Wednesday July 3

Pleasant pond lean to (145.5) to
West carry pond (165.5) 

Across kennebec river via canoe ferry this morning..arrived right at 9 am..crossed with Al , a sobo from D.C who helped paddle...the river was 15 feet deep in places and swift..thank goodness for the ferry mandate...too bad someone had to die for it to happen...taking the ferry was always an option, but did have a fee...most back packers are on a tight budget...
Arrived at original destination at 11 am on a sunny day, seemed silly to stop, so I kept walking...I did stop by Harrisons pierce pond sport camp to see what it was...nice guy named Tim is the owner...it's just a place people come for a week in the woods..Tim cooks all meals and guides any ventures as needed. We chatted a bit and he gave me some water and showed me around. Then I was on my way. The"ponds"here are huge...like our "lakes". I looked forward to swimming and bathing in the pond as I walked today. At the shelter were Don, an older fellow from Kentucky who is finishing his many year section hike of the AT. "The tyvek twins" are brothers (not actually twins) that sewed their own sleeping bags and food bags from tyvek, a water resistant, durable, windproof material used to "wrap" new construction. Sounded like they were wallowing in potato chip bags all night...Al from the canoe showed up and he and the twins talked conspiracy theory for hours...I put in my ear buds and listened to a few audio Ted talks...
The sunny day, swim, and bath lifted my spirits a bit...short day planned tomorrow since my extra miles put me a day ahead of schedule to arrive in Stratton. Maybe I can sleep in a bit?
The mosquitos are big, brown and hungry. I can walk faster than they can fly, but if I have to slow down or stop (when picking my way over muddy roots and rocks) they descend upon my deeted skin with an insatiable fury. They seem less ferocious as it cools down at night. I do hide in my silk liner when I sleep and attempt to keep a space buffer between my face and the liner...I know they can bite me through the liner...I would have put up my tent inside the shelter, but I was simply too tired. Someone came up in a boat and delivered a five gallon bucket with 4 gallon zip locks of home made cookies:4th of July trail magic! Pecan chocolate chip..I only had one as eating other food doesn't lighten my pack weight...