Climbing Mount Brandon

Mount Brandon kind of kicked my butt today. It took a great effort to get up and down the mountain. The combination of the incline, the surface, and decline made it a very challenging day. 

Everything started great with my host, Rick, putting together a first-class country breakfast with eggs that he gathered this morning from his own hens. He also packed me a takeaway lunch that I later discovered included extra fresh-baked goods.

It's been a long day, so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. I started out on a rural road and traveled through cow pastures before joining another secondary road. Where that road ended was where the climb up the mountain truly began. 

On the side where I was ascending, the terrain went from rocky to boggy, and then stone-filled. In one of my videos I talk about hitting a certain point in the fog and believing it was the summit for the day. Spoiler alert ... It was another hour and a half before I reached the top. 

I encountered a placard along the way, commemorating a deadly World War II accident involving British aircraft out at night searching for submarines at the surface. They became disoriented and crashed into the side of the mountain as they were heading back to base. The pilots were British and the other six crew members were all Polish.

The descent on the far side had its own challenges. Fortunately, stone stairways were put in place some years ago. Before those were installed it must have been incredibly difficult to safely go down that side of the mountain. There were several loose stones, and it's a little disconcerting to have the ground give under your weight as you're going down at a very steep angle.

I ran into the German father and son again as I was heading down the back side of the mountain. It was great to see Christian and Killan. They offered a great distraction and pace as we walked together for hours. One of the tougher aspects of today was that after crossing the mountain there was still an additional 10 miles or so left to travel. Tired legs make for slow going.

A little more than an hour away from my lodgings for the night, we all parted ways and I took a half-pint beer break at the only open place along the route. Murphy's Bar sits on the water, and it was great to relax outside for a bit, taking the opportunity to remove my shoes.

Afterward, I walked another four miles into town, mostly on road surfaces. It seems everyone who I've met along the trail is staying at the same lodgings. This is also the only restaurant open for an evening's meal and is a gathering place for that reason as well.

It was pointed out to me that there was debris from the Mount Brandon air crash on display at the Inn. In front of the building, you could see what was left of one of the radial engines and landing gear. Interesting … and a little creepy.

Tomorrow is the longest walk yet, at over 17 miles. The good news is that it's not up the side of a mountain.