McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 8/18/2024 | AT Mile 186.5 | Day Total: 15.9 miles | Gain: 5215 ft

In the last journal I mentioned the wind died down, that couldn’t be further than the truth at 3am this morning. The wind was whipping! Tent held strong but the wind was super noisy. I didn’t get a ton of sleep after the wind picked up.

Today’s plan was to get over the Bigelow’s. This would mean a 15.9 mile day and a TON of elevation gain and descent. First up was Little Bigelow, one shouldn’t underestimate the meaning behind “Little” for its nearly a 2000ft ascent.

It was a foggy, gloomy morning which lead to rain early on in the day. I took a rain break at the shelter halfway up Little Bigelow. There were a few nobos huddled in there taking about getting struck by lighting. There were a few hikers that knew people that had been struck before and one of them had mentioned being shocked by lightning before while swimming (no injury just said he could feel it). Another one of the hikers, trail name Redacted, told me jokingly that if I were come across a nobo named No Face then I should tell him to “just quit now”.

As a hiked higher and higher I entered a few scenic views most of which had views that went on for hundreds of miles…

The views aside it was fun to climb more technical terrain again. It requires a bit more thought especially when the roots and rocks are slick from the recent rain.

The summit of Little Bigelow was anticlimactic. A sign pinned to a tree that marked the top. No view in sight, even on a clear day.

Next up was Bigelow Avery Peak which I had to descended 1000ft then ascended another 2000ft up. It was above treeline for a short distance. An old diminished stone hut and a plac were located at the peak. It was super windy at the top you could see the fog blow by rapidly.

Shortly after Bigelow Avery Peak is Bigelow West Peak separated by a small valley that has a large campsite (Bigelow Col Campsite) where I ate lunch. The cool air temperature is nice while I’m hiking but once I stopped for a minute I started to get chills and put my rain jacket on. It didn’t take long after lunch to warm back up and get the blood flowing again as I made the short climb to Bigelow West Peak.

I didn’t pass many people until the after Bigelow West Peak. I would run into groups of 6-10 nobos all spread out over a quarter mile.

I took a pit stop at Horns Pond Lean-to and filtered some water from the spring. There was an old shelter that had been converted into a seating area that was originally constructed in 1936!

After this shelter I had lots of descending to do before camp. It was super steep around 900ft down per mile. The rocks a roots were still slick so I continued to take my time. There was a Beaver Bog with purple flowers that I passed on the way down.

It was sprinkling as I walked into camp but the trees gave me some time before it actually hit the ground. The rain continued on and off for the rest of the evening but I was able to cook outside while it paused for a few minutes. I had a whole box of Mac and cheese for dinner tonight.

Looking forward to hiking an easy two miles into town tomorrow.