Dates ........ Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Miles ........ 11.8 miles
From ........ Hikers paradise Hostel, Gorham, NH
To ............. Gentian Pond NH shelter and campsite
Weather ... Sunny, hazy, humid, upper 70's, low 80's, calm.

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Fire Crew, helicopter, Androscoggin River 750'and Reservoir, Mt. Hayes 2555', Cascade Mt. 2631, Page Pond - first MOOSE in wild, Dream Lake, Moss Pond, Gentian Pond.

Sly and I had a hearty and memorable hiker's breakfast at the Hiker's Paradise hostel. It was a reasonably priced full breakfast with eggs, bacon, home fries, OJ, coffee and all-you-can-eat pancakes. The proprietor charged 50 cents for each pancake ordered and left on your plate. If two persons sat at a table for four they were made to move. One patron had the nerve to ask for catsup and was admonished "Here's your catsup so you can ruin the flavor of your home fries." After breakfast, Bruce drove us to the trailhead. On the way we passed the ranger station and a fire crew of about 30 firefighters was assembled on the front lawn in full turnout gear along with the helicopter and its fire bucket. The helicopter was able to carry 800 pounds of payload - about 100 gallons of water.

Bruce dropped us at the trail and we walked down the road to the Androscoggin River dam and reservoir. It was also a small power generating station. After a short walk down a dirt road we began our ascent of Hayes Mt. Sly's pace was a bit quicker than mine. He liked to hike steadily and not stop, so he got ahead of me. I stop a lot to look at my surroundings, take photos and notes, rest, and rest some more when necessary. Sly was a well-seasoned through-hiker that was highly motivated and focused on finishing the AT and he was 20 years younger than I. We both intended to camp at Gentian Pond, so we'd meet there at the end of the day.

When I reached the ledges near the summit of Mt. Hayes I got a clear view of the Androscoggin Reservoir, the forest fire, and the Rattle River gorge. As I was about to leave, the chopper flew over the reservoir, filled his fire bucket and flew up the mountain to attack the small but stubborn and highly inaccessible fire. I could see a trail of water drops, like a smoke trail, streaming behind the chopper as it flew up the mountain.

Smoke rises from fire burning on Shelburne-Moriah Mt. flank. Middle Moriah Mt. is at right. Wispy water vapor trail from helicopter can be seen at 5 o'clock from fire.

In the saddle between mountains I found a large patch of beautiful, luscious blackberries. I stopped and picked a quart or so, enjoying their wonderfully sweet and fresh flavor. That was a real treat, like picking candy off a bush. Yummy! On the summit of Cascade Mt. I took a lunch break and enjoyed one of the double burgers I bought yesterday. At the base of the very steep and rocky descent from Cascade Mt. I found a tiny pool of water in what was once a large stream, but was now a mostly dried up streambed. I was thirsty and running low on water so I treated and filled my water bottle before moving on. I knew I'd be coming to a couple ponds soon, but I don't like the taste of pond water. It is usually muddy-fishy tasting, even if treated and clear.

Two miles along the trail, after crossing Trident Ridge, the trail seemed to dead-end abruptly at the edge of Page Pond. I could see no blazes ahead. Left turned out to be a dead end and right went over a very muddy and precarious looking beaver dam. Studying the map and checking compass direction, I concluded the trail went over the next mountain, to the right. As I was crossing the beaver dam I heard a large SPLASH and lots of thrashing about in the water. Whatever it was, it was a lot more than a big fish jumping. Other hikers had warned me that the next few ponds were infested with leeches, so it was unlikely that a hiker was swimming nearby. When I got to where I could see the pond again, a moose was merrily swimming and thrashing about.

She would put her head under the water and come up with a mouthful of aquatic plants, chew and eat them. Then she would shake her head vigorously, her large floppy ears and dewlap would splash and slap the water before she submerged again. She would wade some and swim some, apparently enjoying her time in the water. She finally meandered to the shore with great splashing noises. I was fascinated and enthralled by the whole show. At least she was escaping the heat and bugs. Well, I thought, I'm going to be passing a lot of ponds and lakes in the coming weeks and I should see lots of moose.

Moose comes ashore on the edge of Page Pond, NH.

I climbed over Wocket Ledge, a steep solid rock dome, descended steeply, crossed a creek where I got more water, and went along the shore of Dream Lake. It was a dream all right. Though several feet low as evidenced by its exposed shoreline, it was a pristine body of water set deep in the forest. It was peaceful, serene, and natural, surrounded by huge evergreen trees. It was very much like a dream. A place you would dream of being to enjoy peace and nature. For a change, a brief change, the trail turned from solid rock to a thick pine needle covered carpet with the occasional root looking to trip me up.

After Dream lake came Moss Pond and finally Gentian. On the way into Gentian Pond, the trail crossed a nice stream. I got three quarts of water for the evening there. Gentian was a large pond with a cascade and gorge on its outlet side. I found Sly with his tent all set up on a platform, just beyond the shelter and privy. I took the next platform and set my tent up. We had supper- Sly cooking up some freeze-dried concoction while I ate my remaining double burger, a P&J sandwich and some orange segment candy. Just before dark four other hikers came in, two sleeping in the shelter and two setting up a tent on another nearby platform.

Free Spirit's home for the night - lightweight bivyy tent on a platform at Gentian Pond NH

It had been a decent day. There was some climbing, but it was not continuous and extreme. It was broken up by little bits of decent trail. There were even a few segments of trail that were not rocky. Why, there was even a brief sojourn down an old logging road. I could feel that my muscles and joints were becoming accustomed, albeit reluctantly, to the punishment I was handing out. They were still tired and sore, but less so.

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