Saturday, June 16, 2018

Stories from the Trail: Find a Penny, Pick it Up


After I did the math, things weren’t looking so good.

It was about an hour from the lodge to the Mount Cabot trailhead where I’d hike 9.6 miles (book time 6:00) then travel an hour to the Starr King trailhead where I’d hike Mount Waumbek 7.2 miles (book time 4:55) then get in my car and drive half an hour to the Highland Center for dinner at 6pm.

The mileage (16.8) and the elevation gain (5050 feet) weren’t as off-putting as the fact that I’d most likely be missing a BANGING dinner if I attempted both hikes in one day.

On Saturday night I contemplated several options for Plan B. I had yet to reach a verdict when I woke up on Sunday morning. Part of me still wanted to give it a go BUT after waiting an extra half hour for (extremely delicious) coffee to be set out AND being unable to locate the trailhead for half an hour those dreams began to fade.

At 7:35AM I found the York Pond Trail and started my journey to Mount Cabot. Not even a minute had passed when I looked down and saw a penny. It was on heads. I took two steps by it, turned around and picked it up. I dug deep, found an extra gear and crushed Cabot in three and a half hours.

I was off the trail just after 11AM and ate lunch in the car while on my way to Mount Waumbek where I proceeded to crush it again in two hours and forty five minutes. This gave me enough time to drive to the Highland Center, shower and do yoga before dinner.

Miles: 16.8
Elevation Gain: 5050 feet
Time: About 6:15

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