The End-ish

Two Bad and Mom took Hansel and Gretel to the trail head early in the morning.  They had a 10 mile hike to get to the base of Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park and then there would be a 5 mile climb to get to the top.  Their hike to base of Katahdin took a bit longer than they expected because "there was a stupid river that wasn't listed in the guide book that we had to ford."  Because it wasn't listed, they spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where the trail went.  It seems as though other hikers were also a bit confused by this river and ended up creating other trails going up and down the shore in an attempt to figure out where the trail went and the best way to cross.

Finally, Hansel and Gretel realized they had to ford it.  Hansel was actually able to jump from rock to rock to get across, which is pretty extreme.  There was one leap in which he hopped about 4 feet to the next rock over the rushing water!  Gretel wasn't quite as daring so she took off her boots half way and waded through the river.  This not the most comfortable for her because the rocks at the bottom were really sharp and she didn't have her Crocks with her since they were only taking the bare essentials to climb up Katahdin.  They made it across, frustrated that they had waisted 15 minutes (time is precious to a thru-hiker who has made it all the way to Maine).  Half a mile later, the white blazes led them to cross right back over the very same river.  The rest of the trail was pretty easy and they blew through the remaining miles to the Katahdin Stream Campground, where I was waiting at the base of Mt. Katahdin.

Happy Trails!

That is Mt. Katahdin as seen from Katahdin Stream Campground

Hansel and Gretel coming out of the woods and not quite recognizing me yet.  Note Hansel's confused countenance as I snap this photo. 

Fairly Funny Ferry Frolic

This morning, Wallace took Hansel and Gretel back to cross the famous Kennebec River.  This is the only part of the trail that a thru-hiker is instructed to take a mode of transportation other than his feet.  The Kennebec is apparently too deep and dangerous to ford, so the trail guide says to take “the ferry” across the river.  Now the ferry only runs between 9 and 11 am, so it was very important that Hansel and Gretel get there on time.  Wallace delivered them will little difficulty.  Eager to see this dangerous river and the special ferry that would bring them safely across, Hansel and Gretel made there way towards the bank quickly. 

Their arrival was accompanied by a hearty laugh.  At the bank of the river stood a man wearing a brown knit wool cap that was pinned up on one side and had a feather sticking out of it.  It sort of resembled a Robin Hood hat if you can imagine it.  His hair was very long and he had a beard of course.  When he opened his mouth to speak, Hansel and Gretel counted about 6 existing teeth, all of which were pointing in different directions and were stained yellow, maybe ever brown.  This was a serious hill-billy man. 

The grand ferry they had anticipated turned out to be a 3-person canoe captained by this toothless, bearded, Robin Hood hill-billy.  Further more, the river itself was as calm as can be.  Hansel was pretty sure he could have walked across it quite safely.  The “ferry driver” could only take two people in his boat at a time and there were already 3 people waiting at the shore so Hansel and Gretel had to wait a little while. 

When it was their turn to cross, Toothless Robin asked them to sign a release form and gave them life jackets to wear.  Looking at this docile river made the need for life jackets seem like the most ridiculous thing ever.  This whole situation was just ridiculous.  Maybe at different times of the year the river is more treacherous, but today, the danger element was seriously lacking.  When it was their turn to cross, Hansel took the front seat and assisted with the paddling.  Toothless Robin paddled in the back and Gretel got a free ride in the middle.  The most difficult part of the Kennebec crossing turned out to be showing up on time!  I suppose after 2,000 miles of adventure, it doesn’t hurt to have a less eventful river crossing.

Happy trails and dental floss!

In the words of Gretel: "The especially not-so-epic crossing of the Kennebec via canoe."

Hansel paddling in the front.  Note the oh-so-necessary life jacket. 

They Forded A River!

"Today we forded a river!" Gretel announce.  Just like they do in Oregon Trail!  Their very first river.  Did they have to ford a river?  Probably not, but they figured it would be good practice for the future rivers they would likely need to ford.  Maine is apparently loaded with them.  One south bound hiker claimed there were 30 rivers you had to ford.  Hansel and Gretel thought that sounded a little high considering they haven't had to ford any in all of the states they have hiked through, but it could be possible.  There is actually one river crossing that is actually impossible to ford.  The Kennebec River is far too deep so the Trail Guide dictates that the true white blaze trail includes a ride on a ferry.  Typically speaking, white blazer thru-hikers (Hansel and Gretel) are not allowed to take any kind of transportation that is not in their own hiking boots, but it is actually very dangerous to cross the Kennebec any other way.

What does it actually mean to ford a river you might ask?  It really just means that you walk straight though the water because there are no bridges or stones to cross.  This was not a particularly high or rapid river.  In fact, the highest point only came up to just bellow the knee.  Gretel did her best to take a picture of Hansel, making the experience look as epic as possible.  Mostly, crossing the river in this manner was just a nice way to end the day.  They put on their Crocks and the cold water feels great after a long day of hiking.  The road marking the end of their hike was visible from the river so they knew they would not be traveling miles in wet attire.

Happy trails and pleasant fording!

Hansel fording the river

Clearly, this is NOT the most epic river fording experience, but there will be more to come!