Date: 2006-08-29
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

Generally we do not set alarms out here to get up in the mornings however we have to make it to Harrison Camp by 7:00am. It is only a short hike of .7 mile but we can't be late. At 6:00am we start moving trying to make it on time. The one nice thing about the shelter is how it overlooks Pierce Pond but the really bad thing this morning was all the fog. Since we got in last night after dark we were hopping to wake up to a good sunrise over the water but it just didn't happen. After gathering everything up and packing it away we set off for the short hike over to Harrison Camp. Not far down the trail we caught the blue blaze trail leading up to the camp. Just over the slippery wooden bridge we made our way up to the main cabin where we found Sandman, Jelly Bean, and Irish wait patiently for the huge breakfast. We set our packs down on the porch and made our way inside through the kitchen where Tim was preparing breakfast and then on into the dinning area. He already had coffee and hot tea prepared so we helped ourselves and stood by the wood heater talking to everyone that was already there. Shortly after our arrival Tim started bringing out plates of food so we made our way over to the table and waited. The breakfast is called a 'lumberjacks breakfast¢ for a reason and the reason is 12 pancakes, sausage, eggs, orange juice and coffee. This made the 22-mile day yesterday worth every step. When we were finished we sat around and talked to Tim for a bit and played with his two dogs Tootie and Rusty. Since we were so close to the Kennebec River we were on some what of a schedule and had to leave around 9:30am to make it to the river before the ferry service shut down for lunch. This is the only section of the trail that it is ok to ride a short distance and still not be yellow blazing. The river crossing is nearly 70 yards wide and most of the time knee deep but when the power plant up stream releases water the water level quickly rises and has been known to wash hikers downstream. Today Steve estimates the depth to be nearly 7' in the center channel. He should be pretty close because he has been ferrying hikers across for 19 year and knows the water very well. Most everyone reading is probably thinking how do you operate a ferry in less than 10' of water and on a river that is only 70 yards wide. Easy the ferry is a 16' canoe and he carries 2 hikers across at a time. With all of us across safely we made our way up to the parking area where Steve gave us a lift into town. First off it isn't much of a town but any place with power, running water, and hot food is called town these days. He dropped us off at Northern Outdoors, which is a lodge and restaurant. A section hiker named Sketcher joined us and when we went inside we met back up with Jelly Bean, Sand Man and Irishman. Not only were they there but the Jersey Boys had slipped in ahead of us too. The food was good but the service sucked and they didn't give hiker portions. At this point when we go to eat usually we are all still hungry when we get done. With semi full bellies we hitch a ride back to the trail and begin our six remaining miles to tonight¢s destination. On the way I saw a ton of fresh moose tracks but never saw the moose. I did however see a deer for the first time in weeks. We got to the shelter and quickly started setting up camp. The aggravating part was everything is still damp or wet from the rain two nights ago. We ended up hanging most everything on cloths lines and hoping it would dry while we walked down to the pond to see the sunset. When we got back the Jersey Boys had shown up and started a fire to enjoy. We sat beside the fire ring and ate dinner, then warmed up before heading off to our tents. Now warmly inside my sleeping bag I can hear coyotes in the distance howling and see the moon rising.Tonight; Jane, H-Bomb, Shasta, Baro, Jelly Bean, Sandman, Irishman, Twist ofFaith, Kingpin, two section hikers, and I.