FLIPPING TO MAINE

AT Day 098-100: Friday-Sunday,  July 14-16, 2023

Mile 1657.5 + 0 miles/ km

Total Distance Hiked:1657.5 miles / km

Manchester Centre, VT – Bennington,VT  – Albany, NY – Boston, MA – Bangor,ME – Monson, ME

Flipping on a long distance trail is a pain. It takes so much planning in areas where we have limited familiarity. Adding to our difficulty here was avoiding traversing anywhere near flood damaged areas to the north of Manchester in Vermont. 

So most of the morning while staying at the luxurious Palmer House in Manchester we worked out that we will return to Bennington, catch a bus to Albany NY and from there a Greyhound bus to Boston. From Boston we can get a bus to Bangor in Maine and from Bangor we have arranged to be picked up by the wonderful folks from Shaw’s Hostel in Monson. From Monson we plan to hike the last 112 miles of the AT northbound starting on Monday, July 17, returning to Monson by a couple of shuttles and then hiking south to Manchester, VT.  The transit to Monson is 530 miles which coincidentally  is  almost the distance we have left to hike on the AT. 

More rain is on the way, mainly in Vermont and New Hempshire with lesser falls in Maine today, Sunday.  We are happy with our decision. 

While in trasit we’ve met two other hikers doing a similar flip. One has transited from Harpers Ferry.  We resupplied in Manchester for the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine. It is the longest section on the AT without towns for resupply. 

Summiting Mt Kathadin in Baxter State Park is also proving to be an administrative burden on top of the physical challenge of the terrain combined with fickle weather. Although we are assured by previous hiker comments that the Park Rangers try to be accommodating to through hikers. Fingers crossed, stay tuned. 

We’ll be on trail Monday and not sure we will have phone service till we return to Monson.