Appalachian Trail Adventure Day 3 (6/19/21)

Caratunk to West Carry Pond Lean To
14.0 Miles

Last night I stayed at the Sterling Inn. The bed was solid as a rock, but I still slept well, which is probably a testament to how tired I was. I did have a weird dream, though. In the dream, I was playing pub trivia, but the questions were almost impossible, and I was frustrated. I have no idea where the dream came from.

I also noticed that dehydration is becoming an issue on this hike. Normally that’s only a problem on hikes out west in the deserts of California or New Mexico or places like that, but most of the water sources are dry, and it’s leading to me having to ration water more than I would prefer to, and that’s leading to dehydration. I drank a bunch of water in Caratunk to help compensate, but I think I am going to have to try to camel up more often at water sources, especially in the afternoon when it gets hot. Hiking, like all things in life, is largely trial and error.

I was sitting in the dining room of the Sterling Inn this morning after finishing my breakfast when I got a pleasant surprise. In walked Bear, who I had first met at Shaw’s. He had done two 18 mile days to make it to Caratunk just a few hours after me, but we hadn’t met up the previous evening. He did sadly inform me that Gump had gotten an injury and had to turn back. I enjoyed chatting with Bear, and as the day went on it became obvious that we would be seeing each other again.

The only unfortunate aspect of seeing Bear was that he wasn’t going to leave the Inn until 9:30. I was willing to coordinate times with him because I didn’t want to make the Inn owner do two separate shuttle runs for us, but I knew it would blow my schedule for the day. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because I enjoyed the easier day not having to make twenty miles.

The first major highlight of the day was the Kennebec River. This is the only river on the entire AT that is impossible to cross by rock hopping or fording, yet does not have a bridge. Instead, there is a free ferry where a guy with a canoe will take you across. Bear and I piled into the canoe, and Bear helped him paddle. Once we got to the other side, we had to switch back out of our water crossing shoes and into our hiking shoes (I was seriously tempted to write “switch out of these ladies’ clothes and into our tights”… kudos if you get the reference).

I got changed faster, so I got on trail before Bear. I was waylaid, however, by a cool challenge that I couldn’t pass up. There was a waterfall, but to see it you had to scale down a steep group of rocks using a rope tied to a tree. Challenge accepted. The waterfall was awesome, but scaling the rocks using the rope was the more fun part.

The hiking was a little rough early on. It was humid after rain that morning, and the rocks and roots were plentiful on the trail. Oh, and in case anyone is keeping score at home, I have now had four bugs fly into my mouth so far this trip, and I am only three days in.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but Bear passed me while I was at the rope climb waterfall. He later told me that he was sorry to have missed it. I caught up to him at a really unique log bridge. Someone had laid a log across a ravine as a bridge, with two other logs for handholds. After the morning rain, it was quite slick, and honestly one of the more treacherous bridges I have seen.

Bear let me pass him, but we agreed to meet for lunch at Pierce Pond Lean To. I got there first and started eating, and then Bear joined me later. It was cool getting to know him. He is from Long Island, and so he practiced for the AT by hiking in Bear Mountain State Park and Harriman State Park in New York. He seems like a really chill guy, and I hope we run into each other more going forward. 

During lunch, a butterfly landed on my pack and just stayed there, so I got my first good butterfly pictures of the trip. I left lunch first, but Bear and I agreed to meet at West Carry Pond Lean To for the evening.

Not too long after lunch, I took my first fall of the trip. I landed on my butt and didn’t get hurt, so that was good. No one was there to see it, so it wouldn’t have even been embarrassing if I wasn’t posting about it here.

After the relative loneliness of the first couple days, I am starting to see more people on trail. Part of that is probably because it’s a Saturday, so there’s a lot of day hikers and weekenders. I passed a man with a bunch of boys with him. He told me that they were from Mississippi. They might have been a family, but I think it more likely that they were a Scout Troop or something like that.

My travels eventually brought me to East Carry Pond. This was my favorite location of the entire trip so far. I walked on trails and boardwalks next to the pond, and it was beautiful, with perfect temperatures and a gentle breeze.

The best part, however, were the dragonflies. They were everywhere. I have never seen more dragonflies anywhere in my life. They swarmed around me as I hiked, and I felt like I had a protective bubble of dragonflies. This, of course, meant that there were no black flies or mosquitoes or other annoying bugs anywhere. The dragonflies had taken care of them all. As Bear later observed, those dragonflies need to branch out to other locations and make the whole wilderness a better place.

As I walked through the dragonflies area, my headphones decided to play “Fireflies” by Owl City. I found it very easy to substitute lyrics and sing about dragonflies.

Speaking of singing, after I left East Carry Pond, my headphones played the song “Summer Roads.” The song is Irish, and I believe that it was originally a Tommy Maken song, but the version I have was recorded by an artist named Danny Quinn on his album Empty Chair. As an aside, that’s a really sad name for an album. Back on topic, the song has lyrics that go, “Summer roads, by summer streams, where I left all my winter dreams, and the good times always start down summer roads.” I think the lyrics are perfect for what I am doing. I spend all winter planning and dreaming about being out here, and then when I finally am, I have to remember that even though it can be very hard at times, it’s still ultimately good times, and I shouldn’t take it for granted.

Of course, that’s not to say it’s not without its trials and tribulations. I was walking along, listening to music, minding my own business, when a gust of wind blew up. Rudely, this gust of wind dropped a stick directly on my head, which certainly stung for a moment, and made me grateful that it wasn’t a bigger stick.

As I neared the end of my day, I met Bugs. There were two interesting things about her. First, she was hiking in a dress, which is an unusual but not unheard of fashion choice. Second, she was a flip-flopper. That doesn’t mean that she has a hard time making decisions. Instead, it means that she decided to hike the trail in two pieces. She started from Harper’s Ferry going north, and then she is going to hike from Harper’s Ferry going south. Harper’s Ferry is the approximate midpoint of the AT.

At the end of the day, I came to the West Carry Pond Shelter. Apparently the two ponds are so named because Benedict Arnold used them to portage his canoes during an invasion of Quebec during the American Revolution. There was a big sign detailing the history.

Anyhow, when I got to the shelter I met Broadway, Sandsniffer, and their dog Dobby. Sandsniffer is apparently injured right now, so Broadway had to do all the water gathering for the three of them. That was not an easy task, as the water source was the pond itself, and the path to it was blocked by a massive blowdown you had to pick your way through. I helped Broadway out as best as I could by carrying some of their water back to camp for her, but I didn’t envy her position.

Apparently Broadway is a second time southbound thru hiker, while Sandsniffer and Dobby are on their first attempts. They are taking their time, which is probably smart until they get their trail legs under them. Bear eventually rolled into camp, and I felt like the camaraderie was the best that I have seen on trail so far, largely because there were no established groups, which can sometimes be a bit cliqueish.

Dinner for the night was Irish Shepherd’s Pie by Nomad Nutrition. This dinner was a winner! I have tried two Nomad Nutrition meals so far and they have both been excellent, so I am definitely a fan.

I think that brings this entry to an end. Always remember that you can’t take flight until you spread your wings.

Here are today’s flowers. They are water flowers, I think, based on where I found them. Good luck with the identifications, as I suspect these will be among the harder ones.