Maine...Step by Step they get closer to Katahdin

There are two posts for Sunday July 24 so be sure to read the following post first! Click HERE.

Pace & Porter - New Hampshire - Maine State Line  mile 1897.7, elevation 2972 ft.

With the weather so hot the past few days, it has been a tough hike for Porter and Pace.  They had to slow it down a few of the hottest days. One day "they only hiked 11 miles." Hmmm, slowing down? I suppose when they are used to hiking 20+ miles a day half of that must seem like a short day.

They arrived in Stratton, Maine on Friday afternoon. Porter needed a new Buff headband and he asked prettily to have me, Dreamer, send him one in care of the Stratton post office. Being an experienced trail angel, I made my "famous" Triple Threat Chocolate Chip Cookies", bought a brand spanking new YELLOW Buff for Porter, and threw in some energy gummies. When Porter and Pace went to the post office the package had just arrived. They shared the cookies with the trail angel that drove them into town.

Porter lost two bets with Pace when he opened the package. The first bet (for Pace's favorite frosty beverage) was that Porter would have received Dreamer's used blue Buff headband. The second bet (also for Pace's favorite frosty beverage) was that there would be a little love note for Porter in the package. Neither was in the box. I'm sure they will bet on something else and Porter will win the next round. Pace thanked me for letting him finally win a bet. ;-)

Here are some picture highlights of the week from Porter's IPhone.

Pace and Mike "Stitch" St. Pierre - Goose Eye Mountain, elevation 3790 ft - mile 1900. July 17, 2011

Somewhere along the trail in Maine, Pace and Porter finally named Mike St. Pierre founder of Hyperlight Mountain Gear. Since Mike makes ultralight backpack and tents, the guys formally named him "Stitch." He has had fun hiking with the guys on weekends as they got closer to his home state of Maine.

Congratulations Stitch on your AT trail name! Get stitching those new tents and packs for the gear show in St. Lake City, UT in August. Porter, Pace, and Dreamer will be seeing you there!

Pace and Stitch July 17, 2011

Stitch says his HMG backpack is so light he carries his own ice to keep cool! July 18, 2011

That may be stretching it a bit Stitch. 

Porter said that they went down into Grafton Notch and  it is so sheltered from the sun that there was still ice by the trail.  From the picture above it looks like the guys had a lot of fun making their way through the notch.

Stitch went back to work and now it was just Pace and Porter. They recently saw Deva in town, but she was feeling under the weather so she decided to take it a bit slower. There were a couple of "emergencies" that had to be dealt with. Deva went to the ER to get checked out and everything is fine.

Pace had to make an emergency visit to the dentist. One of his crowns fell off his tooth and he was in pain. With help from some terrific trail angels they met in town, these wonderful people let the guys camp on their back porch for the night and then drove them 30-40 miles to the nearest town for a dental appointment they helped him make. With Pace's tooth back in order, he was ready to get back on the trail and get moving.

Deva was also in the same town so the guys did offer to hike 30 miles of trail they had already covered so she could hike with them. She decided to let them off the hook because she wanted to take it slower for a few days. She is hoping to catch back up with Crop Duster but I heard he is closer to Porter and Pace than Deva right now. She is doing fine but may be hiking alone right now. Keep going girl!

Pace at the summit of Old Blue Mountain. Elevation 3,600 ft, mile 1935.5 July 20, 2011

Porter on Saddleback Mountain, ME. Elevation 4,120, Mile 1,964.8 July 21, 2011

Saddleback Mountain counted as one of the 115 highest peaks in the northeast. Another peak "bagged."
(Mountains 4,000 ft or higher are counted toward the 115.) Check out this list.

Pace - Crocker Mountain - ME. Elevation 4,226 - off the AT but another peak bagged.

Beautiful shot taken on July 23, 2011.

They guys camped at a shelter on Saturday night. If you go to the map and click the satellite option and zoom in, you can actually see the shelter roof. Check this out.

As this blog is being written, Porter sent two more pictures and there is a really good one too!

July 24, 2011 - Pace waits for a canoe ride.

2,000 Miles Hiked!!!!!

Congratulations Pace and Porter!!!! They have crossed the 2,000 mile marker. It has been less than 4 short months. Our hiking heroes Porter and Pace anticipate being completed by July 30th. It has taken them less time than they had ever thought.

Some people have asked if they have been rushing through it. The answer is, no. They have enjoyed themselves completely as they undertake this amazing thru-hike. The hiking experience they have gained in the past 8 years have prepared them for this trip of a lifetime. They considered hiking less miles during the day but then they would arrive in camp early and would just be sitting around.

Pace only has so many chores he has to complete and he does them first thing when getting into camp. He isn't the kind of guy that just likes to sit around camp for hours when he could be out there hiking. He likes to move!

Porter, although he doesn't always do his chores right away, said he got lonely when he got into camp too early. Hanging out is nice but he missed Dreamer. So instead of feeling lonely, he liked to hike.

Both Pace and Porter just had too much energy left when hiking 10-15 miles a day so that is why they just kept going, and going, and going.  Do you think they are related to the Energizer Bunny?

I think they MIGHT be related after all!

Porter and Pace Appalachian Trail 7/24/11

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Keep those tails hopping! Almost there!

Ground Control, a/k/a Dreamer