Had to wake up early today. And for those of you who know me, this is harder than it seems. Woke up at 5am and got going at 6am. I had to catch a ferry crossing at the Kennebec River. Before I got to the crossing I also had to re-supply for the next few days at the Sterling Inn which included a short road walk. The owner was extremely nice and as I re packed me gear he even offered me a ride back to where the ferry crossing was.

Met the ferry-man and his dog Maggie. Waited for a bit because it would be the last crossing of the day. After we crossed he hurried me along because he wanted to get back before the T-Storm hit, which was very evidently on its way. I got my stuff together, grabbed some water. Another hiker was there and we chatted quickly about the storm and how it would be best if we got into the forest as fast as we could.

After the storm passed over, which was quicker than I expected, the sun came out and started warming everything back up. It didn’t however dry everything very fast as I had to do a very sketchy water crossing on a set of logs, which were still very much slick with the rain. As you may be able to see, the middle of the three logs in the picture below was a couple feet below the outer logs. I had to scoot on my butt on an outer log while shuffling my feet on the middle log and held on the opposite log with my hands. Found a real nice lean-to camp spot next to a lake.

The next day, two big things happened. Well really just one. I was attacked by a nesting Goshawk. The second was it rained. Kinda the norm. So, back to the Goshawk. We were warned by all the NOBOs and the AT Conservatory and signs on the trail. It was pretty wild. When I came into the area I was ready. I had my trekking poles up in front of my face and head and I carried branches to protect the back of my head. My precautions worked pretty well as I did not get hurt. Doesn’t mean the Goshawk didn’t try. It swooped me three times. One from the front, dropping to my eye level twenty or so feet away and coming straight at me, and two times from behind. The last swoop I didn’t hear or see coming, but I did feel the wind on my face from its wings. Other hikers had lost their hats, gators, and some of their head gear had been shredded. One guy had his eyelid cut pretty bad, which is why we all knew to try and be safe. I don’t have any video of the actual bird swooping, but I do have a pre and post swoop video on my Instagram you can check out @thattalldavehiker.

The days of hiking have been really cold and wet. So much so that some hikers had chosen to not move on until the next day when the forecast calls for warmer weather. Summiting these mountains in the cold is no fun sometimes, but when the sun comes out and it clears up you get some spectacular views.

My next stop was a hostel called The Roadhouse. It is run by two friends, the Jens. Only just over a year old, they seem to be coming along very well. This place is amazing! The inside is like a beautiful summer/winter cottage. Unfortunately I am having trouble with the outside of my right leg. Some were saying it may be my IT Band, so I grudgingly decided to stay off trail for the next day and take a zero. At least its a great place to relax and heal up. The pic below is of some of my new hiker friends that are quickly becoming my trail family.

After leaving The Roadhouse I found myself crossing the 200 mile threshold, appropriately labeled on the trail by sticks.

And although my food looks like poop on a platter sometimes…

It gets me to amazing places like this.

June 17th – June 23rd

Remember to check out my Instagram for more content, pics and all the vids. @thattalldavehiker

• AT