July 31st, 2018, Maine
Over the past week I have been camping on and off with a nice Canadian couple hiking with their dog—a large German Shepherd like dog, but all white. We have been just about on the same pace together, starting and finishing each day in nearly the same place. While I was packing up in the morning, they stopped by and said hello. Mark, who I met yesterday on the mountain, also swung by as he headed out. It seemed like I was the late starter this morning so I finished up and hit the trail about 15 minutes behind them.
I stopped for lunch at Little Swift River Pond and met another NOBO called “Brand New.” He was maybe in his mid twenties and had been laid off from his job in marketing and decided to take the opportunity to hike the AT. He said he sold everything and headed out—without any complications or bills to worry about. He seemed to be having a great time and didn’t seem ready for it to be over. I thought it was funny how so many NOBOs couldn’t wait for it to be over, yet some, like Brand New, were stretching it out. He said after he was finished he’d go back to a marketing job. Maybe he was in no real hurry to do that.
I passed a couple hiking with day packs and pruning tools. I said, “wait a minute, are you some of the crazy people who maintain the trails?” They said they were. I thanked them for their service—and it is a true service as volunteers—and that I was having an amazing time on the trails in Maine. They said the trails in Maine are a point of pride. It does show.
At this point I must mention one thing about hiking in Maine: there are moose droppings all over the place on the trail. You see it so often you wonder why you don’t see a moose around every corner. I assume maybe they are nocturnal, like deer, because I haven’t seen one, or any evidence of one, except the poop. Until today! I didn’t see a moose, but was happy to see a series of moose tracks on the trail. And maybe I’ll get lucky and spot a moose in the next few days…
And I passed power lines that had an abundance of raspberries coming into perfect ripeness. I stopped for a few minutes for a snack.
And now for some of the other interesting things I saw today:
