Date: 2017-09-16
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to/Campsite

To: Little Swift River Pond Campsite
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

9/16Bemis Mountain Lean-to/Campsite to Little Swift River Pond Campsite12.9 miles Total miles:  1964.6The day dawned cloudy with a pre-rain feeling. The goal for today was to at least make it to the Sabbath Day Pond (here we go again with the how-places-get-their-name game) Lean-to, and hopefully push on to the Little Swift River Pond Campsite. The terrain looked promising, but I remembered the surprises that Bemis Mountain threw at me yesterday. The trail to Bemis Mountain Second Peak was relatively flat and consisted of a primarily dirt trail with lots of rocks and roots added in for spice. It was very hikable. Nearing the summit, there was lots of walking on rock faces but, again, the going was pretty easy. For the first time in days I hiked over a summit that was in the clouds. There is an eery beauty in the mist. It wouldn't be long before the fog was gone, and the day returned to the sunny, warm weather I have been enjoying.  The descent of Bemis the Second provided the only real challenge of the day, with patches of very slick, steeply slanted rock faces. These didn't last long, however, and the trail for the rest of the day lacked the precarious nature of which I have grown accustomed. Beside the road at the bottom of the descent, I encountered a happy surprise. Trail Magic! Some kind soul left a large cooler with drinks and goodies. I scored a can of Ginger Ale and a blue snowball. They were yummy. Just past the road was Bemis Stream, which includes a note in the guidebook that it would need to be forded. Unlike all the other states, Maine apparently feels no strong need to build footbridges over its larger waterways. Hikers were securing their phones and preparing their clothing at the road. I decided to wait and see what the stream looked like. Perhaps the state is in a drought, because Bemis Stream was easily crossed by stepping from rock to rock across its width, just like countless other streams I have crossed for the past five plus months. That's not to say there won't be future streams that will present greater challenges. After crossing the stream, the trail went up the only major incline of the day. Near the top, it crossed ME 17, and I was greeted with a tremendous view of a large lake with surrounding forest and distant mountains. There was even a bench, and a young hiker asked if I wanted to join him. Unfortunately, if you're going to hike slow you have to hike long, so I only lingered a few minutes before continuing on to Sabbath Day Pond and its Lean-to. The pond is huge and presented yet another gorgeous view. I met Tengo at the lean-to and we ate lunch. It was 2:30 when we finished, and we opted to continue on to the campsite, another 4.6 miles further on. After leaving a note for Gravity, we pushed on. The terrain was similar to this morning, and I enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon hike. Walking through Maine is a delight, albeit a very challenging delight at times. Today, southern Maine showed her kinder, gentler side, and I spent the majority of my day enjoying a true walk in the woods. I arrived at Little Swift River Pond at 5:45 and had plenty of time to set up camp and do my evening chores before dark.  Little Swift River Pond is another absolutely stunning sight. There was an old canoe on the bank, and Tengo borrowed a fishing pole from a young hiker who had pulled it out of a hiker box, and went fishing.  He invited her to go with him, but she said she was cooking dinner. Tengo contends that no activity should take precedence over fishing. Murph, my friend from home, would readily agree. I watched him from the bank as I collected water from the spring by the lake and was pleased that I didn't have to filter pond water. It was almost dusk when I saw one of the best sights I have seen this trip. A moose entered the pond and stood complacently for observation and photos from a safe distance. I hoped to see a moose in Maine, and my wish has been granted. I tried to use the zoom on my camera, with limited success. I suppose I could have paddled out in the canoe and gotten close enough to use my flash, but probably wisely decided against it.  After watching this huge, magnificent creature for a spell, I returned to more mundane activities like cooking dinner. Gravity soon arrived and set up camp near me. Thanks to our afternoon push, there is only a 4.8 mile hike in the morning to ME 4 and then into Rangeley for resupply.  By getting there early, I have an extra lunch in my food bag, so I am a bit better provisioned than I was getting into Andover. The plan is to stay tomorrow night in a hostel and then hit the trail the morning after, ready to take on the next big challenge Maine has to offer: Saddleback Mountain. I received a text from Dutch today. I hiked into Hot Springs with Dutch all that time ago and saw him again at Harpers Ferry. We've kept in touch since then. He wanted to let me know that he was summitting Katahdin today.  Congratulations, Dutch!  Another of my friends has completed their trek, and I'm excited to think that my time is coming soon. First, of course, is Saddleback Mountain. One step at a time/one white blaze at a time.