Along the Appalachian Trail (a bit!)

Go on - all the way!

The Appalachian Trail is one of the  longest footpaths in the world. It's nearly 2,200 miles long and passes through 14 separate United States - the overall height gain is equivalent to climbing Everest 16 times. Makes the Pennine Way seem like a walk in the park! We encountered the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Vicky had a go (at a bit of it!)  The humorist Bill Bryson attempted to walk it and to write something funny about it; he failed to complete it (fewer than 25% so called thru-hikers are successful) but he ended up with plenty of material for a fascinating book 'A Walk through the Woods' which is currently being made into a film starring Robert Redford. Now there's a man who won't pack up working - on the plane over here I saw Redford playing the bad guy in Captain America - The Winter Soldier which was released earlier this year. The good guy was played by Chris Evans (no not that Chris Evans!!)

We're now on Mount Desert Island which is a large island (100 square miles) off the north east coast of Maine just south of Canada. Quite a holiday resort in the summer it's very quiet now which suits us. We are by the sea but there's a nice big 1500 foot hill behind us, Cadillac Mountain, which receives the first US rays of sunlight every morning. (Apologies for the photo at the summit slipping off the edge here but I didn't want to make it any smaller.)

I can see for miles and miles!