My Appalachian Trail itch is back. I haven't done any new AT miles in Maine this year. Although it would make a very long day, Lynn said she would once again give up a Saturday to crew me. I'm jumping ahead a couple of sections from where I left off in Maine. It is such a gorgeous day, I want to enjoy the view on top of Moxie Bald Mountain. The drive to the trailhead today will be over 3 hours, ONE WAY. If I'm going to drive all that way just to hike for one day, I might as well put in a lot of miles. Lynn dropped me off at Moxie Pond Road. Moxie Pond is a very long narrow pond. We started at the southern end of the pond at a spot called Joe's Hole.
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Today's section starts with a short walk down Moxie Pond Road.
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Lynn walked with me for a couple minutes down the road. When we came to the sign below, she headed back.
'Just' 24.3 miles to go.
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Crossing some powerlines
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I met a sobo flip flopper named Bonnie Carolyn.
She has already done the southern half of the AT and is now heading from Maine to Pennsylvania. She is using her first name and middle name on the trail in honor of her mother, Carolyn, who passed away last year. She got a kick out of the doggie backpack that Madison had and took a picture of us.
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I came to the Summit By-Pass trail . . .
. . . and continued on towards the summit.
I went through and around some cool boulder formations.
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I passed a small plaque attached to one of the boulders.
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I had to walk under this boulder which looked like it could come down at any time. It's been there for probably thousands of years, I guess it will stay a few more seconds.
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Madison patiently waits for me to catch up.
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Looking down to Moxie Pond
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The actual 2629' summit is a few yards off the AT.
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I could see over to the open summit of the north peak. The AT doesn't go over it, but you know me. I'll be taking an extra side trip a little later.
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After taking in the view, Madison and I continued on our way. There was a large mud hole that I tried to walk around. I didn't quite make it. Yuck!
There will be plenty of streams to wash it off later.
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Overlooking Bald Mountain Pond
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Time for a side trip to the other summit.
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I ditched my pack, grabbed my camera, and headed off.
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There's the summit.
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Oops, I guess that wasn't the summit.
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What's this? A hiker's version of Crop Circles.
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Getting closer
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This area has lots and lots of blueberries. They're ripe, too.
I couldn't resist snacking on a handful. Yum!
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Madison cools off in a puddle on the summit.
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Looking back to the south summit
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This mountain probably doesn't get as many visitors as it should. It is a fairly long hike in, it's not on the Appalachian Trail, and the elevation is only about 2500'. As a result, I don't think it is hiked that much. That's OK with me. Today, I had the beautiful summit all to myself (and Madison).
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Although not on the AT, this was the highlight of today's hike. I made the right choice in adding 1.4 miles to today's already long section. I retraced my steps, grabbed my pack, and got back on the AT.
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As I made the fairly steep descent down the mountain, I met several hikers going up. I recommended that they hit the north peak. They were traveling very light, most just had a water bottle. They must have found a short way in, but I couldn't imagine how they came in. Next, I came to the side trail for Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to. I could see the lean-to from the trail, so I went to check it out.
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I'm glad I decided to stop at this shelter. It's located right on Bald Mountain Pond.
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Ah, ha! So that's how the other hikers got here.
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I hopped back on the AT.
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My views for the day were behind me. I had a long, long stretch ahead with little elevation gain or loss. The trail had its' share of rocks and roots, but did have a few smooth sections.
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I was counting on these flat, smooth sections to do some running. It was the only way I would get this 24.8 mile section done today. FYI - with the additional 1.4 mile side trip, that will bring today's total up to 26.2 miles, the distance of a marathon.
There are few bridges in Maine, but at least this stream had a rope to help me balance.
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I met a sobo section hiker named Second Chance.
He began the Appalachian Trail as a thru hiker in 2004, but broke his leg. After he healed, he adopted the trail name Second Chance. Now he is section hiking like me. We've both completed about 2/3rds of the trail, I milestone that I will reach by the end of the day. Yippee!
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Next, I crossed the West Branch of the Piscataquis River. Once again, no bridge. The water was above my knees. At least, I got all the mud off my shoes and socks. The cold water also felt good on this hot summer day.
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The trail follows the river for several miles, but most of the time at an elevation of about 50 feet higher.
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Up a stone staircase
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I bypassed the Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to. My feet were starting to get sore, and I still had nine miles to go. Now I got to wade across the East Branch of the Piscataquis River.
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I went up a steep hill where I met Lynn.
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She met me on Shirley-Blanchard Road in case I decided to bail. I wanted to be done, but I also wanted to complete the final six miles of today's hike. I guzzled down an ice tea that she had for me. What a sweety! Off I went. About 2 miles later, the trail came right up to the edge of Lake Hebron.
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Then the trail went up. Uggh! It wasn't a mountain, just a hill. But after 20+ miles, the 1587' summit of Buck Hill felt like a mountain. I went down the other side, bypassing the side trail to Doughty Pond, and met Lynn. It was nice having some company. From here we had another 45 minutes of hiking to get back to the car. It was a long, long day. We left home at 4:30 this morning and got back just before midnight. Lynn, Madison, and I will all sleep well tonight.
