Hikers are known for taking tough conditions in stride. They’re used to long climbs up mountains, steep descents into valleys and prolonged stretches of foul weather.
The extent of this summer’s rain presents a whole new challenge to the most experienced hiker. It has made crossing streams at best difficult and, at their worst, dangerous. I wanted to find out how bad all this rain has made the hiking, so last weekend I visited several spots to talk with hikers and trail stewards about conditions on the trails.
The first person I talked with was Dave Corrigan in Caratunk. He operates a canoe ferry service seven days a week, from May to October, across the Kennebec River for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The ferry service is provided free to hikers on the Appalachian Trail and Dave takes hikers from one shore to the other, a distance of about 70 yards. The ferry has been in place since 1986 because of the dangerous nature of the dam-released water flow.
That’s in normal years.
This was the weekend of the American Canoe Association Open Water Canoe Championships located on the Dead River and the Kennebec, up river from the canoe ferry in the Forks. The championship had to be moved to a different spot on the river because of high water.
Dave was on the bank Friday when I approached down the trail. I asked how fast the current was due to the rain.
“The combined flow from Harris Dam and Long Falls Dam was 13,800 cubic feet per second the day before yesterday. I expect it was 15,000 here at the ferry, with the runoff from streams added in. Today it’s gone down a little,” he said.
When I asked if he had to ferry any hikers that day, he said, “That day I took three north-bounders, three south-bounders and one dog across.”
Surely the wetness has been discouraging, so I asked him if he plans to renew his contract after next year, the third year of his three-year contract.
“Let’s put it this way. Steve Longley, the prior ferryman, did it for 20 years and I wouldn’t mind doing the same,” he said.
When I asked if the rain has kept the hikers away he said, “I think it’s running about average. I haven’t tallied up the numbers yet, but I think it’s about the same as last year.”
The next day I drove to Monson to find some A.T. backpackers, who were staying in town, to hear about their experiences with the high water. I found one nice couple, Patrick Mooney, a U.S. Army Ranger sergeant, and his wife, Deborah, from upstate New York. They had just hiked from Monson to Abol Bridge, through the hundred-mile wilderness. It’s called that because for 100 miles there is no resupply. If you’re not equipped with enough food for seven to 10 days of rugged hiking, without getting off the trail, it’s a long way to the nearest town and help. It’s the longest stretch of trail without resupply on the entire length from Maine to Georgia.
I asked them about the streams they had to ford. There are more than a dozen streams to cross in “the wilderness.” Some of them are just a trickle of water that you can jump across from rock to rock. Some are ankle-deep. There are a couple of rivers that are tricky and wide. But, all of those describe normal years. Deborah recalled one crossing during their trip.
“One word, dangerous. Well, let me tell you. I forded one stream and cried before I crossed it, then I cried when I got over it,” she said.
Patrick added, “All the crossings are basically fords. Some have a foot and half of water over the rocks. We crossed Rainbow Stream this morning and the log bridge was under water.”
Deborah added that the mud was a foot and half deep and that water ran down the trail ankle deep.
Others I talked with in town had described similar experiences. From there, I went to Baxter to talk with the rangers to see what their problems might be due to the water. Ben Woodard, chief ranger, told me the ground is saturated.
“The sponge is full,” he said. “The trails are undergoing maximum impact from hikers avoiding puddles and stepping to the side. This creates widening of the trail.”
Conditions are changing day to day, he added. That was earlier in the week.
The park had one trail, the Russell Pond Trail, closed due to high water on Wassataquoik Stream, which must be crossed. By Wednesday, Marcia Williamson, the Leave No Trace educator in the park, e-mailed me to report, “The Russell Pond Trail has been reopened with conditions. The hikers should be experienced in stream crossings.”
She added an advisory for people with children and people who are not confident in crossing streams. She also stated, “Hikers need to stay on the trail, even if the water is deepest there, to avoid trail widening and damaging sensitive plant communities.”
In Acadia National Park, Gary Stellpflug, trails supervisor, told me Wednesday he had to pull his trail crew from a rehabilitation project on Jesup Path due to slippery conditions, water and mud. It’s too hazardous for the trail crew to work.
“Every trail is either muddy or has puddles. It’s just bad out there,” he said.
So, there’s a lot of water out there. As of Wednesday, the forecast was for a few days of sun. Fortunately, it shouldn’t take many days of drying to return water levels to near normal. Until then, here are some safety tips for crossing streams in high water.
Do some scouting from the bank to identify a safe place to cross. Before you enter the stream unbuckle your waist belt and chest straps, so you can escape your pack should you go in. When crossing, face upstream to brace yourself against the current. Use a hiking stick to probe the stream bottom ahead of you for deep spots to avoid. Slide your feet along the bottom, the rocks are slippery.
Buddy up if you have a hiking partner. If you are hiking solo, wait until another hiker shows up; there’s safety in numbers. A couple of streams have ropes strung across them on the Appalachian Trail, at Big Wilson Stream and Long Pond Stream. Strap your pack to the rope and pull it along behind you when you cross. Above all, be safe out there. When in doubt, wait it out if you can or turn back.
For updated trail conditions call Acadia National Park at 207-288-3338 or Baxter State Park at 207-723-5140.