Bigelow Preserve Hike

My son and I hiked through the Bigelow Preserve in Maine. I've wanted to try this hike for years and we finally did it. 

Here's a view looking north at Flagstaff Lake with scattered cloud shadows:

Panorama Looking North from the Summit of Bigelow Mountain

Let me set the stage.

My in-laws have a vacation home in Maine. The Appalachian Trail passes nearby. Over the years, I've passed the Stratton trailhead dozens of times while driving highway 27 through the Carrabassett Valley. The north side of the valley is dominated by the Bigelow Preserve. The south side is dominated by Sugarloaf Mountain.

I prepared for this hike as follows:

1. Last year, my son and I hiked part of this trail by parking in Stratton and climbing on the trail to Cranberry Pond. This was about 4 miles in, then back out by the same trail. We had seen 4 miles of the trail.
2. I reviewed the topographic map of the trail. I knew that there would be several significant climbs.
3. I read trail reviews online. The trail length was reported as just over 16 miles.
4. My normal walking pace is about 3 mph. I planned for 2 mph on this trail for a duration of 8 hours.
5. My son and I scouted the trailhead at Long Falls Dam Road. This was to be our entry point.
6. My wife, son, and I went looking for moose near Stratton. On the way, I showed my wife where the Stratton trailhead was located so she could pick my son and me up at the end of the hike.
7. I packed a backpack with food and drinks that I expected to be enough for the trip.
8. There was a storm with torrential rain. I waited 2 days for the trail to dry out.

I don't hike often, but I've done a significant amount. I've hiked up/down mountains in the Alps. I've hiked up/down mountains in Shenandoah National Park. I hiked through Haleakala caldera with my son. Just 8 months ago, I hiked the Nā Pali Coast and the Sleeping Giant trails on Kauai. I ride my bike. A lot. My son is in Army ROTC. He works out. A lot. We're both active, in good health, and have hiking experience.

Here's what went wrong:

1. Before leaving on vacation, I looked all over the place for my Sawyer water filter. I couldn't find it. I hit the trail without it. And of course this means that, even though I packed a lot to drink, we ran out. Well, not really, but almost.
2. After my wife dropped us off at the Long Falls Dam Road trailhead, we encountered a sign that said the distance to the Stratton/Highway 27 trailhead was 17.8 miles, not the 16 I had expected.
3. Much of the trail was very rocky, not at all like the 4 miles that we had already seen. Our progress slowed.
4. I had a cell phone signal for about the first half of the hike, then nothing. I texted my wife that our pace had slowed and told her to wait an additional 2 hours before picking us up.

Here's what went right:

1. The views are stunning. Looking north, all of Flagstaff Lake is visible. Looking south, we were treated to a great view of Sugarloaf Mountain and the airport in the valley.
2. We had plenty of food.
3. The weather was wonderful.
4. The trail was mostly dry.
5. My new Garmin watch was very helpful in keeping situational awareness: how far we had gone/climbed, pace. After the hike, it was very interesting to see the stats and track.

We made the first climb. It was strenuous. We were rewarded by great views. We descended, then ascended to the highest peak. Once again, we had stunning views. I told my wife that we would take 10 hours from the start, not the 8 that I had projected. Then the trail got much harder, just as I lost the cell phone signal. We slowed way down because of the trail conditions, and we were about half way to our destination, and we had gone through more than half of our water.

We came upon a hiker who was filtering water at a spot on the trail. It was clear to me that we would run out of water, so I asked him for a favor: I explained the situation and asked if he would filter some water for me and my son. He agreed and gave me more water than I was hoping for. His trail name is Mud Crack. Thank you Mud Crack! My son and I actually reached the end of the trail with a few ounces of water left, thanks to you.

OK, long story short: my son and I pressed on, made the two remaining climbs and descents, and got really tired. There were two more events of note. The sun went down behind the peaks and suddenly we were in shadow. I began to worry about running out of daylight. We were much slower than expected and we were on the shaded side of the valley. I had not expected to still be on the trail and had not brought a light. The trail got better and we picked up the pace as best we could. When we finally reached the trailhead, we were four hours later than originally projected, and two hours later than our rescheduled arrival. My wife had gotten worried and went to check a nearby trailhead to see if maybe we had gotten lost. My son and I arrived at a deserted trailhead, with no cell phone signal, and could only wait. She showed up after about 10 minutes.

OK, lessons learned:

1. I'm not hiking again, at least not for a day trip this long, without a water filter.
2. I'm not hiking again, at least not for a day trip this long, without a flashlight or headlamp.
3. If I hike this section again, I will get to the trail head at sunrise (we got there about 60 minutes after sunrise and I'll plan on 12 hours, not 8).