Overnight Stratton Base Camp

Once you get an idea for a trip into your head, it just won't go away until you do something about it. In this case, doing something meant hiking the toughest part of the Appalachian Trail. I don't remember who it was that came up with this numskull idea, but we were all a bit sloshed, and agreed to go hiking during the 4th of July weekend.

And so here we are, at the Stratton Motel, backpack and all, ready to hit the Appalachian Trail, starting from Grafton Notch in Maine all the way to Gentian Pond in New Hampshire. And we had to navigate the hazardous boulders of Mahoosuc Notch. The most dangers I usually faced was going counter to the flow of the crowd in the New York subways at risk of being pushed to the ground and trampled over, so I was feeling a bit queasy at the thought of actually having to push hard beyond my comfort levels.

So anyway, we stayed overnight at the Stratton Motel, and we're supposed to drive down to Grafton Notch to start the hike. We could have found an overnight place to stay closer to Grafton Notch, but this motel was supposed to be better than all the others in the vicinity. And I was already having visions of a last outpost of civilization, with bare-bones necessities and stuff like that. It wasn't like that - actually quite comfortable.

I don't know about the other Stratton motels, but this one had everything you might need - nice private rooms with baths, TV, refrigerators, microwave, free internet and even shuttles to the trail. We wouldn't be needing the shuttle, but it was nice to know, in case I took a liking for this hiking stuff, and wanted to do the rest of the Appalachian Trail in Maine in future.

Had a good night's sleep, and I'm quite ready to attack the AT now. Only wish we had the time to check out the attractions in Rangeley, on the way to Grafton Notch. I hate to pass through a place without checking out the sights. Seems like a waste. I mean, travel is not just about the place you're visiting. It's also about the journey. You gotta make the most of every place you reach. You might never see it again.

But right now, there's no time, and we're off to Grafton Notch, and for three days, we'll be on the trail. No sight-seeing, no bars or clubs or museums. Just the rocks and dirt and nature.