Up early. Packed up and shuttled back to the trail about 8:45. Did a small food resupply at the outfitter and headed out. You guessed it…9:15. 

Fairly difficult climb right out of the box. The trail never gives you anything for free. Pushed hard for 5.5 miles and arrived at Tesnatee Gap. My pace was good. Under three hours. 

Trail Magic was waiting in the parking lot. Cold water, snacks, and free crocheted beanies. A good break indeed. 

Next up…Wildcat Mountain. What a beast. It was warm. Which made a difficult climb even harder. Thankfully the terrain eased a bit after going up and over. 

Made it to camp at 4:00. What a long day. Hiked 11.5 miles in under seven hours!  Set up camp, ate dinner, and watched the storm roll in. Currently in the tent riding out the thunderstorms. Staying dry…so far. 

My sleeping mat had a baffle let go yesterday.  A free replacement will be waiting for me on Friday. When I laid on it a bit ago…boom…it blew another baffle. Not sure it will be much good anymore. Looks like I’m sleeping on the ground for the next three nights. 

No pain, no rain, no Maine.