The Great Wander of 2026
Day 8: May 31st, 2026
States Hiked: Maine (10 total so far)
Trails Hiked: Greenbelt, Bug Light, Fort Preble and Spring Point
Distance Hiked: 4.5 miles, 4.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 39 ft, 167 ft.
Cumulative Wander: 59.9 miles
Duration: 1h 28m, 1h 37m
When one imagines New England, perhaps they think that cutting to and from any state must not take very long, given their relative proximity as compared to the western half of the country.
Yet, to cut from Burlington, Vermont to South Portland, Maine took over four hours, and not just because of the backup on the roads infinitely tolled, thus causing me to use the US-1 and unexpectedly cut through one of the gayest small towns I've ever seen in Ogunquit. Upon arrival though, I found myself in a familiar position: having spent all day traveling and swearing to myself this would be my day off from hiking, but then getting back out on the trail within an hour of arrival and unpacking.
It's who I am as a person, for better and worse.
Perhaps that's why, despite looming ominous clouds in the distance, I thought it prudent to get out somewhere near the hotel and at least get a few miles in. That, and I was anxious to get my 10th state checked off the goal list. Thank goodness I remembered to take a poncho, and since I was solo, I didn't feel bad about ripping it out like the time I got soaked like a drowned rat walking 13 miles on the Red Cedar trail in Wisconsin. Still a brilliant idea that was, Lauren.
The Eastern trail traverses southeastern Maine, and I thought starting somewhere nearby and going ten miles round trip to Bug Light would not only satiate my wandering desire, but put me over the edge to 1000 miles for the year.
As soon as I heard the first bit of rolling thunder (no RVD) I regretted that decision.
I'd gotten about two miles down the trail when the winds became too obvious to ignore. This one wasn't staying out in the ocean, and I had only minutes to prepare. With the poncho on over my pack and heading double quick back to the parking lot, only the canopied tree cover provided me any reprieve from the Atlantic Ocean's stormy fury. Yet, when compared to the summit of Camel's Hump, it didn't seem half bad. Everything's relative.
It passed by the time I got back to the parking lot, so I headed to Bug Light anyway. Despite the comparable proximity, I did not see Chris Jericho and the Young Bucks plotting a trios name. Instead, I enjoyed the quiet post-storm evening between the two lighthouses, abandoned fort, and oceanic sounds of solace.
Hopping along breakwaters to stand next to them, I was nonetheless awed by the beam shining in the distance. Tomorrow, I thought, that would have to be my first stop. It looked legendary.
I'd only visited Portland ere once, and for less than a day, but at the time I described it as "If Instagram were a town." That was a decade prior when that actually meant something, but it still felt affectionately appropriate for that era. Not for Meta, never anything for Meta.
No comments:
Post a Comment