Guest post by LAC volunteer guide, Stevie Dembowski

On Saturday afternoon we were introduced to some of the bugs as well as our hiking group. We hiked an easy two miles in and then climbed steeply up a moss-covered boulder wonderland. We made camp at Horns Pond, taking in the views of Sugarloaf along the way. After making camp, we replenished our water supply from the spring, which was sprinkled with pollen, then dipped our toes in Horns Pond to soothe our tired feet. After our dinner, we retired pretty early in preparation for our longer hiking day on Sunday.

It rained overnight, but the sky cleared as we got ready to go in the morning. After breaking camp, we headed up the South Horn (our first photo op with the Bigelow peaks behind us). We grabbed a snack just before the next big ascent up West Peak (photo op two). We soaked in the sun there for a bit, then moved on to tackle Avery Peak.

Both Saturday and Sunday we met up with Southbound thru-hikers (we met five on Sat., I gave each one a Snickers bar and four hikers on Sunday on Avery Peak,. Unfortunately, the only snacks I had to offer were two tiny bags of fruit snacks, but all were excited to receive my unconventional style of trail magic).

From Avery Peak, we retraced our steps and descended the Fire Warden’s Trail. Initially, the trail was rocky and steep and the going was slow, but the trail mellowed out as we tired out. The bugs, which had been tolerable all day, thickened as we neared Stratton Brook Pond. They were unbearable on the road walk back to the A.T. and morale dipped a little, but once folks got to the turn off for the A.T., they found their reserves and powered it out to the end.

We were smelly and slightly bug-bitten at the end, but the company was great and the views were amazing. All in all, a successful trip!
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