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20190523 Baxter State Park
Big & Little Niagara Falls
We began at Daicey Pond parking lot, where we signed the register to hike to the falls. It was late May, but there was still snow in some areas of the park. Katahdin trails were not yet opened, and not expected to be opened until June.
We hiked steadily, albeit slowly, to the two falls, and spent quite a bit of time photographing the water and surrounding areas. We enjoyed a quiet lunch and long conversations at the water’s edge.
As we hiked back toward our Jeep at Daicey Pond, two different thru-hikers passed us. The first was a woman about our age. Her excitement at setting out was palpable. Her yellow sleeping pad was strapped to the top of her pack. She walked with alert confidence. She paused to greet us, and we asked if this was the beginning of a southbound thru-hike for her. She told us this was so, and moved on happily down the trail toward Katahdin Stream Campground and the 100 Mile Wilderness. She was wearing bright red lipstick. Craig said, “I hope she wears lipstick every day of her hike!”
We met the second thru-hiker about twenty minutes later. He was much younger, striding without stopping to chat, and listening to music or a podcast. Complete inward focus. Complete disregard of the beauty all around us. I said, “If I ever do hike the Appalachian Trail, I hope to stay more connected with the glories of nature.”
This brought us to conversation about hiking the Appalachian Trail at our age and in our state of health.
20191020 Gouldsboro, Maine