Sunday, September 20 8:14 pm 18.7 mi
AT 2037.8 Pierce Pond Lean-to → AT 2056.5 Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Weather: Cool and clear
Trail Conditions: Relatively easy terrain, with sporadic steep descents
My Condition: Feet quite achey – deep ache. Looking forward to Shaw’s!
Hikers Met: Mighty Bones, Shugs
Ate 12-14ish pancakes this morning! Delicious patriotic pancakes with blueberries, raspberries, and apple chunks. Can’t believe I put down so many! Mighty Bones joined myself, Hummingbird, Blue, and Puddles for breakfast, along with some enormous pups. Woke up at 5 am to my alarms. Enjoyed the sunrise with a loon calling from somewhere on the nearby pond. The loon kept singing, interrupted by the “who cooks for you” of barred owls and the nearby lapping waves in the gentle early morning breeze. Crossed the Kennebec, played with a dog, and met NOBO Shug, who started back in February and has stayed out on trail since gradually making his way north.
Post Trail Analysis
Breakfast at Tom Harrison’s might’ve been the most food I put down in one sitting all meal long. I couldn’t believe the size of the plate he handed me! These were no thin, wimpy pancakes either. These were hiker-sized pancakes! It was one of the rare times I felt uncomfortably full, but they were delicious and the pain was totally worth it. We signed our lives away at the Kennebec ferry and Blue was treated to a free ride across the mighty Kennebec, as the ATC employee and I paddled her lazy butt across! The ATC employee sits here with his canoe all day every day, along with his dog and a fishing rod. This year, his job has been quite relaxing! Most years, I imagine NOBO season can be a non-stop frenzy of paddling. Mighty Bones was the third person in Puddles’s canoe, and Hummingbird got the last trip across with just the pair. Shortly after the crossing, we met Shugs and a lovely trail magician who treated us to hot chocolate and fresh fruit, while inquiring about the spiritual side of our journeys.
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