Date: 2005-07-15
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

21.3 miles todayLittle Bigelow Lean-to, Maine I slept ok last night, but woke up once when I heard a mouse. I stuck some old cheese out where he could get to it in hopes he would leave the rest of my stuff alone. I woke up at 5:30am and packed all my stuff and walked up to the lodge. They started serving breakfast at 6:30. I've been well fed since I got here at noon yesterday. Wasso came in while I was eating and joined me. He's from Virginia and said he's done some backpacking down that way. He was surprised how much tougher the trail is up here. I sent all my "thank you" emails out this morning to everyone who signed my guestbook. I hung around until 8:30 when Wasso and I got a ride to Caratunk. I walked down to the Kennebec River a little after 9am and got a ride in a canoe with a guy by the name of Dean across the river. I was hoping to see Steve Longley, but Dean said this was Steve's day off. There were 4 section hikers already on the north side of the river that had taken the ferry across. I saw a deer shortly after crossing the river. He didn't see me at first, but must have got a scent because he took off...and I even showered last night.  ;-))) I climbed next to a stream with lots of waterfalls and fast moving water for the first few miles of my hike this morning. I stopped at Pierce Pond Lean-to and took a break. It was still too early for lunch so I hiked on. It's less humid today and there's a nice breeze. That feels great after the humidity we had yesterday. I stopped at 1:30 for lunch. I sat on a rock in East Carry Pond. I had a couple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while I watched and listened to a loon that was a couple hundred yards off. I walked along the shore and got closer to the loon I had watched at lunchtime. When I got close, I could see the loon had a baby with it. I got to West Carry Pond at 3:25pm and decided to eat an early dinner. I had planned on staying near here but it was way too early to stop. I took an hour to eat dinner then hiked on. I walked along the shore line for a while and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in off the Pond. I passed the area where there is the 2000 mile mark painted in a road I crossed. The road department painted a yellow stripe right through the middle of that mark. It's not exactly 2000 miles at that point anymore because they made the trail longer down south. I hiked over and down a couple of little 600 foot mountains and then hiked down to Flagstaff Lake. I saw a bird take off flying ahead of me on the trail. It had a huge wingspan. I think it was too big to be a hawk even though it was colored like one, but I have no idea what it was. I hiked about half way up Little Bigelow Mountain and came to the blue blaze trail to the lean-to. I stopped and got water on the way in. When I got there, I said hello to a guy in the shelter. He introduced himself as Buzz. When I said my name, he said; " Thee Stumpknocker?" It turns out he's read all my journals and had hoped to meet Hippie and I some day. He met Hippie earlier in his hike in NJ. It's always a little embarrassing when people get excited to meet you. Anyway, it was good to meet you Buzz and thanks for reading my journal. I set up my tent, took a bandana bath and crawled in for the night. From the Kennebec River all the way to here, over 20 miles in peak hiking season, I didn't see another person on the trail all day long...no sobos or nobos, no section hikers or no day hikers.