Date: 2008-07-10
From: pierce pond lean-to

To: bald mountain brook lean-to
Miles today: 18.7

Slept in today, or at least tried too. The bugs came pouring into the shelter early. Had to get under my winter weight sleeping bag for cover which caused me to sweat profusely. Can't sleep like that.Waited sleeplessly for a couple hours and got up and headed up the trail where we would have breakfast.We tried to take the AT there, but we came to a natural rock dam with some slanted planks on it to serve as a bridge. The planks were well below the surface of the torrent raging over the dam. We didn't want to die, so we went with Plan B. Took a blue blaze to Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp. Got there a little early so we hung out on the porch and watched the hummingbirds eat and fight.The call for breakfast came, and we were seated. We all got the lumberjack breakfast. 12 pancakes, sausage and eggs. Sounded like a winner. Tea and juice too.The pancakes were fabulous. Buckwheat flour, apples, cinnamon, mixed berries, and there was probably some other kinds of goodness mixed in there too. The plate was mounded high, but we had no problem killing it. Probably could have eaten a second plate. Had a lot of sweetened tea.My heels were really bothering me. I tore them up yesterday probably with all the water. I lost some skin on them and basically had open sores. It sucks. They hurt a lot and rub on my shoes with every step. Just have to deal with it.Tried to make a bandage and tape them up, but didn't think it would hold too long. It didn't. Came loose in a few minutes. Didn't help with the pain anyways.We dawdled longer than we should have at the breakfast place. Left at 9:30 to basically start our day. We had to make the next three miles in an hour or so to make the ferry. Luckily we made it in time.The Kennebec River is dammed up above where we cross so the water level can change rapidly without warning. It is also swift and deep, and people have died trying to ford it. There is a canoe ferry to take you across, you just have to hit it at the right time. We made the ferry and were taken across. Glad we didn't have to ford, but would have been interesting to try if we could so safely.On up a long drawn out climb. Came to a shelter after a couple hours and had lunch. Pushed on and came to one of the few mountains in this area. Steep climb up, and excessively drawn out and bumpy down. Went slow the whole time which put us behind our schedule to make our goal for the day.Got to the bottom and came to a lake. We had to ford the stream feeding the lake, which was fairly broad, deep, and swift. The first ford in Maine which we undid our hipbelts incase we had to bail. No chance of rock hopping it.The ford went well, got up to my knees. In a way, getting your feet wet makes the next bit of trail easier. You don't try to avoid the puddles since its pointless.Easy few miles to the next shelter. We went in and found it surprisingly empty. We hadn't planned on staying here but it was nice and it was already 6, so we called it for the day. It will just add four miles and a climb to our day into town tomorrow.TB's camera won't turn on today. Must have gotten wet in the rain yesterday. Mine is being really funny. First it worked fine except the buttons were slow to react and it would zoom all the way in after you turned it on. Then I fell on it and it wouldn't turn on at all. Then I dried it some more and took out the memory card and it turned on but the screen was mostly white. That's how it is now. Can take pictures but don't know if they're any good. Stovie has the only working camera left. Hopefully his holds up. That storm yesterday claimed two cameras.