AT - Year 15 Section - East Flagstaff Road to ME Hwy 15 - Monson - 57 miles
Ginny and I made the three day trip to Guilford, ME, where we had arranged for an Air B&B. We had a problem accessing the house, as apparently we were given the wrong code. We tried calling the property manager without success, so we went to dinner at the Red Maple Inn in town, hoping for a contact. We decided we needed to get lodging somewhere, and ended up in a very nice B&B the first night before finally moving to the regular lodging. I delayed a day getting started because of bad weather. It was rainy, cold, and windy. I was also advised that snow was in the forecast in higher elevations, and it may not be safest since I was not completely equipped for wintery weather.. The weather going forward looked to be significantly better.
Day 1 -May 24th - East Flagstaff Road to West Carry Pond Lean-to - 6 miles
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| At the Trailhead on East Flagstaff Rd. |
I got up early, repacked my pack and got some extra clothes. It was nice to see the sun briefly appear, but it was mostly cloudy. We went for a GREAT breakfast at Spencer's bakery in town. Ginny had her GPS set for East Flagstaff Road, but we did not know the precise location of the trailhead. I knew it was near East Flagstaff pond. We traveled the route eventually down unpaved roads. When we stopped to check, I recognized the exact spot where I had sat awaiting pick-up last year. We arrived at the parking area around 10:45, check the map, took some pics and said farewells. I used the privy, but was confused as to the direction of the trail. After several unsuccessful attempts to find it, I asked a couple of kayakers who pulled into the parking lot. We were able to see that the trail entered the woods 50 yards up the road or so.
I was gratified to be back hiking the AT north. The trail mostly followed the contours of the lake for the first part of the day. I was glad to see that most streams were bridged initiall. I knew that unbridged stream crossings were ahead of me. I was carry a guide on how best to do these, but I was still nervous. This came soon enough as I had to ford Jerome Brook. It was wet feet and socks for a time after that.
There were several boggy and rocky sections, which is the norm throughout Maine. This slowed my progress. I also was pausing every two miles or so to snack and hydrate, along with a longer lunch break. I encountered a group that appeared to be a work crew of some sort. they were carrying buckets and shovels. I didn't remember to ask what they were involved with.
Just as I was about dried out from the first ford, I fell crossing a small creek and was wet once again. I arrived at the shelter a little after 3. There was no one else around, and I immediately changed into some dry clothes. There was a patch of snow on the ground not far away reminding me of where I was. All in all, this had been a decent first day back on the trail.
Day 2 - West Carry Pond Lean-to to Pierce Pond Lean-to- 10 miles
Today was mostly flat hiking, but several forded stream crossings - so boots and feet wet. (Note to self and future hikers: I recommend carrying a pair of water shoes on the side of your pack to use in stream crossings) Since I didn't have water shoes, I took the socks and insoles out of my boots - of course the boots were still soaked, but at least it was something.
Again, there were many low boggy areas beside the long traverse by East Carry Pond. There were a few long, harrowing narrow board walks - thank God for trekking poles as I am discovering that my balance is not what it used to be.
The weather was dry, and I stopped every two hours for snacks, hydration, and lunch. I arrived at the shelter before 3 p.m. and met Tony on the way down. He and his dad - '59 Olds' - were section hiking along with a friend, Jordan. They were staying in the shelter, so I found a nice site to the right of the shelter near the pond.
The trio at the shelter were building a campfire, so after getting cleaned up, I went down to visit, fix dinner, and dry my socks off by the fire. They were SOBO's, who had started their section hike in Monson, my goal in a few days. '59 Olds', like me, was working on completing his final section of the entire trail, but was having problems with one of his knees. His son, Tony, was a graduate of the Citadel, serving in the National Guard corps of engineers. We had an interesting conversation as we witnessed a beautiful sunset over the pond by the shelter. They also warned me about a river crossing a short distance up the trail. This would be more challenging than the ones already encountered.
Day 3 - Pierce Pond Lean-to to Pleasant Pond Lean-to - 9.7 miles
This was an interesting and eventful day of hiking. I would need to arrive at the Kennebec River between 9 and 11 a.m. to take advantage of the free ferry service. The weather was nice and sunny for a change. It started off with a soaking in Pierce Pond Stream. It was probably a good twenty-five or thirty yards across, and at least mid-thigh in depth. I decided to take off my socks and insoles and cross in my boots. I had been warned to avoid stepping on flat rocks, as they were deceptively slippery. I carefully started across facing upstream, and using the trekking poles for balance. I tried to avoid deeper sections, but unfortunately lost my balance and fell backwards about ten yards from the opposite shore.
I quickly uprighted myself and made it across. My pack had stayed relatively dry. I was grateful for the waterproofing I had done prior to leaving Waynesville. My jacket was soaked, and my camera, which was in my pocket wrapped in plastic, had ceased working. I put the pack cover on, and wrapped my jacket around the outside of my pack. I took the battery and card out of the camera, and put them in a baggy wrapped in a towel hoping it might recover. To make a long story short, the camera never recovered. I lost the card, hence no pics for this part of the hike. :-(
It was mostly up and down for the first part of the day over rocks and roots. There was one very primitive foot bridge constructed of three longs over a stream. The trail parallels a stream for some ways, which was nice. I lost track of the trail twice and had to backtrack to find it, which is something I am accustomed to doing.
It was a steep descent to the Kennebec river, where I arrived around 9:45. I wasn't sure where the ferryman was. I knew that I ws supposed to wave to someone, so I waved to signal what I thought was a canoe across the river downstream.
Day 4 - Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Bald Mt. Brook Lean-To- 9 miles
Day 5 - Bald Mt. Brook Lean-to to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to - 13 miles
Day 6 - Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to to ME Hwy 15-Monson - 9 miles
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