section hiking in MAINE

[HIPOCKETS]

I am planning a section hike from Crawford notch in NH north to Stratton Maine. I will fly into Boston and take a bus to Gorham. What is the best way to come back? to Boston?

[peakbagger]

Not a lot of options that dont involve expensive shuttles. Possibly check with Maine Huts and Trails in Kingfield to see if they have any shuttles to the Portland Airport. Alternative is get a shuttle back to gorham an take the bus back down to Boston.

[Slo-go'en]

A shuttle back to Gorham is probably the best option. Expect to pay $150 to $175 for a ride of that distance. If there is a bus stop at Waterville, ME that would be a cheaper shuttle.

The bus leaves Gorham at 7:50 am, so you'll have to shuttle in the day before.

You might already know this, but the bus from Logan arrives at Gorham no earlier then 8:30 pm and usually no earlier then 9:30 pm on a weekday, due to rush hour traffic out of Boston. The Bus leaves Logan at 3:40 pm (from the last terminal, so make sure your there well before 3:40).

The AMC shuttle leaves from the Gorham Erving (where the bus will drop you off) and goes to the Highland Center at 8:00 am. So you will have to spend a night in Gorham. Do not arrive on a weekend or at least make reservations. Make sure you don't arrive on the ATV festival weekend or your really screwed. (I forget when that is, sometime in August. All the rooms are already booked). Not sure if the hostel will welcome you if your coming in by bus and just starting. You'd be rolling in well past everyone's bed time.

Another little detail, the AMC shuttle drops you off at the Highland Center, while the AT is another 4 miles south. This is not a good road to walk. However, you can use the Crawford Path from the Highland Center to access the AT, and is a significantly less death defying (and much easier) climb then the AT route up the side of Webster cliffs.

I hope you have reservations for the huts, since for the majority of the trail between Crawford and RT 2 there is absolutely no camping under any circumstances what so ever. The alternative places where you can camp are a long way down off the ridge line. Do not underestimate the difficulty of this section. 1 MPH is a typical speed under ideal conditions and conditions are often far from ideal.