Begin Again – The Hundred Mile Wilderness

My first Hundred Mile Wilderness post, and I’m already struggling not to frame every thought as a comparison to last year’s hike on the Long Trail.. I can’t promise I’ll succeed in avoiding it entirely, but I plan to do my best.

This summer, we’re planning to hike the Hundred Mile Wilderness (thus forward abbreviated as HMW, despite the admitted confusion it may cause for readers who know me, Haley Marie Webb, personally. Yes, I’m more than slightly amused by this coincidence) in Maine. Mike claims it was my idea. I don’t recall the inspiration or making the suggestion, but I’ll gladly take the credit. Last year, we hiked the 273 mile Long Trail (LT) and completed the journey in 17 days. Our goal is to tackle the HMW and summit Katahdin, which will bring our mileage a bit beyond 100, in eight days. Though shorter in distance, this hike presents different challenges of its own; foremost, a lack of resupply points. This is where the Hundred Mile Wilderness received its name; it’s the longest portion of the Appalachian Trail without any formal road access. Though measures can be taken to coordinate resupplies via logging roads and other serious planning, we’re aiming to hike the trail without assistance. At first, faced with the thought of hiking with nine days worth of food, I was reluctant. I was a little desperate to somehow add a resupply midway through (drones, anyone?), but as we realized the great burden planning would impose, the simplicity of “doing it the hard way” became more appealing. My confidence caught up with me and I now believe that with enough training we can handle the load.

As we begin to plot our way points and considering where to go for our first training hikes, it dawned on me that now would be a great time to start capturing our thoughts so that we can share our planning process a bit more this time around. Packing light will be crucial this year. Without resupplies, we have no room for error and we’ll need to be meticulous. Writing about the process should be a helpful exercise for us, and I hope, should provide entertainment and insight for our friends, our families, and future dreamy hikers. I’m looking forward to another walk in the woods and sharing the journey.