PONDS, LAKES AND MOUNTAINS

AT Day 114: Sunday,  July 30, 2023

SOBO Mile  1977.8 -1960

Route 4, Rangely – Beamis Mt Lean-to

Distance Hiked –  17.8 miles/ 28.6 km

Total Distance Hiked:1883.8 miles/ 3031 km 

A:4393  ft /1340 m D:  3186 ft/972m

We had the most beautiful and relaxing night staying at Mike and Cindis  timber lakeside cabin.  It was hard to leave this morning. The comforts of  home were so inviting that the idea of being back on trail was really hard. 

Cindy cooked us bacon and eggs for breakfast and they  drove us back to the trailhead.  Reluctantly we set off, well maybe only one of us was reluctant.  As we hiked onwards I reflected on the enormous gratitude I felt about the hospitality from a passing stranger. So grateful that Hammers familiar refrain  that ” the universe provides” came true yesterday. 

The trail was not overly arduous to hike. We almost enjoyed it’s ups and downs without the really long prolonged and steep climbs that we’ve had in the last couple of days. But it was very wet and boggy and very deep mud if you slide off the often damaged timber boards that were haphazardly placed on the some muddy patches.  We made very slow progress despite the terrain not being overly challenging. 

The weather has definitely cooled. It feels very autumnal, a cool breeze was blowing. It was a welcomed change from the heat and humidity.  We passed quite a few north bound hikers throughout the morning. It just seemed like a steady procession after seeing hardly anybody yesterday.  We stopped for lunch in a power line easement because we could see the sky. It felt nice to sit in the sun for a bit and dry the wet tent. 

From the power line easement we descended  to the most beautiful lake called the Sabbath Day Pond. On the map it looks like a tiny pond but it was quite large to walk alongside.

Coming out of  the woods onto Route 17 was amazing, from darkness to light. We were high above the huge  Rangeley Lake – it was tempting to sit on the seat with a view and take in the views but we still had many miles and a few mountains to climb before reaching camp. 

From the highway we descended into the darkness of the woods and down to Beamis Creek which we crossed on a log jam.  It was after 5 when we started the ascent of the Beamis Mountain ridgeline. The now familiar  boulder scramble was slow going and hard work late in the day. 

The summit of Beamis Mt Second Peak and Beamis Mt  provided distant mountain vistas and a huge wind farm to our south. With another mile to go before we reached camp we came off the Beamis Mt ridge and hiked through the most frustrating densely packed pine woods. It was like walking through a narrow corridor of a garden maze. It was dark, foreboding and never ending. It felt like we walked in circles for hours. It was almost 8pm when we finally reached the Beamis Mt Lean-to. 

Almost all the flatish tent sites were taken. We found a spot and managed to fit the tent in. It was cold when we stopped. Such a relief to stop and finally get horizontal..