Date: 2018-07-06
From: East Carry Pond

To: Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 29.4
Weather: light rain

I woke up with excitement. Excitement to hit the small milestones I set for myself. Some days those milestones are more exciting than others and today's were up there on the list. The weather forecast I had been able to get from Abby when I was on the phone with her the other day (service has been pretty spotty and posting journals is not top priority--sorry) said that there would be rain beginning at 5am and lasting until about noon. Well, it was spot on. When I started tossing around 5 and looking for an alarm clock to snooze (I wake up with the birds and sun around 4:30 every morning nowadays) I began hearing small raindrops. The breeze off the water had stopped overnight and the storm was coming. That got me moving.I packed quicker and more efficiently than normal then got outside to break down my tent before it got wet. If I can avoid packing a wet tent I do! I had made it. Only a few drops to note and I didn't even get wet myself. I was extremely thankful. It's the little things for sure. My goal this morning was to be at the Kennebec river by 9 when the ferry started. That gave me just over 3 hours from my 545 start time to make it 10 miles. A challenge but doable.The terrain was forgiving. Plenty of rocks and roots still but mixed in with pine needles and dirt. I loved it. The storm did in fact move in and it came in hard. There was audible thunder but I couldn't see the lightning. It rained off and on for 30 minutes or so before dumping buckets. The humidity had stuck around though so I just covered my pack with my poncho and let myself get soaked. It actually felt really nice and I had been proactive that morning about chafing and had applied body glide liberally.I took one spill right in a nice fat puddle of mud and water but I walked it off. I was making great time and rolled up to the South bank of the Kennebec at 8:40! Hungry Cat and another hiker were here already and we chatted about the ferry service. For those that don't know, the Kennebec rivers spans 40ft or more and is the largest unbridged body of water on the AT. With a dam up stream and unscheduled releases of that dam,the ATC and AMC run a ferry service across for hikers. It runs from 9am-2pm during this peak season and is simply a guy in a canoe that brings you across. Well, we hung around until 9 before seeing a man on the other bank dragging the canoe to the water. We were happy to see this because we weren't sure if it would run with lightning in the area.Mike, the canoe guy, pulled up to our shore and had Hungry Cat and I sign waivers. The other hiker who was before me had offered to let me go before him and even after telling him to go first he insisted. So, we threw on our life jackets and jumped in with Mike in the rain to cross the river. We got to the other side and unloaded before Mike rowed back for the others. Hungry Cat and I pressed on only a 1/4 mile to US 201 and Caratunk, ME.At the road we walked not far off trail to the Caratunk Hostel. This place was great. Hungry Cat had some postal stuff to do and I was just hungry. I had been able to call last night from my tent and confirmed they sold food so I was definitely stopping. We walked in and were able to dry off a bit and eat. They specialize in BBQ pulled pork and milkshakes. Literally the two things I dream of. I ate two sandwiches, a milkshake, a Gatorade, a coffee and a cinnamon bun before also purchasing a few snacks for later and some more bug spray. Woo! I even got to wear a sweet loaner button down while hungry cat and I chatted and ate. I paid my tab then said goodbye to hungry cat who had to sort out his mail. I hoped to see him again in Monson where we both planned to stop next.Well, with 10 miles under my belt already I aimed to get 16 by noon. I set off around 10:20 from Caratunk and hit the trail hard. It was a great day to push myself as the rain had stopped (just as Abby had said it would! Thanks Abby) and the terrain continued to be nice.I plodded along as the miles passed and I had to forde Holly Brook. The river had swollen from the rain and although it may have normally been rock hoppable-- it wasn't now. I didn't bother trying to stay dry and just walked right through the water. My feet dried fairly quickly in the trail runners and it was no big deal. That's what foot powder is for later!I stopped at the shelter 20 something miles in for a snack and ran into a section hiker sleeping inside. She claimed to be cold but man I thought this was the best hiking weather. Almost like fall with a breeze. We talked and it was nice to have conversation. There's not many people around to talk to and I only see the southbounders briefly in passing. I took off after 15 minutes and made sure to keep snacking a lot today. The full meal in Caratunk pushed me far and so lunch wasn't necessary.I got up to Moxie Bald Mountain and took a break, ate a snack and called Abby with the little service I had. It was windy up here and pretty chilly! After half an hour I packed up and hiked the remaining 2 miles down to the shelter. I considered pushing a bit further to shorten tomorrow but I was beat and it was 530. I also kind of craved conversation here and so after setting up my tent, I sat at the picnic table (the first one I've seen since VT) and chatted with a group from Quebec. They were high school aged and asked me a ton of questions. My minor in French didn't help the conversation at all but luckily they knew English and it was nice chatting with them.Everyone else around camp was huddled in their sleeping bag as if it was freezing. Just a bit of wind but manageable! Once the Quebec group left for their tents I did the same and sat around writing this. Headed to Monson tomorrow for a stay in a hostel, food and the first shower in 7 days! This is 100% the worst smelling I've been and it's wonderful.P.S: I've been wearing my bug mask fairly often. However, when I hike I tend to spit and clear my sinuses via snot rockets often as anyone who has hiked with me would attest to. Well, this has been a problem because just like in jail, spit doesn't go through the bug mask. It might as well be a spit mask for inmates except I voluntarily put it on. I forget it's there sometimes and accidentally spit in it! Whoops!