Ahh ... civilization once again. Coming into towns have been a big part of our encouragement while we are hiking. It's nice being able to shower and clean your clothes. It's also great to plop down on a bed instead of setting up a tent and blowing up a sleeping pad. I have developed an intense appreciation for civilization and all the things I can't have while I'm in the woods. For example, being able to eat raw, healthy foods that I can't carry with me. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to eat the biggest, vibrant salad ever! 

Although, I must confess that it doesn't take very long for the mountains to call me back. I never thought I would miss being out in the wilderness after spending so much time out there . . . but I do. I miss the stillness and the sounds of nature. I miss the smells of the trees and the waters. I miss the simple life of waking up with the sun and going down with the moon. 

The gang is doing well. We made a pit stop in Rangeley to dry out our gear and clothes since it has been raining the past several days. The town has been pleasantly surprising. It has everything we need and more: good pizza, a post office, a laundry mat, a motel with wifi and a decent coffee shop! We got a ride from a local named Erin, who offered to give us a ride back to the trail head tomorrow! (Amazing trail angel!)

I nervously stepped into the water after changing out of my trail runners and into my chacos. Stacey agreed to carry my pack across since the water was over my waist and the current seemed like more than I could handle. We hiked 3 miles beside the roaring river and I was praying the entire time that we wouldn't have to ford it. "Surely, we don't have to cross this" I kept thinking, "it looks like the Ocoee!" Thankfully we had to cross at a wide spot with no rapids; yet, the water was still moving fast and the current was strong. I was relieved there was a rope tied from one end to the other that I could hold on to. As I reached for the rope, I imagined myself slipping on the slimy rocks and being carried downstream- ending my thru-hike. I heard my Dad from the other end yell out "hold on to the rope and you'll be fine!" I quickly shook my nerves off and started singing a song called "no fear" from a Disney movie me and my sister, Lexi used to watch when we were younger. 

The water was so cold that it took your breath away. I moved as fast as I could while fighting against the swift current. By the time I was in the middle of the river the water was up to my chest. After I made it to the other end I felt a moment of victory. I was one more river crossing stronger, braver and more confident. I also took a minute to appreciate Stacey, who lovingly crossed 2 extra times to bring my pack over. 

As we waited for Tucker and Luke to cross, Dad and I looked up the trail and noticed that it was gone. GONE. The trail was flooded from the previous 2 days of rain and was now a creek! He just laughed and with the most positive upbeat attitude remarked, "now, this is adventure." 

We hiked the next 13 miles in ankle deep water. We did our best not to roll our ankles on the rocks below, but it was inevitable. The whole day was spent trying to keep each other laughing at the situation. Tucker made jokes about how he liked to hike in wet socks and shoes because it felt like squishy memory foam. Luke sarcastically talked about how he needed a boat. These are the perks of hiking in a group- uplifting encouragement. 

We honored the 17.9 mile day of adventure with a big campfire. 

The Appalachian Trail is full of adventure, but can easily be under appreciated and taken for granted. I'm glad we have each other to remind ourselves of this once in a lifetime experience. Life is what you make it. So next time you find yourself in a scary, uncomfortable or unenjoyable situation, live it and learn from it. 

We are returning to the trail today with rested bodies and full bellies thanks to the Stratton Diner. Our next few days look challenging but we are more than ready to get back to the woods! 

Hi family and friends! 

Amber here- writing from Lisa's organic farm in Kingfield, ME. We decided to hop off the trail for a bit to get a shower and call our family. Lisa let us work on her farm in exchange for a night stay and an organic breakfast! The day has been perfect. It's times like these that we all look forward to. The weather could not be any better (seriously ... blue skies for miles) and the scenery is like something out of a story book. My favorite part of her place is watching the 35 range-free chickens run around happily. 

Let's see, the past few days have been pretty great. While we were in Monson, we loaded up on food and bug spray. So no more growling stomachs and we have way less bugs to combat. We are starting to see more hikers which is nice. Some are cool. Some are odd. All are respected for being out here. 


We are heading back on the trail tomorrow to climb "the bigelows" and it's way past my bed time so for now I will leave you with this week's mantra: DIG DEEP


My recent thoughts: These mountains will wear you down. When everything is pushing against you it just seems so easy to give up. Waking up in a wet tent, packing up in the rain, then hiking all day after hiking all day yesterday . . with wet feet is in not 100% enjoyable. Neither is hiking up 500 ft inclines with bugs biting and then twisting your ankles when you hike down 90 degree declines. However, adventure awaits for those who persevere. Life is full of mountains we must climb. I have learned that just like in life outside the trail, one must dig deep. So whatever it is that is weighing you down, hang in there! You will reach the top of the mountain if you keep on going. 


We will be in Stratton in a few days. I should be able to post some of our photos. Thanks to everyone who has been looking out for our loved ones back home. Sending positive vibes your way!


-Amber 

 June 10

This dog statue was funny.

Thankful to have the opportunity to be out here! We hiked 3 miles to Monson on June 12. 

 June 8 

June 9 
Carl Newman - Chair Back Lean-To (9.9 miles) 

The days are draining me mentally. I am so ready to talk to my sister and mom. I know Stacey is ready to talk to his parents. We all 5 have seemed to hit our wall. The terrain is getting more difficult and our food bag is getting smaller and smaller. My ankles are so sore. They are both swollen. I'm hoping to have my hiker legs, ankles and shoulders soon. Everyone in our group is in pain. Just look at Stacey's feet. 

We had to ford the West Branch Pleasant River and decided to wash our hair. It was a nice break. Fish Flake met up with us and hiked half a day with us. The terrain was much more difficult than we anticipated. Just when I thought we were finished, we came around a corner with a huge rock wall we had to climb. I stopped, threw down my pack and took 5 minutes to just study how the heck I was going to push myself over the boulders. I had zero energy left. 

 June 6 

Quote of the Day: "How are the mosquitoes eating me through my clothes?" - Amber 

June 7
Antlers Campsite - East Branch Lean-To (16 Miles) 

Long day of hiking. The weather was amazing and the terrain wasn't bad. However, hiking 16 miles on 500 calories is rough stuff.  Everything was hurting, especially my hips and feet. This was by far the worst day of bugs. We had to wear our rain jackets to keep them from biting our arms. Bugs really test you. You can't even take breaks in peace! Stacey and I motivated ourselves by singing "Om Nashi Me" which we now sing every last mile of the day. 

We were so excited to make it to the shelter. Stacey had bad blisters on his heels. My stomach was hurting so bad from hunger pains and my feet and ankles were swollen. The last thing we wanted to do was filter water and cook dinner . . . with the mosquitoes. We had planned on making our omelet backcountry meal and instant mash potatoes. I was looking forward to the strange combination, but here is where the story gets really sad. As soon as the water boiled for me to pour I noticed that the potatoes had bacon in them. (noooooooooooooooooooo) Stacey said "whatever, I'm hungry, you eat the eggs and I'll eat this." Sounded okay except for the eggs turned out to be one of the most disgusting things I've ever put in my mouth. I had no choice. I forced myself to eat as much as I could without puking. I went to bed with sore muscles and an rumbling stomach. 

Oh the woes of a thruhiker . . .

June 4 
Hurd Shelter - Rainbow Stream Lean-To (11.5 miles)

I claim this day to be the Day of Bogs! We all hate bogs. We especially hate bogs in the rain. This day was destined to be tough. I was dreading our first day of rain.




However, I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked the rain due to the fact that it kept the bugs away. It was nice to rinse off a bit too, but dang those bogs were bad. I was so angry at the bogs but had to stop and take a photo so I can show you all what we were hiking in. Think 13 miles with wet feet... bad news...




It's funny- I catch myself getting angry at the earth. I get mad when I step in a bog and my foot gets drenched or when I'm looking straight up at ANOTHER rock face I have to climb. Stacey and I yell and curse at the mountains like it's their fault they are tall. Sometimes it helps but most of the time it just drags your mood down. I tried to stop myself from being mad at the bogs this day. Even though I was absolutely miserable the last 6 miles of the hike I forced myself to see the beauty in the pesky mosquitoes and the swampy bogs. It's mind over body people. 

I stopped a lot to rest my feet. Balancing in roots and rocks all day is exhausting. The long rainy day was worth every bit because we stayed at a killer campsite. You had to cross a slippery log to get there. I inched across ever so carefully as the boys just walked over like it was no big deal. I promise it's harder than it looks. 





The boys built a great fire and we sat and talked for hours about what gear we were going to send back home. I've learned that the fire is the best friend around camp. It brings everyone together. Plus it masks our stench. 




Quote of the day: "Where's my sword??" -Fire Squirrel as he searches frantically for his machete 

June 4
Rainbow Stream Lean-To - Wadleigh Lean-To (8.1 miles)

This was a pretty mild day of hiking. We had more ups and downs from the past few days. I had 2 big wipeouts on top of the rainbow ledges. (Thankfully, no serious injuries) We kept a slow but steady pace. All of us are still enjoying Maine's scenery. Still no moose. . .

Dad left a note in the dirt that said "ET 5 :)" and a group of SOBO's behind us thought it meant Estimated Time 5 minutes. Yeah, it definitely wasn't 5 minutes to the next shelter. They weren't too happy at the time, but it made for a funny story later.

Stacey and I realized that we didn't bring enough food to get us out of the wilderness. We each had one cup of rice for dinner and went to bed with growling stomachs. 

June 3

Katahdin Stream Campground - Hurd Shelter (13.4 miles)

We all woke up at 6:15 and was on the trail by 7am. We took our time to really take in Maine's beauty. The terrain was pretty flat; although, it was our first day with our heavy packs so we were all feeling pain in our shoulders and hips. We stopped at Big Niagara Falls to soak our feet for a while. 

We were loving every minute of our refreshing break but knew we had a long way to go to get to the shelter. We had our first of many stream crossings. I was so scared the current was going to swoop me and pack away and drench all my gear. The boys are so much better at fording, but I'm learning. 

We had lunch at Abol Bridge store, which was the last resupply spot before the 100 mile

wilderness. They didn't have much for vegetarians so I munched on chips and chocolate while the boys scarfed down turkey sandwiches. This was were we first met Sky Chicken, a helicopter pilot from Texas. Note in the photo below that Tucker's socks were already standing up from 2 days of hiking. Also note, we were so happy to see that ice cream sign and were crushed when we found out that they didn't have ice cream. 

As we headed back on the the trail and entered our way into the 100 mile wilderness, I knew there was no way of turning back. This was it. I saw the first yellow monarch and felt my sister, Lexi give me a great big hug. I was ready for the wilderness. We arrived at Hurd shelter at 4:30pm. The last thing I wrote in my journal that night was "I love being away from society." Haha, the wilderness was about to feed my soul- exactly what it needed. 

Quoted the Day: "I guess I'll just sleep on the ground. It's like going back to my childhood."- Chief Badweather stated as his sleeping pad deflated from a hole in it.

Hi Family + Friends!

Amber, here. I wanted to send out a quick update to let everyone know that we made it through the 100 mile wilderness! Phew. . . what a challenge, but so insanely rewarding. We are at the legendary, Shaw's Hostel right now with our 2 trail friends, Sky Chicken and Fish Flake. The boys are watching Soccer and doing laundry. Dad is going through his first care package from home and I'm uploading our photos while catching up on e-mail. It feels good to be in civilization with clean hair and full bellies (thanks to the Lakeshore House). Spirits are high up here in Monson. We are planning on taking a zero day tomorrow to rest our muscles and celebrate our 2nd AT milestone (1st was reaching Katahdin).

So much has happened in the past week and a half. I'm so excited to share our adventures! We have all kept notes from our 100 mile wilderness trek so I'm going to work on a recap post with pictures after a nap, of course. For now, here is how everyone is feeling.

Tuck has blisters on every toes and lost a total of 5 pounds. Trail name is pending.Luke (Tree Frog) just received the biggest bag of candy from his girlfriend. His beard is growing and turning red. He's lost 3 pounds so far.Stacey (Fire Squirrel) has a busted knee but is happy because he gets to watch soccer. He has lost a total of 14 pounds.Dad (Chief Badweather) is having way to much fun playing in the hiker closet. He found an old army coat and fishing cap to wear out to lunch. He lost a whopping 17 pounds in the wilderness. And I have more bug bites, bruises and scrapes that I've ever had in my life. I've lost 10 pounds, but feel stronger than ever!
More details coming soon, folks!! Thank you all for your encouraging messages. I can't put into words how important they are to us while we are on the trail. They really keep us pressing on.

Sending good vibes to you all!

- Amber

Getting to Baxter State Park 






Today we woke up bright and early to catch our shuttle. We said good bye to the modern world as we entered into Baxter State Park. We were all pretty tired from the previous day of travel. Luke and Tuck slept most of the way until we woke them up screaming when we saw a moose on the side of the road. 







We stopped to get fuel at a shop that had mainly hunting and fishing supplies. I couldn't help but feel disgusted as I looked around at all of the animals mounted on the walls. Then "BAM!" I hear this loud popping sound. I thought a gun or firecracker went off. Nope, it was just Luke. He sat on a plastic table that he thought was a stool and cracked it. Whoopsie. 







Once we got to Katahdin Stream Campsite, which would be base camp for the next 2 nights, we signed the first of many trail registers and spent the rest of the day taking in beautiful Maine.





































June 2
Sumitting Katahdin, Baxter Peak (10.4 miles)



Stacey, Tucker, Luke and myself woke up to "see you guys on the trail" at 4am. Dad couldn't sleep from the excitement. He was eager to get on the trail and climb the mountain that he has waited nearly 40 years to climb. Stacey's competitiveness immediately went into first gear. He was packed and pulling me up the trail before I could get my pants on. And if you know me at all you understand that I am not a morning person...at all. Tucker and Luke quickly met up with us. Those guys are like lightening. We were about 1 mile in and I started to feel my clothes become damp with sweat. Then my breathing became heavy and I could feel my heart beating in my ears. I was trying so hard to keep up with the boys but had to stop and take a breather. By the time we caught up with Dad I was pale, nauseous and on the verge of fainting. That's when I learned first hand the importance of "hiking your own hike." The combination of not enough sleep or food and pushing myself to hard had led me into a hiking nightmare. I prayed so hard that I would make it up and down the mountain safely. Thankfully, I was surround with my family. Stacey literally pushed and pulled me up the mountain. I could feel our marriage becoming stronger. I starting feeling better right as we got to this beautiful waterfall. I felt the mist hit my face and said to myself "you can do this." 









It's insane how much of this journey has been mind over body. We have overcome pain countless times just by being positive and determined. I am amazed at how strong and powerful the human mind can be. 







The terrain up to Baxter Peak was tough and technical. There was still places with thick ice!







And miles of bouldering!

























This was taken during one of our many false summits. Each time we thought we reached the top and quickly realized we had MORE boulders to climb. 















Ah! This was so exciting for me. My favorite writer and naturalist, Henry David Thoruea hiked Katahdin in 1846 and had a spring named after him. 









Tuck and Luke got to the top of Katahdin at 8am. Stacey and I sumitted at 9:30am and Dad was right behind us. 







The only thing that was missing was the rest of our family. I wish they and everyone could experience this view for themselves. 







It was the coolest feeling I've ever had. I've never in my life felt so light and free. 















This was the beggining of our thruhike adventure. 



























After thanking God for creating such a beautiful place and asking him to keep our families safe he revealed himself in the most spectacular ray of sunlight. Our skin was tingling and our hearts were bursting with accomplishment as we trekked down the mountain. 







It was a fun, interesting trip down. I may have led us down the wrong way at some point. And Dad may have done the plank between 2 boulders. 







Quote of the Day: "It's fun to have fun." - Chief Badweather