AT Day 152: Chairback Mountains and Gulf Hagas

Daily Miles: 18.8, Total Miles: 2,116.6

It rained off and on last night, enough to make me glad I was in a shelter. At least until I discovered a mouse (or mice) had found my left-over gorp inside the mesh pouch on my backpack.

I leapfrogged with Ocho and Dad all day long on a cloudy, and later, rainy day. First over Barren Mountain, two of the Chairback Peaks, then down to wade across two forks of the Pleasant River. A complete whiteout on the peaks with the mist and clouds.

I also came across the remains of a plane crash in the woods, a father and son miraculously surviving. Got me remembering my own plane crash experience in East Africa years ago.

We then entered the Gulf Hagas, known as the Grand Canyon of Maine. A really pretty, wild-looking area, popular with backpackers. I got caught in afternoon showers and decided to camp at a nearby “‘stealth” site near Gulf Hagas Creek rather than hike on to the next shelter.