Saucy Hikes

MAINE! MAINE! MAINEE!!

THATS RIGHTTTT WE ARE IN MAINEE!!

IT IS INSANE!! WE ARE IN MAINE!!

There is an important saying on the AT:

No Pain, No Rain, No Maine

To that we say:

✅ Rain

✅ Pain

✅ MAINE!!

First of all, let’s recap The Whites:

The Whites, a giant mountain range in New Hampshire, are infamous on the AT. All through the trail everyone will say “just wait for the whites.” They are considered the hardest section by far because of the insane elevation changes and unpredictable weather. They slowed Saucy down, but that means we were able to enjoy the crazy views and dilly dally with the Brewbs!

The first few summits of the Whites gave us a great confidence boost and have us feeling like we could get up any mountain!

CHAMELEONS BIRTHDAY

Everyone please join me in wishing Chameleon a very happy 23rd!!! We obviously had to celebrate in style with an Airbnb and a zero.

MT WASHINGTON

Other than Springer and Katahdin, Mt Washington is the most talked about mountain on the AT. It is a beast, known for being the tallest mountain in the northeast and for its unpredictable weather. We ended up waiting a couple days to avoid some crazy rain and wind, which was the right call as we heard about another through hiker getting rescued because of that storm. You’re welcome, mom!

The fun doesn’t end there…

After Washington, the Whites keep going! We still had about 40 miles of VERY hard terrain, including the steepest climb of the AT.

Finally, after 2 years (really 2 weeks) in New Hampshire, we have touched down in MAINE!!!! It is so surreal to be here, and we can’t believe that we have actually walked from Georgia to Maine.

The duality of Maine

We’re incredibly proud of ourselves for getting here and making it 1,900 miles. However, southern Maine has kicked our little butts. It is incredibly challenging and has us feeling like we’re out of shape. It takes us about an hour to complete every mile, and we’ve only been able to do about 9 miles per day 😭.

Maine is home to the hardest mile on the AT, called the “Mahoosuc Notch.” It is essentially a giant boulder field that stretches out between 2 mountains. While some fear the notch, we had a blast climbing over the rocks and squeezing through tunnels.

The mental game

After being out here for almost 5 months, the trail life is really taking a toll on us. Having a new home every night with no routine is exhausting, along with the physical toll of hiking over thousands of rocks daily. We have been in quite the slump and motivation is at an all time low. The combination of rugged and difficult terrain along with the long term mental fatigue makes for very grumpy saucy. We’re struggling with the desire to be done with the trail, while enjoying Maine and taking it all in. It feels like there’s no winning which causes daily spirals which lead to lower miles. The trail is not all sunshine and rainbows, in fact it’s a lot of rain and rocks, and we miss our beds and being clean. That said, the thought of quitting has never once crossed our minds and we do a really good job of keeping each other strong. This wouldn’t be possible without having the other to lean on and occasionally cry with, I love you buggy! Anyway, we are staying strong and hanging tough and we WILL finish (eventually) even if it’s a little later than expected…

The terrain is REALLY hard- no seriously- it’s awful