Date: 2018-08-24
From: Safford Notch

To: East Carry Pond
Miles today: 16.4

(No Worries! I¢m still going strong in Maine!)I woke up without an alarm while the student leader group camped in front of my tent platform continued to sleep. I ate breakfast, packed up, and left my campsite at 7:00am. I saw Twister and Chad The Dad my way out and asked what time Puddles left. They advised she was about 10 minutes ahead of me. Today was a big day. In 4.9 miles we would get to Little Bigelow Lean To which marks the end of the most difficult 227 miles of the trail. We would also pass the 1,000 mile mark today. The sun was a hazy pastel orange-yellow color as I walked the side trail back to the main trail. There was a large boulder over the side trail, forming a small cave of sorts. It reminded me of Hocking Hills in Ohio, on a smaller scale.There were some steep climbs and descents, as I summited Little Bigelow Mountain. I caught up with Puddles and captured her on video as she navigated a steep boulder and gave thanks to her boots for hanging on, after hanging in the balance of being able to continue up the rock, or slipping down. She also decided that was a location that needed a rope to assist with climb. I stopped briefly for a couple of views. Puddles and I looked back on the peaks we crossed yesterday in amazement. It¢s always good to looks back and see the accomplishment, something I¢ve tried to do throughout this journey. I stopped to take some photos along the way and Puddles got ahead of me. I also took time to partake in the delicious wild blueberries that have covered the mountain tops for the past couple of weeks. Today¢s blueberries were sweeter than yesterday¢s, and much more plentiful. It¢s a trail magic treat, given by the trail, and a great change of pace to the packaged snacks I carry.I arrived at Little Bigelow Lean To well ahead of my estimated arrival time. Puddles was there and agreed we were making good time. I pulled out some celebratory toffee I had been saving to mark the end of the 227 hardest miles and shared it with Puddles. The toffee was a surprise in my last resupply box from Tressa. She always puts a special treat in every box!When I went back down the side trail from the lean to, I turned right instead of left and added a couple of tenths to my day. At some point during the morning, Puddles mentioned possibly going further than we had planned and camping at East Carry Pond. It would also put us in position to be able to get to the Kennebec River Ferry during the hours of operation, which is 9am-2pm. We were both game and it became our new goal for the day. At Flagstaff road, I was making a beeline down the road to the trailhead. As I passed the parking lot, I noticed a canopy and saw several hikers including Puddles and Twister. Trail Magic! I immediately spun to my left with military precision that any drill sergeant would approve of, and headed straight to the canopy. One of the NOBOS parents is providing support to her, also provided trail magic. I selected a cold sprite and a bag of french onion chips. Further up the trail, there was additional trail magic along the shore of Flagstaff Lake, root beer and orange soda. I took an orange soda and downed it in about 90 seconds and continued on.I caught up with Puddles and determined the 1,000 mile mark. We designed our 1,000 mile marker out of sticks and leaves. We also added a curved stick with arrows on each end and two letter F¢s to indicate our ¢flip flop¢ hike. We took photos and Puddles recorded a video of her singing to Brian and toasting with a root beer she had carried from Flagstaff Lake. We headed to West Carry Pond Lean To to take one last break before getting to camp.Although we were done with the hardest part of the trail, it wasn¢t a cake walk. Puddles had read a comment posted by a hiker in Guthook that the trail was ¢heaven¢ between Flagstaff Rd and the Kennebec River. It was anything but. Although we were out of very steep and sometimes dangerous climbs and descents, we were now contending with rocks, roots, and mud. Sometimes it¢s hard not to get mad at the trail. It¢s not the trail¢s fault. I am its¢ guest for a short amount of time, and I accepted the challenges once I took my first step. Despite the challenges, ¢the trail provides¢ as the saying goes out here, and it does. As I hiked closer to East Carry Pond, I could hear loons in the distance. I arrived at East Carry Pond Beach and hiked a little further and found Twister and Chad the Dad at a stealth site. Puddles showed up a couple minutes later and we decided to camp with Twister and Chad the Dad. Before I got camp established, I went for a swim at the beach before I cooled down. It felt great to dive in the cool water and wash down. The water was clear and I could see leeches, so I kept moving the entire time so they wouldn¢t attach to me. I set up camp, and ate dinner. Along with occasional loon calls, we were treated to a beautiful orange moon over the pond before going to bed.