Date: 2007-09-24
From: Crawford Pond Campsite

To: White House Landing Wilderness Camp
Miles today: 16.1

The wind finally subsided in the early morning hours. I was woken up several times by loons calling from the lake. What a wonderful wild sound! It is a sound we just don't hear in the Rocky Mountain west and a sound I never tire of hearing. It is truly a sound of northeast wild waters and Maine has lots of them.I packed up camp and was on the trail by 7.45 AM. It was cool (45) and clear but looked to be a fairly warm fall day. By the time I reached the Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to about 2 miles away the wind had picked up again and was cool and gusty, just like yesterday. It took me less than an hour to reach the lean-to from my campsite so I probably could have made it before dark last night. However, I was glad I had stayed at the campsite because I got to listen to the loons in the early morning hours. The next 4 miles to the Jo-Mary Road were on gentle trails and level terrain so I made good time. The trail followed Cooper Brook downstream, sometimes close to the water and most of the time well above it but close enough to hear. The red and silver maples along the creek are beginning to turn red and orange and the ash are beginning to turn gold. The only real fll colors in the forest appear to be here along the river corridors. Generally, the forest canopy above the trail remains green.I continued another 4 miles to the Antlers Campsite along the shore of Lower Jo-Mary Lake before stopping for lunch. It was turning out to be another fine fall day and the beach I was sitting on was well protected from the gusty cool wind. Strangely, I had intermittent cell service and I was able to talk to Brenda for a while before loosing the signal. It was odd having no cell service on most mt peaks with great views for dozens of miles in all directions, then having service here on the shore of a flat lake in the middle of the Maine woods far from the nearest town.After lunch I hustled on over Potaywadjo Ridge to the lean-to at Potaywadjo spring. I stopped there for water and to sign the register. The spring was a sandy-bottomed pool about 15' across and 1' deep just gushing water. As I was getting water up walked Circuit Rider and Sherlock. I had not seen them since Hanover, NH. They had taken some time off for Sherlock to get some paperwork in order for his U.S. Residency and were just now catching up with me again. They highly recommended stopping at White House Landing for the evening so I decided to do that and the timing looked like it would work out well. I ws able to just barely keep up with them on the flat trail sections and we had a good time catching up on things since we'd seen each other. We stopped briefly at a viewpoint along the shore of Pemadumcook Lake where there was a wonderful view of Mt Katahdin across the lake. It was quite a sight! They have climbed Katahdin several times before so were able to point out some of the prominent landmarks.I hustled on the remaining 3 miles to the turn off for White House Landing to make their boat dock before the sun set. You walk about a mile off the AT on a blue blazed side trail south along the shore of the lake to their boat dock where you blow an air horn and they come across the lake in heir boat to pick you up. It is a cluster of nice looking wood buildings on the site of an old logging camp looking down the long expanse of Pemadumcook Lake. While waiting for the boat I heard a bald eagle calling from further up the inlet. There ws some sort of insect hatch going on and trout were jumping all around going after surfacing bugs.Billicked me up and brought me across the lake to the camp. Linda was in the kitchen and since I was their only guest we had a great chat while she fixed me one her famous 1 lb cheeseburgers. After dinner I was able to take a shower and lay out my gear in the otherwise empty bunkhouse. Just after dark loons began calling and carried on for some time. It was wonderful. Maine has been tough on me but it is without doubt my favorite state!