Maine has some truly amazing scenery. Fields of mossy boulders, giant ferns, fragrant spruce forests, plants and trees growing on top of boulders, and beautiful clear ponds.
However, much of my attention has been on the trail surface itself, so it’s hard to appreciate the views while actually hiking. And although the weather has been fantastic so far, we know there may be some rainy weather coming in a few days. In dry weather the trail requires your active attention due to roots and rocks. But these areas will be quite a bit more difficult to cross in the rain.
The trail crossed a number of large granite outcrops. These were sunny spots with lichen and blueberry bushes covering the surface.
The trail looked like a concrete path through a field of blueberries. We found quite a few ripe berries and enjoyed them on the spot.
One of the outcrops was called Rainbow Ledges and had a great view of Katahdin.
We descended down to another pond with a small stream entering it. Beavers had been hard at work.
Troop Leader realized he had left his knife back at our last water stop which turned out to be 2.8 miles back. Because the knife had sentimental value to him, he decided to hang his pack and hurry back to look for it carrying just a day pack. We planned to see him again at the camp later and continued on our way.
We reached the lean-to around 4:30pm. It was situated next to a fast stream running along steep granite walls and was a stunning site. We crossed what the Guthook Trail Guide calls a “somewhat scary wooden bridge” to reach the lean to. We took a few minutes to catch up with Andrea who had started a day before us and was resting up at the lean-to. Later Goldie and Troop Leader joined us. TL had found his knife.
