8/30/01
The map profile showed relatively flat terrain for today's hiking, so I was excited about the prospect of giving my knees a break for a change. Gobblin, The Dude, and Newton were on a mission to do big miles and left the shelter before I even got up this morning. Priceless decided to hang back with us with a shorter day planned and a previously unscheduled stay in Caratunk ME for the night now on our minds. From the West Carry Pond lean-to, we hiked through beautiful Maine woods to Pierce Pond where we ate lunch. In the ten mile stretch this morning, we passed a freshman orientation college group from Colby College, who we stopped to talk to while they were taking a snack break. They were happy to get rid of some extra weight and shared some of their food with us, so lunch at Pierce Pond was a feast. We lounged at the pond's edge next to the shelter after lunch until 2 p.m. From there we had 4.4 miles to the Kennebec River and we had to be there no later than 4:30 p.m. to catch the canoe ferry across the river. The Kennebec is a dangerous river to attempt fording because of its unpredictable water level. A dam upstream releases water periodically, which can cause the water level to rise dramatically and suddenly. I hustled down the trail, which on the profile showed as all downhill. In reality, the trail was a series of ups and downs along the river, which made getting into a rhythm difficult and slowed progress along the way. Nevertheless, I made it to the banks of the Kennebec by 4:00 p.m., just in time to watch Steve Longley, the ferryman, load Finn and Priceless into the canoe and push off from shore. The current was swift and the water high as Steve and Priceless paddled their way to the AT on the other side. Soon Steve, son of the former governor of Maine, was back to pick me up. We chatted for a few minutes while waiting to see if Phantom was going to show up. Instead, Medagator popped out of the woods, so the three of us headed across the river to the other side. I was happy to ride across as the water was eight feet deep and attempting to swim across with a full pack would certainly be suicidal.
Steve was genuinely pleasant to talk to and all of us decided that we wanted to stay at his hostel, called Rivers and Trails Hostel, instead of the Caratunk House. Steve went back across the river for Phantom and brought him across, then joined us along the far bank as we chilled out and enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine. Just before the 5 p.m. cutoff on the ferry, three people appeared at the other side of the river looking for a ride across. In the bright sunshine we couldn't recognize two of the hikers, but we knew from his voice that Redneck had caught up to us. As Steve guided the canoe toward us with two occupants inside, I was amazed and thrilled to see my old friend Yolo coming across the mighty Kennebec River. We last saw each other in Waynesboro, VA, many hiking miles and months ago, so we were elated to see each other and gave each other a big hug like long lost brothers upon his arrival on shore. The third person was a friend of Yolo's that he had been hiking with, so we met Smoky from Chicago as all of us hiked up to the road to be picked up by Steve. Soon we were all in the pickup truck, arriving at Steve's Rivers and Trails Hostel. He had cabins for four, so Priceless, Phantom, Finn and I shared a cabin, while Redneck joined Yolo, Smoky, and another hiker in the cabin next door. After showering and snacking at Steve's trail store, his wife shuttled us down the highway a mile to the Northern Outdoors Restaurant and Microbrewery so we could eat a good dinner. We split into two groups to avoid the automatic tipping charge for groups of eight or more and enjoyed some good food (service was lousy but food was good). After dinner I made a phone call home to my bride, then Yolo and I walked together back to the cabins. I attempted journaling for a while, despite interruptions from my counterparts as we talked trail talk before getting some great sleep in our little cabin. It was a good trail day with perfect fall weather and it was especially wonderful to see Yolo again, after so much time. Today's stats; low 45, high 70. Sunny. Today's mileage; 14.0; cumulative mileage: 2,016.9.
