AT Maine Rt.17 to Rt 4 (pt.1)

The roadside sign says "Appalachian trail". And look over there,a white trail blaze and the AT symbol painted on the rocks. Yep this is where we need to hitchhike back to. You heard me, hitchhike. My first time. And due to my lack of thumbs, Mom and Dad did the "thumbing" ...Now let's start at the beginning.... Friday night we slept in the van near the trail head,at what will be the "end" of of our hike. And like so many other nights in the van, I sounded the early AM alarm, "Bark, bark, moose! Moose outside the van! Bark, bark". And so started our hike on the AT. The theme of moose stuck with us all weekend. We(well Mom and Dad) hitched back to the Height of the Land to start our hike. 3 rides with some AWESOME people, all hiker friendly,and a 25 mile horseshoe hitchhike and off into the woods we went up the AT on a 13 miles trek back to the van. Our day was filled with spring. Dad taught me about trout lilys and purple trillium, spring flowers were everywhere. We hiked on puncheons over bogs and moose wallows all weekend.And snow, hopefully the end of it. The trail leads past several remote mountain ponds.The first one being MOXIE POND!!!!!!!! We had lunch at another. There was sign of animals on the move, busy with the spring. Woodpecker holes in a tree so big a yorkie could get lost in them. And moose tracks that would swallow a yorkie....such peril! We came to a shelter on the AT. Dad says "Guess this makes you a shelter dog" ha! ha! At 8.5 miles in we set up camp. It rained all night as I snuggled down with Mom in her sleeping bag, cozy and warm in our tent. But morning brought cold north winds,burrrrr, so up and on the trail we went, everyone in rain gear. Damp morning but sun did finally appear for a bit. And after an awesome morning hike over a sopping wet moss covered ridge with pine smell saturating the air, and a trillion more trilliums, we made it back to the van. Exhausted and exhilarated. My first section hike of the AT. Mom and Dad are so proud!
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