Date: 2004-08-31
From: Bald Mtn Brook Shelter

To: Piscataquis River
Miles today: 10.2

when we summited moxie bald, the last real climb of the trip besides katahdin, the fog dispersed for about 15 minutes and then rolled in again after our photo ops were finished. we moved on hoping to get to the shelter for a snack before the rain came again. we were gun shy for a reason.last night we were the recipients of maybe 2-3 inches of rain. it was insane. it never stopped for more than 15 minutes when the next barrage of thunder, lightning, and rain came rolling in. sleep was pretty thin as the aluminum roof banged out the rhythem of the falling cats and dogs. we're pretty cut off from timely information out here, but it seemed like a hurricane made it this far north. i've never seen the great lakes send this much moisture our way.the trail was a river all day. at our break in a shelter, we ate our lunch early incase we had to walk in the rain. it brightened up later to warm sunlight but our shoes were still soaked from all the water on the trail.according to some southbounders we had four streams/rivers to ford today. we didn't think of it at the time, but where did all that rain go? the first three fords weren't tough - 1-2 feet; no swift current.then came the east branch of the piscataquis river... that's where all the rain went. we didn't know how deep or swift so i said i'd be the guinea pig and try to cross it with my pack on. the object of a river ford is to wade across the river and not get your stuff wet.so i started out at the shore and took a few steps in. it got three feet deep quickly and, man, was it moving. i went out a little further. it was hard to move my feet and poles. the current was pushing against me so hard a had to remember to keep my toes pointed down when i picked up my foot, so the force of the rushing water would not push my foot behind me and throw me off balance. each step took my total concentration and strength.about midway through the channel i found it hard to get a foot hold and almost fell in. the current would have taken me for a ride. with the success of this operation in question, i reversed direction and made my way back to shore.i tried the ford again, without my pack, from a different spot in the river. this one was deeper (above my waist) and the current had much more of me to push against. no dice.flora and fauna tried another spot in the river and said there was no way they could cross. it was too deep and too strong. i agreed, since i felt it was not safe for me to cross either. we sat on the rocks getting some sun, wondering what our options were. today we wanted to get to town, monson, but that wasn't going to happen until the river drops a few feet. it's a good thing we packed an extra day of food or we'd be pretty hungry tonight and tomorrow.we found campsites just south of the river, down a side trail. i set up my camp as fauna and flora gathered fire wood - we had boots and socks to dry. flora built a great fire as fauna and i made dinner. our boots and socks were placed around the fire pit to get the most heat without melting them. we stayed up until about 8:30pm and turned in. it's going to be a cold one tonight; somewhere in the 40's. we are hoping the river will drop one foot tonight so we can cross it in the morning. imagine that, wading through water with the air temperature in the 40s-50s. oh, joy!