Kennebec River ferry
I have come to a startling reality about my hike: I only have a maximum of ten days left on trail. That's it, ten days until the grand adventure is over, ten days until I have to return to the real world.
Cookie and I were walking north this morning at 6:10AM. We were in no particular hurry seeing as we had three hours to cover three miles. Along the way we took a blue blaze loop to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps to collect some water. We rolled into the Kennebec River at 8:15AM.
We were forced to kill 45 minutes on the river bank, the ferry service does not start until 9:00AM. At 9AM the canoe pulled up and after signing a liability waiver and strapping on a life jacket we were on our way. Canoing across a river is completely different from anything I've done before on this trip.
We were walking north once again at 9:10AM. The trail today was muddy beyond comprehension. Cookie and I both come to the conclusion that the Maine Appalachian Trail Club has been apathetic, at best, in its maintenance of the trail it oversees. Bog bridges are few and far between, tree blow-downs seem to be rarely removed from the trail, and erosion prevention techniques need to brought to modern trail standards. I am starting to wonder if giving them money will really do any good for the trail. I'm sure I'll hear about this from many people, but it needs to be said.
we took our 10AM snack break at 11:20AM today at Pleasant Pond Lean-To. Here. we met a flip flopper who started March 20th at Springer and on July 1st flipped up to Katahdin from Bear Mountain, NY and is now SOBO to Bear Mountain.He flipped up because he wanted to avoid the "cold weather" in Maine in late August. Mind boggling.
Where did the trail go next? Well straight up of course. During the ascent Time Traveler decided to make me feel like a snail and zoomed on by as if I were standing still. I was not going to stand for this, so I kicked it into high gear and followed her the whole way up the mountain. I practically passed out on the summit.
Up, down, up, up, dooowwwnnn. The trail never seemed to level out, it never does these days. The ATC seems content with sending the trail over every hill made, and I mean everything. If there's a mountain to be climbed, the Appalachian Trail will find it.
I rolled into Bald Mountain Lean-To at 4PM with full intention of walking 4.1 more miles to the next shelter. The climb up Moxie Bald Mountain was long and straight. Cookie was full speed ahead, and quickly left me in his dust. The summit was quite nice. Mountains all around and a slight breeze in my hair. I felt like I was posing for an LL Bean catalog.
By the time I rolled into Moxie Bald Lean-To I was feeling cruddy, I am starting to think I might be coming down with Giardia. Uh oh.
Monson tomorrow, sleep now. It's 7:15PM.
Good night, and good luck.
Kirby
Ga>ME 2008.
