The Maine Adventure Begins!

   Gig, Tink, Off, and I got up early and got ready to head to Maine.

   While Tink and Off organized our gear, Gig and I began a two mile walk to Roslindale Square to pick up the rental car we reserved for the first leg of our trip to Maine.  It was a beautiful Massachusetts morning complete with fog and a drenching drizzle.

   Thankfully, the car was there and ready for us.  All I had to do was sign a few papers, complete the car inspection, and soggily climb into the driver’s seat.  I knew the cars vented clothes dryer would dry me out in a few hours or so.

   Gig and I drove to the house and all of us crammed our gear into the trunk and back seat. Then we started off on the 5 hour drive to Bangor, ME.

   It took us only 6 hours to get to Bangor.  A record considering how many times we had to stop to enjoy the sights and aromas that can only be experienced at gas station rest rooms.

   In Bangor we needed to drop off the car and don our packs for a three mile walk to Bangor’s Greyhound bus station. There we would hop on a local country bus to Medway, ME. At Medway the lodge we had reserved for the night would pick us up and drive us to Millinocket, ME.

  While unpacking the car the attendant who was conducting the return inspection asked if we needed a ride anywhere. I told him we were planning on hiking to the Greyhound station on “so and so” Street. He informed me that the Greyhound station had recently moved across town and obviously had not updated their website. The bus station was now over ten miles away.

   Needless to say, we accepted the ride. If that man had not offered us a ride (which he did not have to) we would still be loitering at an abandoned bus station waiting for a bus that would never come . . .

   We managed to make it to the new bus station in time to catch our bus to Medway. That bus ride took a little over an hour and the lodges driver was at the Medway bus station with the van running. She would be driving us to the AT Lodge in Millinocket, Me. We introduced ourselves and thanked her for meeting us and taking us to a comfortable bed after a long day of travel.

   The lodge was great.

Appalachian Trail Lodge

The next days weather forecast for our walk up Mt. Katahdin looked great.

Mt. Katahdin Sign Replica

 We were drained. We went to sleep.