This morning I got up at Shaws for the final time! It’s really going to be sad to leave. But I know that it’s time to continue south and finish the Appalachian Trail. I began packing my things and then headed over to breakfast with everyone. And after I ate, I went back to the gear shop to grab a couple last things and settle on my tab.
Then I said a sad goodbye to everybody and got the whole gang to sign my backpack. I’m using a white Palante desert pack this year, and anyone that I spend a substantial amount of time with has been signing it. So as you can imagine, not that many people have signed it. The whole gang down in Florida did, and then a couple hikers and Trail Angels along the way. It’s been a while since the last signatures were put on.
After I said goodbye, I got into the truck and Cooper drove me back to the trailhead. The unfortunate thing was that the road conditions where I had originally gotten dropped off were really bad. Poet had actually messed up his four-wheel-drive on his truck because of something that happened on the road. I think on his way back out he hit a rock and bounced and maybe had some kind of a bolt or something come out of the shift for the four-wheel-drive. So there’s a good chance this morning that I have to get dropped off further away from the trail. Then we’ll have to walk an extra 3–4 miles down the road to get back to the actual trailhead. But that’s not the end of the world and I completely understand. Though I was joking with everyone that the road was going to have been cleared and it wouldn’t be an issue.
The good ole Appalachian trail.
There had been a truck stuck there on the road and I figured if the owner came to get it out, they would’ve had to do a bit of maintenance on the road in the process. And by God, I was right. When we got down to the spot where the truck had been stuck, the truck was gone. And while the road was still pretty washed out, it was majorly improved on since we had been there last. It was actually a much easier drive than it was previously. So Cooper had no issue getting me all the way down the road. Which was absolutely amazing! And meant that I likely saved anywhere from an hour to two hours of additional hiking. My goal for the day is to possibly cross the Kennebec river and get to Harrison Pierce Pond Fish Camp.
Today the weather was hot, but otherwise perfect.
Doing so would require getting an after hours shuttle across the Kennebec. But a local woman named Cheryl apparently does those. It would just be hard to coordinate because I can’t imagine I’ll have a ton of service today. Worst case scenario, if I’m not able to cross the river tonight, I can stay at the Sterling Inn. Which is a really nice hostel just prior to the river crossing when you’re going southbound. If I could cross the river tonight, I could stay at Harrison Pierce Pond Fish camp. Where are super kind couple named Miranda and Steve actually left me a resupply box.
Yesterday when I was hanging out around the hostel, Miranda and Steve came in to grab some gear. So I actually got to meet them in person which was so amazing. We were corresponding on an off a while back. They left resupply goodies for me at the fish camp with Tim. But they did that prior to my injury. So it’s been sitting there for a long time and Tim was starting to wonder if I was ever going to come. Things just wound up working out differently than I had originally expected. But Miranda and Steve had said that if I arrived at the fish camp in the evening, they would pay for me to stay the night.
The camp apparently has a bunch of small cabins and is a very unique place off the grid. Plus, I’ve heard that Tim does one of the most incredible breakfast on the trail. It’s tough to say how the day will play out, but it’s at least possible that I’ll make it there. It would be about 21 miles to get to the Sterling Inn and Kennebec River. Then it would be a few more miles past there to get to the fish camp.
When I got dropped off at the road, I began going south. My body was tight and I was moving a little bit slow. But I did loosen up pretty quickly. And the train for the first hour or so it was nice and easy. Then eventually I had to start my first climb of the day up toward Moxie bold. I’ve really been enjoying the climbs here in Maine. They’re pretty rugged and steep, but the views are unmatched. When the weather is good, I really don’t mind these big climbs whatsoever. And surprisingly today the bugs were present, but they were pretty manageable as well. It wasn’t swarms of mosquitoes or flies by any means.
Views of a beautiful lake off in the distance.
The views were amazing on top of the bald. And while I was up there, I tried to call Cheryl about the evening ride across the Kennebec river. But she didn’t answer so I attempted to send a text message. And then I gave a call to Tim, just to let him know that I’d definitely be there by tomorrow morning at the latest. And best case scenario, I would be there by tonight.
The descent off the bald was pretty steep. Lately the downhill sections of trail have definitely been the hardest for me. They’re just pretty technical and slow going. But that’s ok! When I got down off the mountain, the trail leveled out for a while. And I knew eventually, I would be coming to a potentially high river crossing. This was the one that I have been worried about the other day.
In 2023 I was able to rock hop across this river. But the other day when I was considering leaving, Poet had told me that I should probably try to road walk around in the river. Today though I just decided to stay on the trail and hope for the best. And when I did finally come to the river, I found it to be pretty high but not fast moving. That’s the best case scenario for a high water level. The only time that river crossings tend to be dangerous is when the water level is both high and fast moving.
First views of the river I had to ford.
I was able to get across with only getting my shorts wet a little bit. Which just goes to show how high the water was. My legs are pretty long and my shorts are pretty short. So it was crazy to think that the water level was up that high. And I was navigating through the water methodically to avoid deep portions between rocks. Even still, the river was quite deep. I imagine it would’ve been well past to my stomach yesterday. And probably chest deeper higher the day before. At least it likely would’ve still been slow moving, but who in their right mind wants to get everything they own soaking wet fording a river?
This river was pretty damn deep, but definitely not dangerous.
The great thing was that after I crossed that river, I knew I had no more to go by for the day. That was a huge relief. There have been a couple other ones on my radar, but all of them were back down to a low enough level, where you could rock hop across. And from there the rest of my day looks pretty nice and easy. I had another small climb to do, but nothing too crazy.
By the afternoon it was definitely looking like I would be getting to the Kennebec River by 6 PM. Which gave me a fairly good chance of getting across tonight. The ferry for AT thru hikers only runs between 9 and 11 AM, which is a really tight time window. But if you’re willing to pay, private parties will take hikers across the river, practically any time of day. So long as the dam hasn’t been opened, and the conditions aren’t legitimately dangerous. But being able to get across tonight would mean getting additional miles in tonight, and getting a much earlier start tomorrow.
A mossy, lush, section of the trail.
That would be the worst thing about having to stay at the Sterling Inn tonight. I would go less far and then wouldn’t be able to cross the river in the morning until 9 AM. Which would leave me sitting around for a while and wasting a lot of time. Plus tomorrow it’s supposed to be around 90°. So it’s definitely not an ideal time to have a late start to the day.
I was feeling really good for the rest of the day and the time went by quickly. I listened to an audiobook and just got into the zone. And I was shocked how well the time passed by. My pace is still significantly slower than usual. But for the first time in a while, my slow pace has nothing to do with my prior injury. Now my pace is at the whim of the state of Maine. You can just only go so fast out here. Sometimes the trail conditions are fairly nice and easy. Other times the trail is covered in roots, rocks, and loads of mud. Not to mention the many sections with technical climbs, which required using your hands to go up and down. So my typical 3 mph pace is often times slow down to 2 mph or less. If the terrain is really technical, it’s hard to even achieve 2 mph.
Wide open views and blue skies.
The last handful of miles of the day held very little elevation gain. And the trail was probably the cruisiest that it had been all day. So I could just focus on walking and get into the zone. I wound up getting out toward the road right around 6 PM. I hadn’t been able to get in touch with Cheryl or the people at the Sterling Inn. And when I got out to the road, I didn’t have any service. I didn’t really know what else to do besides try to hitch a ride down the street. And within two minutes of standing on the curb a car pulled over.
Bleach white lady slippers.
The two guys inside were former thru hikers and were very eager to pick me up and take me to the Sterling Inn. Apparently they were also planning on staying there for the night. In all of the commotion I cannot for the life of me remember their names. Even though our encounter was incredibly memorable. My mind has just been so bad with names recently! The guys drove me down the street to the hostel which was incredibly kind of them. Once I arrived at the sterling inn the man inside was very helpful as well.
Cheryl as she headed back across the river.
Originally, I asked if I could possibly spend the night. But I did mention that I attempted to contact Cheryl about getting across the river. So this man called Cheryl up immediately and asked her if she was around. And she said she could take me across the river at any time. I was not expecting that! But I couldn’t say no to the perfect opportunity. Even though the idea of taking a hot shower and relaxing at the inn sounded great, I had to do the most strategic option.
The two guys who had picked me up offered to drive me back down the road so I can head over to the ferry. And Cheryl wound up being such a delightful lady. For $50 she’ll take hikers across the river basically anytime of day if she’s around. And she was really good at getting the canoe across the water. She made it look so easy. When we got to the other side, I paid her and I headed on my way. And the guys that had driven me over had actually been watching the canoe ride from the shore.
Before she had taken me across the river, Cheryl had actually called Tim as well. Just to let him know that I was on my way. It seems like you can arrive at any time and you don’t need to call in advance. But I’m just the type of person that doesn’t like to show up anywhere by surprise. And once I was on the other side of the river heading south again I only had a little over 3 miles to get to the turn off for the Harrison Pierce Pond Fish Camp.
Making my way to Harrison Pierce Pond Fish Camp.
It was just about 7 PM by the time I’d gotten across on the water. So I knew that I would definitely be getting to the camp before dark. When I was continuing along the trail, I was baffled by how well things had turned out. I can’t believe that I managed to actually get across the water tonight. This had been my plan a, but that didn’t mean that I thought it was going to work out. And I’m very excited that I’m able to stay at the fish camp with Tim. And also get my resupply box tonight that Miranda and Steve had left for me.
Getting to the fish camp tonight also just makes my entire schedule for the next couple days a whole lot easier. I’m planning on getting into Rangeley on Thursday night. And the incredible Trail Angel, Mike, who supported me when I was at Shaws has offered to pick me up and host me. So by getting a few more miles out of the way today I’ll be able to get into town in a more reasonable hour on Thursday.
The terrain getting to the fish camp was nice and easy and I actually made very good time. I’ve definitely been cherishing any miles here in Maine that aren’t incredibly slow going. I know that they’re few and far between. And the next few days are going to be much different than that. When I got to the fish camp, I could hear Tim playing the piano inside.
Crossing the bridge over to the fish camp.
I was greeted by him and his adorable black poodle named Charlie. Charlie was the tiniest softest little baby. He was so friendly and immediately brought me the big stuffed raccoon that he was running around with his mouth. Obviously, not a real raccoon. Tim was one of the nicest people that I’ve ever met. He talked to me for a long time and showed me around the very unique property. There’s one large main building, and the electricity runs on a generator. Tim apparently does a five course homemade dinner and a huge breakfast. Then there’s also a large lounge area for people to relax. And a bunch of cabins in the surrounding area for lodging.
A present left for me at the fish camp!
A couple named Miranda and Steve had left me a box with a bunch of dehydrated dinners and tons of snacks. Which was such an amazing surprise. Tim boiled me some water so I could eat one of the meals for dinner. I had arrived very late and he wasn’t expecting anyone, so understandably I wouldn’t be able to eat dinner. Plus, I was actually the only guest there. Which was very cool.
As I ate my dinner, Tim and I stayed up for hours talking. He’s operated the fish camp for 40 years and had so many stories to tell. It seems like a very unique and beautiful life out there in the woods. The camp was so rustic and definitely a place you have to stop by along Appalachian Trail thru hike.
So many amazing goodies left for me by Miranda and Steve.
After dinner, Tim showed me to a cabin where I could stay for the night. Miranda and Steve are actually longtime friends of Tim’s. Tim’s known Steve since she was 15 years old. Which is crazy! And they had told Tim that they would cover me to spend the night or eat breakfast, whatever I wanted. That was so unbelievably nice of them.
Home sweet home for the night.
This spot would be so cool to stay at in the winter. I’ll have to come back some day.
The cabins don’t have any electricity, but that’s ok! That’s what I have a headlamp for. It was just so nice not to have to set up a tent for the night and to be able to sleep on an actual mattress. It was so hot that I didn’t even pull out my quilt. I just slept out in the open. I was quite exhausted too by the time that I finally laid down. I’d stayed up for hours talking with Tim so it was pretty late by the time I finally called the night. And even though I had a bunch of writing and video work to get done, I wound up not doing any of it. I just got situated and called it a night.
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