Dates ........ Sunday, September 1, 2002
Miles ........ 16.3 miles
From ........ Safford Notch campsite - tent camp
To ............. East Carry Pond - tent camp
Weather ... 45degF AM, sunny, warm, clear 70's day, Clear with high, thin cirrus clouds, breezy and cool 60's P.M. .

Sunday, September 1, 2002

Little Bigelow Mt. 3040', Flagstaff Lake, AT 2000 MILE MARK @ Long Falls Dam Road, Roundtop Mt, West and East Carry Ponds, EAGLE and LOONS

I broke camp down and left at 7:05, working my way back through the massive boulder field near Safford Notch, then up over Little Bigelow Mt. It was beautiful and awe inspiring to look back from Little Bigelow and see Avery Peak and the rest of the Bigelows over which I climbed yesterday and look ahead to see Flagstaff Lake lying below, where the trail would cross later today. Seeing where I have been and where I will be is one of the rewards of backpacking.

Avery Peak and The Horn (Bigelow Range) - from Little Bigelow Ridge. AT goes over all these "humps".

The trail down Little Bigelow was rocky, sometimes made up of large, solid sloping rock. As I came to the south end of Flagstaff Lake, I heard lots of kids yelling. They were swimming and diving off a dock into the lake, having a great time. The water was warm and the weather was perfect for a swim. For just a brief moment, I thought of joining them. But, I did not. I had miles to hike.

The map showed the next 26 miles to be somewhat less challenging than most of southern Maine. The trail would not climb above 1500 feet until it headed up Pleasant Mt. Maybe I could make better daily mileage than I had - or even catch up and get back on schedule. The weather was still working against me in one way: It was still too warm to enjoy the exertion of hiking. I perspired a lot and needed to drink lots of water.

After I rounded the end of the lake and went over the rise of a knob I came to Long Falls Dam Road. Painted in faded 12-inch high red letters on the middle of the road was "2000 MI", an obvious and most welcome reference to the AT's 2,000-mile mark. That meant I had 160 miles to go and I was done. I did not hold back a big YES - YAY whoop and jump of celebration.

That startled the dog sleeping across the road, his master resting against a tree trunk. One of the three hikers I met yesterday on Avery Peak, I was surprised to catch up to them until I heard what he was waiting for. He was waiting for the other two to return from a hitch into town for that golden hiker's fuel: beer. I joined him, taking a brief snack break before I pushed on. I climbed the little bump named Roundtop Mountain, hardly noticing the 700 foot elevation gain. I then hiked along the south shore of West Carry Pond, stopping at a lean-to there to sign the register.

As I returned to the trail I heard loons screaming and saw them acting in a strange manner (even for a loon). When I glanced skyward I saw an eagle glide overhead, just over the water and the loons. No wonder they were upset. It was too early to stop hiking and I felt pretty good yet, so I decided to push on until I found a nice campsite. That took me to the far (north end) of East Carry Pond. On my way there I crossed an area of very heavy moose tracks - a trail they used to get to the water, evidently. Hoping to see another moose I staked the trail out, sitting on a nearby shoreside rock and quietly eating my lunch, camera at ready. As the sun set, the temperature fell and a stiff breeze set in. I saw no moose, of course. I returned to my tent and went to bed, lulled to sleep by the sound of water lapping on the shore. It was nice, serene camp with no one else around to disturb the tranquility I was so enjoying.

 

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