I did not enjoy the second half of Maine during my AT thru-hike last year. It was late in the season and I was getting burnt out. I would barely see a single person on trail during the later part of Maine. Plus I had to skip ahead in the Hundred Mile Wilderness to summit Katahdin before they closed the mountain for the year.
In addition, my plans to thru-hike the Colorado Trail in 2025 fell apart after a health scare this spring. That freed up the month of August for me. Therefore I decided to push myself and go back to Maine and hike the second half of Maine from Rangeley to the base of Katahdin in Baxter Park.
August is the perfect month for Maine. The weather is cool. The bugs are almost non-existent. And the days are still long.
My friend Ed agreed to join me on this adventure. We would spend a fair amount of the summer section hiking, exercising, and generally trying to get ready for Maine. This part of Maine is arguably the second hardest part of the AT. I was really looking forward to the physical and mental challenge.
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