to drag Pence and Guiliani right down with him...which has been kind of entertaining in a pathetic way.

And the Ukraine memes are getting better and better...

and

Shadenfreude?

Yes...but it is Our Shadenfreude...okay?

Finishing the Outside Stuff today before tomorrow's rain...and basically a Cinderella Day (...scrub, polish, dust, wash, launder, vacuum...)

Going to spend a lot of next week finishing up Virtual AT (Maine) and getting some odds and end repairs done before Winter slips up on us.


Have a Zen Weekend!