Date: 2005-09-01
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 1719/1s: West Carry Pond Lean-tof: Pierce Pond Lean-tom: 10.0w: partly cloudyI woke up several times during the night to the sound of rain and tree limbsfalling on the shelter's tin roof. During one of the times that I awoke, therain was so heavy that I was certain in my half-conscious stuppor that tentwalls would not be able to withstand the rain's force and that those tentingwould soon be running into the shelter. But I woke up again in the earlymorning not to the sound of rain but to the beautiful cry of a loon, and I feltthat at least the majority of the rain had passed.In fact, the rain was completely gone by morning and blue once again dominatedthe sky along with white, fluffy, non-threatening cumulous clouds. The onlyevidence of the rain that remained was backpacks full of wet gear and rivers andpuddles engulfing the trail at a depth well above the ankle. Yardsale and Istopped after four miles of hiking to dry out our gear at East Carry Pond. Ourefforts were completely successful and we left the pond after two hours oflooking at leaches and skipping rocks with much drier (and, thus, much lighter)packs.We made it only to the end of the pond before Yardsale, who was in front,stopped dead still and pointed out a cow moose with her calf on a distant shore. The trail wrapped around the pond toward the moose, so we slowly tip-toed intheir direction. After about seven to ten minutes, we were within about onehundred feet of the moose when we heard a noise coming from the other side ofthe pond. I looked over to see a group of about eight people with backpacksheading toward the moose and making all kinds of noises (not excluding thebanging together of pots and pans). The group eventually got too close forcomfort and one of the group members said with perfect timing "Look at themoose!" just as the moose were fleeing from the group of loudmouths. The scenewas picture perfect for some sort of wilderness ethics advertisementdiscouraging the practice of traveling in large groups.We walked on through the mud and puddles for the rest of the day. I was gettingsomewhat frustrated with slipping and sliding all over the trail and somewhathyper-extending multiple parts of my body at once. I asked God to remind me ofthe grace that He provides in every slip and fall I incure along the trail, andHe lovingly turned my perspective on its head. Yardsale and I saw a large owlin the middle of the afternoon flying from one tree to another and then offthrough the woods and out of sight.We arrived at the shelter to find John and Donna (section hikers from NC)returning from a swim in the pond. Yardsale went swimming while I washed myshoes and socks and then I went swimming for a while as well. We wereinterested in participating in a breakfast put on by a "traditional Maine camp"down the trail, so we went to reserve our spots for the next morning. We hadenough cash between the two of us to each order the cheapest item on the menuand we told the guy we would be back in the morning to eat it. Olly arrived tothe shelter after we returned. We all ate dinner and went to sleep to the soundof loons on the pond.