Date: 2018-08-30
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 19.7

DAY 177We had set the alarm so that we could be on the trail early. Mary headed out to find the privy but came back stating she couldn't find it in the dark, even with her headlamp on. I went out to help her, and didn't have much luck either. We finally saw it in the distance and bushwacked our way to it, once there we found the trail so she would be able to make her way back more easily.Quick cup of tea and breakfast and we were off. We were on trail at 5:45, and today was all about getting to the ferry crossing before 2:00, which was roughly 14 miles away. Mary set the pace and the trail was relatively flat with a series of bog bridges along the way. Every hour I checked our mileage and we seemed to be on track.As we made it to the Pierce Pond Lean-to we dreamed about the 12 pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs we might have had at Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps. Unfortunately for us the timing just didn't work out, perhaps we will come back at a future date. After Pierce Pond the footing got a little rockier and rootier and our pace slowed a little but we had built up enough cushion that we were still on track to make the ferry. We were surprised that Crush, Baygull, & Tiny Bytes (we have been spelling their trail names wrong...) hadn't gone by as we knew they were planning on making it to the ferry today as well.We arrived at the ferry crossing just after 12:30, and Crush arrived shortly after. We had to take a short, flagged trail down to where the ferry was actually picking up. We signed the release forms, boarded the canoe, and we were off. As we were finishing up crossing we saw Baygull and Tiny Bytes arriving on the opposite shore. We decided to wait and get some photos of Crush as well as Baygull & Tiny Bytes as they made their crossing of the Kennebec. Once everyone was across the Kennebec we all made our way to the road where we could head to the Caratunk House. This is a Bed and Breakfast/Hiker hostel and we had heard tales of amazing milk shakes and pulled pork sandwiches. When we arrived we saw that Chaco, Calves, Franklinstein, Flyballs, Carpenter and several other hikers were already there. We quickly put in our order for a Coffee Milkshake for Mary, and Chocolate Milkshake for me, and 2 pulled pork sandwiches. We grabbed a bag of chips and looked at the resupply so that we would have an idea of what was available.The "old fashioned" milkshakes came out in soda fountain glasses with the remainder that didn't fit in a red solo cup. They came with metal straws, and they tasted fabulous! The pulled pork sandwiches were excellent and we finished them quickly. We sat and chatted with everyone, and it certainly felt good to have 14 miles done and it was only 1:30. We rewarded ourselves by staying at the hostel to socialize for quite some time. Some hikers had decided to stay, but several like us were moving on, a few got a ride to a nearby pub for a beer.Eventually we filled our water bottles, did our resupply, and with full, satisfied bellies we headed back to the trail. Baygull & Tiny Bytes headed out a little ahead of us and when we reached the parking lot at the trailhead they were at Half Slows Camper. Half Slow was making them a glass of chocolate milk, he offered to make us one and we decided to split a glass rather than him making more. Next thing you know he came out with a strawberry rhubarb pie, and we each enjoyed a couple spoonfuls even though we were already quite full from our lunch at the hostel. We joked with Baygull & Tiny Bytes that we were going to race ahead to get the best campsite at Pleasant Pond Lean-to.We hiked with Baygull & Tiny Bytes for a bit before they took the lead for good. When we arrived at Pleasant Pond Lean-to the shelter was already quite full, and tent sites were limited. One of the hikers already there offered to give us the lay of the land. He mentioned that there were some possible sites to the left of the shelter. Baygull & Tiny Bytes were already set up, so we tried to find another area so as not to crowd them. However, we ended up setting up right next to their tent for the night as there were no other flat spots available.We set up our tent, and even though it was starting to get chilly we headed down to the pond for a quick swim to clean up after a long day of hiking. The water was warm but the air temperature was cold, so we didn't linger once we got out. After drying off and getting our warmer clothes on we headed back to the pond to enjoy our dinner on the dock. We were hoping for another great sunset, but it ended up being just a little pretty pink sky.Baygull & Tiny Bytes said they were going to get up early as they need to make it to Monson to pick up a package before noon on Saturday. They had lost track of what day of the week it was (as many hikers do), and thought they had an extra day.Off to bed. Even though we have both been feeling lousy with colds, we have been enjoying taking the time to swim and socialize more and enjoy the beauty of Maine. In fact, when Mary mentioned that we had done 19 plus miles and we still had time to enjoy ourselves I said "That's how thru-hiking is supposed to be". We let Mary's sister April and her mom know that we hope to make it to Monson by Sunday. The plan is for them to pick us up there and we will head to their place for a night and to resupply.