The Appalachian Trail truly has mythic status and for many of us, hiking it is a dream. But then we look at the reality of it and find the prospect of carrying a 40-50 pound pack on our back and sleeping on the ground rather daunting. Solution? Slackpacking! We cover the same distance as backpackers, but at the end of the day we return to a comfortable hostel with beds and hot showers. In contrast to the Georgia section, this section is flatter but the terrain and footing makes it more challenging. And we end the trip with climbing Mt Katahdin, a more significant climb than any we do in Georgia. Maximum group size: 10
August 15 to August 22, 2020 |
$1795.00 - FULL |
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Hiking from 7 to 17 miles a day (see the itinerary for daily mileage) with one 4,000 foot ascent, particularly on a trail with many rocks, stream crossings, and bogs - even if the terrain is flatter than most sections of the AT - requires being in excellent physical condition and prior hiking experience. If you need a down day, you can always choose to stay at the hostel and explore the town. This trip is rated 5 and requires a high degree of fitness. Adding some specific conditioning such as strength training, endurance training, and longer aerobic workouts is suggested. Rating: 1 2 3 4 [5]
This is a very challenging hiking trip on the last section of the legendary Appalachian Trail. You will be hiking in an area that was scoured by glaciers in the past; although the terrain is largely flat, the many streams, bogs, and marshes make the trail more difficult than many other sections. Please note that we will most likely not be on the Appalachian Trail for the final ascent.
We will be staying at the Appalachian Trail Lodge, http://appalachiantraillodge.com/, in the town of Millinocket. We will have the lodge to ourselves. There are 4 bedrooms on the 2nd floor of the lodge with 2 beds in each room, plus 2 bedrooms on the 1st floor. None of the rooms have bunk beds. There are 2 bathrooms in the lodge. One on the 2nd floor and one on the 1st floor. These are shared amongst the group. In order to get to the 1st floor bathroom from the 2nd floor you will go outside and back into the 1st floor. There is also a 3rd bathroom available in the next door apartment where the guides stay which is also available.
Below is the proposed itinerary for the trip. As is true on any adventure travel trip, plans for any specific day may be modified due to weather considerations, unforeseen circumstances, new opportunities, and group interests.
Exceeded them. Best trip I've ever taken in my life.
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
Leigh and Gina were wonderful guides, our group of women were fantastic, and pushing far outside of my comfort zone and succeeding...priceless.
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
It exceeded my expectations.
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
This trip far exceeded my expectations!
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
This trip exceeded my already high expectations. Excellent guides and a group of fun, smart, interesting and accomplished women who love adventure and the outdoors, plus my most physically challenging AGC experience to date in the extraordinary beauty of the 100 Mile Wilderness and Baxter State Park. That boulder scramble up Mt. Katahdin was really something!
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
Highlights - Guides were fantastic. The AT trail was beautiful and Mt Katahdin summit was a real accomplishment. Failures: There was no physical recovery day within the 6 days and 80 or so miles of hiking. I am very fit at 64 years old but a down day to recover would have made my post recovery from the hike shorter.
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
Great guides! They were knowledgeable, compassionate, and fun! Great ladies to travel with. The Katahdin hike was definitely something I’ll never forget.
Slackpacking Maine 8/10/2019-8/17/2019
Summiting Katahdin!
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
Walking in the Maine woods. Swimming in the lakes. Climbing katahdin. Experiencing the Appalachian trail cult. Meeting interesting people.
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
summiting Katahdin! hearing more about AT life and experiences camaraderie with my trail mates little stops during our hiking days and the FOOD!!! ok, all of it!
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
These were the highlights of my trip: the wonderful gals and guides who were on the trip; having either Leigh or Gina stick with me in the rear, since my pace was considerably slower than the younger gals'; seeing moose at Sandy Stream Pond and bear and cub on trail into Roaring Brook from Chimney Pond; beautiful trails and scenery every day; accomplishing a significant section of the ME 100 mi; Slackpacking as opposed to backpacking presents a bit of a time problem in that the hiking starts later and ends perhaps earlier in the day, and thus puts pressure on one to hike at a faster pace. Would that there were a hot air balloon to carry our overnight gear that would float above us as we hike! To be honest, I was not conscientious about specific training during the winter, such as indoor bike riding, which has helped me in the past. It would have in retrospect been very helpful.
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
lodging was nicer than I expected, everything else was as described in a good way!
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
Far exceeded my expectations. Six really great days of hiking. A perfect itinerary. Beautiful scenery. And I made it to the top! I'd wanted to do this trip for several years now and I'm so glad I finally did.
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
Summitting Katahdin. Could not have done it without Leigh and Gina's expert guidance. The entire itinerary was well organized and planned. The meals were delicious, wholesome and fresh. The accommodations were very comfortable. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Met some wonderful people and had a memorable time.
Slackpacking Maine 8/11/2018-8/18/2018
Hiking to the top of Katahdin, the beauty of the 100 mile Wilderness, the great mix of people on the trip along with our aweome guides.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
Some of it was out of your control - eg excellent weather. Beyond that just very well crafted access to 100 Mile Wilderness which is not easy to slack pack at all.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
The highlight was a successul climb to the Baxter Peak summit on Katahdin and completing the entire mileage of this 5-rated trip. I was personally disappointed that the Applachian trail was so similar to hiking in the woods that I do at home. I expected more vista points out into the mountains. I would have been happy with a shorter trip focused on the Katahdin hike, along with a 7 mile warm-up hike day and the Pollywog hike to get a view of Katahdin from a distance. The Baxter State Park hike at the base of Katahdin would be a nice warm-up hike if the trip was shortened; ponds and waterfalls were nice to see. The extra days of the week-long trip are useful as insurance for good weather for the Katahdin hike; I suggest being very upfront about switching the Katahdin day to earlier in the trip for good weather.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
The highlight was making the top of Katahdin! Just the daily wonderful hiking in the Maine Woods was wonderful.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
Long hikes, scrambling,lively conversations
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
In no way should my comments be seen as negative. The trip, as always, was perfectly executed. The guides were amazing. The location was great and all the women were friendly. Having said all this, this trip was the most difficult and painful of any i have taken.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
I guess the highlight for me was that I was able to do the hike and enjoy it. I went back and forth as to whether to proceed given a knee ailment and was uncertain that I was ready to do the hike. I modified my participation but I think every day was a successful one for me.
Slackpacking Maine 8/12/2017-8/19/2017
Great hikes, great food, great company
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016
Loved the morning rituals of early coffee and breakfast and then getting in the van..... The dinners were nutritious and healthy . The overall organization of the whole week was great. There was no hick up
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016
I realize that to some degree the lengths of the days was dependent on forest access roads, but I felt that the easy-hard-easy-harder-easy-tough sequence was great. We were ready for Katahdin when it came. I expected a tough trip and was worried about whether I could complete all of it -- but the pre-trip and day-to-day coaching once on the trip made it not only manageable, but fun to achieve. The guides took genuine pleasure in our efforts. Encouragement is always good, no matter our age : )
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016
guides, activity, scenery, food, etc resided on third floor, which was OK but steps a bit tricky and trek to bathroom "eye-opening" at 2am
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016
Meeting new women and hering/sharingstories
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016
Excellent guides
Slackpacking Maine 8/13/2016-8/20/2016