2009 Appalachian Trail NoBosters: July 2009

We heard from the Chicago Sisters (Brittany "Dirty Mess" and Kirstin "Too Klean") on Saturday morning and they were packed and ready to enter the last 100 miles in the Wilderness to Mt. Katahdin - YEAH!!! Their father and I are heading out tomorrow (later than we thought, as their progress has slowed down) to meet them on the other side of Katahdin and bring them home. They are planning on summitting Friday, of course, depending on the weather. As you all know the weather has not been on their side. They have not had much phone or internet service since before New Hampshire. We will be bringing the laptop so stayed tuned and they will blog once they have summitted. Thank you all for your support, Karen (their mom)

As we entered the 100-mile wilderness, a sign warns hikers to take 10 days worth of food and supplies. We were able to go through in about 5 1/2 days. We were pumped to get to the end!

A beautiful section in the 100-mile wilderness.

Muddy shoes were unavoidable.

A spider web.

Dirty, wet socks...TYPICAL.

A view on top of White Cap.

"Too Klean" getting ready to ford one of the many rivers in the 100-mile wilderness. Because of the evening thunderstorms, the current was strong and the river was deep. Many hikers damaged and lost gear while fording.

We lost our sanity between the BUZILLION black flies and mosquitos. "Dirty Mess" gets creative to try and keep the buggers out of her ears and eyes.

It rained over 3 inches while we slept. Unfortunately, we weren't too selective in our tentsite. The result: We woke up with our tent and packs in a huge puddle. We literally poured water out of our gear.

We had to walk carefully through the 100 mile wilderness to avoid sinking.

Because of all the rain, the trail literally became a stream.

Taking advantage of the sun to dry out our gear.

Hi from Anover, ME. We're staying at Pine Ellis Hostel. The hostel is busy with hikers as the northbound hikers are beginning to meet the Southbound hikers (who usually start in June). It's interesting to see all the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed SOBOs (southbounders) who have just started. All the NOBOs (northbounders) are a bit beat up and bruised...and of course, ready to finish this big trek and head home. We know we'll miss this life and each other. A few days ago, we successfully finished the hardest mile on the AT, the Mahoosuc Notch. This 5 mile day took us over 8 hours to complete. We climbed over, under and through tons of boulders. HELLO...we signed up for hiking not climbing. But, no compaints...we are finally out of the Whites.

We are heading to Rangeley, ME and moving slowly toward Katahdin. Lately, we have been traveling with quite a few section hikers. They are doing a great job lifting our spirits and getting us out of our funk. We hope we can maintain this attitude the next few weeks. To friends & family, we'e sorry about our lack of phone contact and/or emails. We haven't had cell phone service since New Hampshire and very limited internet access.

DAD, We finally saw a moose. Unfortunately, we were driving to the trail head.

CANADA, we miss you! A day on the trail doesn't go by where we don't repeat an inside joke or reminisce of our time together. Get your butt hiking & stay in touch! P.S. the waterfalls and raging rivers ARE the trail...no need to go back to make sure you didn't take a wrong turn. You should be in ME soon. Congrats to all our hiking buddies who have summitted! See you at Trail Days next year!Hi from Anover, ME. We're staying at Pine Ellis Hostel. The hostel is busy with hikers as the northbound hikers are beginning to meet the Southbound hikers (who usually start in June). It's interesting to see all the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed SOBOs (southbounders) who have just started. All the NOBOs (northbounders) are a bit beat up and bruised...and of course, ready to finish this big trek and head home. We know we'll miss this life and each other. A few days ago, we successfully finished the hardest mile on the AT, the Mahoosuc Notch. This 5 mile day took us over 8 hours to complete. We climbed over, under and through tons of boulders. HELLO...we signed up for hiking not climbing. But, no compaints...we are finally out of the Whites. We are heading to Rangeley, ME and moving slowly toward Katahdin. Lately, we have been traveling with quite a few section hikers. They are doing a great job lifting our spirits and getting us out of our funk. We hope we can maintain this attitude the next few weeks. To friends & family, we'e sorry about our lack of phone contact and/or emails. We haven't had cell phone service since New Hampshire and very limited internet access. DAD, We finally saw a moose. Unfortunately, we were driving to the trail head. CANADA, we miss you! A day on the trail doesn't go by where we don't repeat an inside joke or reminisce of our time together. Get your butt hiking & stay in touch! P.S. the waterfalls and raging rivers ARE the trail...no need to go back to make sure you didn't take a wrong turn. You should be in ME soon. Congrats to all our hiking buddies who have summitted! See you at Trail Days next year!

"Diry Mess" heads up to the peak of a Maine mountain.

Calling friends and family atop of a mountain (when the likelihood of getting service was higher).

A moose carcass on the trail.

Beautiful Maine.

"Too Klean" annoyed after slipping once again.

Did we mention that we signed up for hiking and not climbing?? Once again, the AT gets a bit hairy.

A toad.

Entering Maine..."the way life should be."

"Dirty Mess" climbs, climbs, and climbs.

Mud, mud, and more mud.

Yep, that's the trail. No wonder why our mileage daily mileage dropped!

"Too Klean" climbs up the rocks.

"Too Klean" crawls through a crevice on the AT.

"Too Klean" heads through a cave on the Mahoosuc Notch.

"Dirty Mess" keeps a smile while manuvering through the Mahoosuc Notch.

A full shelter at Speck Pond. We were the last to squeeze in and happy to be under a roof to avoid the rain.

Heading up Speck Mtn.

Trail up some Maine mountain. Not sure which one :(

A jam-packed hostel room in Andover, ME.

Heading onward and upward...as ALWAYS.

"Too Klean" sprained her thumb on the Mahoosuc Trail (the toughest mile on the AT). She liked to refer to the part of the trail as MahooSUCKS.

All the hikers in Rangeley, ME enjoy a meal together at a Thai restaurant.

Saddleback Mtn.

A section hiker we had been traveling with for a few days got injured near Saddleback Mtn. She punctured her leg. 911 was called and Search an Rescue came to the shelter to take her off the mountain. Here they are determining: (1) the easiest, quickest route down (2) whether to take her out at night (in the rain) or in the morning.

Search and Rescue + their dog. Over 10 guys came up to get the injured hiker down. There were also 10 guys on their way up for additional help and a crew at the road.

More guys from the Search and Rescue team.

"Dirty Mess" enjoys the beauty of Maine.

A view from our campsite near Avery Peak.

"Too Klean" has a tough hiking day.

A view from the Avery Peak (Bigelows).

"Too Klean" gets drinking water during a break.

"Too Klean" at the 2000-mile marker. Actually, the mileage was actually closer to 2,012.

"Dirty Mess" at the 2000-mile marker.

A nice bridge. YAY...we can avoid getting re-wet!

"Too Klean" helps canoe across the Kennebec River.

Hanging out at Kennebec River Brewery.

The AT signs warns about the dangerous Kennebec River crossing. A hiker died trying to ford it back in the '80s. Going across it by canoe instead of fording it is the official AT. There is a white blaze at the bottom of the canoe.

"Too Klean" heads up Moxie mountain.