On August 5

From Maine Highway 201 to West Carry Pond Lean-To
Miles Hiked: 14.0
Hours Hiked: 9

The Kennebec River Crossing

A waterfall I hiked off a side trail to find.

Pierce Pond where Parkside drowned earlier this year.

The trail crossing a bog.

Kicked Back, Relaxing.  Who, me?

Turns out I hike faster when I'm coming out of town and have slept in a real bed and been able to shower, its great.  I was dropped off near to the Kennebec River crossing.  This is the only place on the Appalachian Trail that you can't hike, rock-hop or swim.  It is a very large river with hydraulic somethings upstream that can change the level of the water by feet at a time with no notice, so it is a dangerous current.  There is a man with a canoe who is contracted by the Appalachian Trail Club to provide free ferry service across the river four hours every day between May and October.  They say that there is a white blaze on the bottom of the canoe, making it the official Trail.  The day before I used the ferry he had set a record of ferrying 61 people in those four hours.

For miles before and after the ferry crossing there are signs warning you to time your arrival at the river during open ferry hours, and each sign announces that a 60-ish year old woman drowned at the river in 1985 because she tried to swim across.  Shortly after I ferried across the Kennebec River I reached the Pierce Pond Lean-To, it is a beautiful site.  Earlier this summer a 20 year old through-hiker drowned there when he went for a swim after hiking 20 miles that day, he had already hiked 2,000 miles.  There is a large picture of him and a place to write condolences, it is quite sobering.  It was a heavy day to think about all of the chance in life and death.  And to realize, again, how privileged I am to have such a wonderful support team surrounding me, and the fortune of good health.  I am grateful.

At West Carry Pond Lean-To there were four tents around with 9 grade-11 boys, mostly from Canada, on an 8 day camping trip.  There were two adult counselors with them.  They are in a month-long French language immersion camp.  Inside the shelter with me there were six men.  Two were hiking south, like me, and four were hiking north.  So, I was at the shelter with 17 men tonight.  It was a little crowded, but it was o.k.  Three of the north-bound hikers came to the shelter around dark and were cooking in the dark, one of them accidentally used his grape gateraide to make his beef Ramen noodles.  He didn't enjoy it much, but he had to eat it because he needed the calories.  Oh, the hiker life.  It rained most of the night.