I've got 30.5 miles of the Appalchian Trail in Maine to complete. Even though I live in Maine, I have a fairly long drive to get there, a little over 3 hours. Lynn and I decided to drive up the night before and sleep in the car so that we would be ready to go in the morning. That part of the plan didn't work well. I only got about 2 hours of sleep, so needless to say, I was quite sleepy this morning.
I was undecided on which of the two remaining sections I wanted to do today. The northern section had great views, but the weather wasn't looking the best. The southern section had lots of river crossings. With one of the rainiest summers in Maine's history, I was reluctant to do that section today, especially since Big Wilson Stream forced my friend Runtrails to take the highwater route back in 2005. We had parked a few miles from the trailhead so we still had a short drive in the morning. The road crossed Big Wilson Stream. The river wasn't low by any means, but definitely looked doable. Then again who knows what it would look like further up the stream. Regardless, I decided to do the southern section.
As I was looking at my map and GPS, I realized we were not on the dirt road I wanted to be on. But it looked like it would get us at least close to the trail. The road ended about .3 miles from the A.T. There was a path heading into the woods. I assumed it would take me to the A.T. After going over possible bailout points with Lynn if I couldn't get across some of the rivers, I said good-bye to her and Madison. After a few minutes on this 'access' trail I came across this memorial.
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After this the trail took a turn to the right. It was starting to take me away from where I thought the A.T. should be. Well, all trails twist and turn. Then it started to take me up Barren Mountain. After about 5 minutes I decided to head back. I got back to the memorial and decided to bushwhack to the A.T. Turns out, it was a very, very short bushwhack. About 3 minutes later I reached the A.T. at Long Pond Stream. There was a rope to help me get across.
Since I'm not a tight rope walker, I figured I would be getting my feet wet. With lots of rivers to cross today, I brought along a pair of water shoes. I slipped into them and got into the cold water. It was deeper than I thought coming up a little above my knees making me concerned about what Big Wilson and Little Wilson would be like. Once on the other side I found the dirt road that I originally planned to take in. Just as well, I got this river crossing overwith for when I do the section north of here.
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14.3 miles to go, the day was just beginning
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I met two nobo thru hikers. They had crossed Big Wilson yesterday afternoon. They assured me I would have no problem. That was a relief.
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Next I reached Vaughn Stream. Here's a video clip of the falls just below the A.T. crossing.
I got across both Vaughn Stream and Wilber Brook without getting my feet wet.
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Crossing the lower end of a boulder field
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I reached Wilson Valley Lean-to where I met 3 hikers who were doing the 100 mile wilderness. After one day and night on the trail they were going to have to call it quits.
The man in the group was sick. I drew them a map so they could get out an easier way. I told them to keep an eye out for my wife in a gold Saturn and that she could give them a ride out. They said they would. Lynn ended up seeing them, but they must not have spotted the car in time. At least I knew that made it out to the paved road.
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The only set of railroad tracks that crosses the A.T. in Maine
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Next I could hear the sound of Big Wilson Stream. What would I find? Turns out, it wasn't bad at all. I'm sure the stream would have been a lot lower if it was a dry summer, but I would have no problem getting across. What a relief!
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There was a bit of a current and the water came up to the bottom of my shorts,
but I got across no problem.
Big Wilson Stream
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For more dramatic reading please visit Runtrails' website day #141 for a much more colorful experience of this section.
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Section Hiker named Old Dog
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Nasty, rooty trail heading up to Big Wilson Cliffs
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Heading across the cliffs
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View from Big Wilson Cliffs
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From here I could look down to a small bog.
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The A.T. dropped down to the bog and the trail took my around the bog to the other side.
A few minutes later I could hear the sound of Little Wilson Stream. Having already crossed Big Wilson Stream, I knew I would get across OK, but I was curious to see the stream which Runtrails refers to as one of the 5 scariest things she had ever done. When I got there, I couldn't believe how small the stream was. What a drastic change from when she was here! It was so mellow that I had to double check and triple check my map to make sure that I was indeed at Little Wilson Stream. I didn't see a way to hop across on rocks. I was about to put my watershoes on to cross the stream that was about one foot deep when I noticed a log across the stream.
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Judging by the wear and tear at the ends of the logs, it looked like I wasn't the first hiker to take this route. After Runtrails had a possible life ending experience here, I felt a little guilty getting across without even getting my shoelaces wet.
Little Wilson Stream
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Time to head up. Little Wilson Falls was .2 miles away.
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Little Wilson Falls
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Here are a couple video clips of the falls.
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A couple miles up the trail I came to this sign for a hostel.
This spot had special significance to me. To the best that I can figure, this is where I completed my 2000th mile of the Appalachian Trail. The real 2000 mile mark is on Long Falls Dam Road, but I've been jumping around on the trail. Just 175 miles to go.
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North Pond
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Leeman Brook Lean-to
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Bell Pond
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Sign at the start of the 100 mile wilderness
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I came out on Route 15 where Lynn and Madison were patiently waiting for me. Many thanks to my wife for taking the day to crew me through this section. Just one more Maine section left. Hopefully next week!
