Date: 2008-09-12
From: Long Falls Dam Road, ME

To: Logging Rd., ME
Miles today: 9.3

So last nite was a wash, after watching that new special on the history channel about 9/11, it was hard to go to sleep. Today was relocation day. We would normally go to Caratunk, but the access roads to the places Karen is picking me up on the way to Monson are actually closer if we stay in Bingham (about 23 minutes due south of Caratunk), so we have a room at the Bingham Motor Inn. We got up and packed this morning. Because the terrain is almost totally flat today, I¢m counting on my old 2 mph pace, so I¢m not worried about leaving later than normal.We were all packed up and ready to go by 8:45 a.m. Sue was out with hikers I think, so I was sad I couldn¢t tell her goodbye in person, but we left her a note. 45 minutes later, we were back at Long Falls Dam Road and I was off for a most lovely 9.3 mile hike today.So today was a big day because it¢s my final solo hike of my AT hike. A.M. is meeting us in Bingham today and will hike to Monson with me and Karen will be with me from Monson to Katahdin, so today was sort of a big deal to me. Essentially hiking solo since mile #500 (Damascus) really helped me develop a trust and repoir with the forest I would not have had if I¢d been hiking with other people.It was cool again and overcast. There¢s rain on the way this evening I think. First up was a 1.5 mile small climb up Roundtop Mtn. It hardly seemed like a mountain at all compared to what I¢ve just been through, so it was easy. After getting up and over this, hiking was super nice, super easy, and super enjoyable. I was just scooting along and the coolest thing about today was that I did not see one other human being all day. I was glad for that. It allowed me to have some time with the forest and to thank it for all of the protection it had provided me as I hiked alone all of these months. It was odd though, you know when you¢re in a room with someone you respect and love, and there¢s some big elephant in the room (like the other person has to move away and you¢re both totally sad about it) but nobody actually talks about it because it hurts too much? There¢s this very dense and intense silence sometimes in these situations, and that was what it was like this morning in the forest. It was almost as if the trees and rocks and mud and all of the animals that usually scurry around were telling me, ¢We¢ll still be here when you¢re ready to come back, but we¢ll miss you,¢ and I was definitely sad about the thought of leaving all of this soon. I needed to really notice the details today, because I¢ve found safety and security in these woods for so long and I felt like I needed to say thank you.I found myself at West Carry Pond around 11:00 a.m. and was starving, so I found a great rock right on this short of this (really it¢s a lake) and ate while watching the crystal clear water. Man is is beautiful in Maine. I just can¢t get over it. I finished lunch and was up trying to get a good picture and heard a bird messing around right above me. I snapped 2 really great pics of a red-billed woodpecker (I think). It was digging around in some peeled bark of a birch tree. Rare to get close up shots of birds out here, so I was pleased with this one.I moved on and for what the topos showed to be slight ups and downs, I never noticed anything, it all seemed flat. I hiked over Arnold Swamp, and of course I was looking for moose all day, but nothing again. It was sort of cool today, some swamps, some lakes, some pine forests, some leafy Georgia-like trail¢¦just a little of everything.I got to East Carry Pond and again, a beautiful beautiful pond. You hike right along the shoreline on some rocky/mud trail with green mossy swampyness on the other side of the trail. Then, there¢s this great small sandy beach. If only it were hot¢¦I would have totally stripped and taken a swim, but at this point, I was wearing my long sleeved shirt again. No hills means not much body heat for me. I sat on this board and enjoyed the view. I was hiking at about 2.2 mph, so I had plenty of time to meet Karen, who would be at the logging road by 2:30 p.m.I saw so many great places to hang today too, so if this hike today was at all indicative of what Karen and I will see in the 100 mile wilderness, then I just can¢t wait for her to see it. Today has been amazing.I only had about 1.5 miles left to the road, so I left my sandy beach. Getting past the end of this pond was a bit nerve racking. There¢s boards laid across big rocks, but you¢re hiking over the water of the lake. These boards were a little ify in my opinion. If some big guy hiked on some of them, I¢d be afraid these weathered boards might snap, so I decided to maneuver the rest of this by hopping from the rocks instead. The wind was blowing across the pond too, so one swift gust and down I would have gone off the boards.I got across and the trail led back into the woods and away from the pond. I got to the logging road at 2:19, and there was a note on a tree for me from Karen! Nobody has ever left a note for me on the trail, so this was really cool. She was parked just up the road already.I hopped in and we started the 45 minute drive to Bingham on this logging road that is also called Carrying Pond Rd. Within 15 minutes, we were at this great little side area by a river that someone had built an awesome fire ring with log seats and everything. We were going to get out, but the rain started. Whew¢¦dodged this one today.We headed out and got to the Bingham Motor Inn by 3:30 p.m. The owner of this place is a big time game hunter so in the lobby are all of these taxidermy¢d (yes I know that¢s not a word) animals like small black bear, deer, elk, zebra skin on the floor, and wild turkey to name a few. Tough to see these animals like this when I see them out in the wild alive (at least most of them¢¦ok¢¦maybe not the zebra).   It¢s a nice enough place and we got our stuff moved in. I took a shower and then guess who got here? A.M.!!!!We¢re all chilling out, watching M.A.S.H. right now, and watching the rain come down. This place gives you directions on a sheet to places to view moose, so we might go out and do that this evening. Tomorrow is another easy 8.2 mile day. We get to cross the Kennebec River in the canoe ferry. I¢m excited about that for some nerdy reason. Not sure what time we¢ll head out, but it should be a nice day.Oh, A.M. actually dropped off Uncle Tom today back at Long Falls Dam Rd. too! He¢s out to celebrate the anniversary of his summit last year and we¢re almost definitely going to run into him tomorrow. Funny huh? I¢ve not met him, so I¢m excited about meeting him.Well¢¦.159.4 miles to go folks. As Karen just said when I told her¢¦.unbelievable. I just don¢t believe it.~Certain