Summary: no cell signals all day, hiked on snowmobile trail to Nahmakanta Lake West Camp
The night was quiet and dark. I woke up only once at 22:38. I saw a dance of fireflies almost as active as fireworks. There were suspenseful cries of owls somewhere close. But that didn’t prevent me from having a very goodnight sleep.
04:13 I woke up in the somber light continuing my early rise from yesterday. The hope was that mosquitoes were sleeping at this time, but they only react to outside temperature. This night was exceptionally warm, and mosquitoes would not rest at night or down.
The camp gathering this time included washing my face and hands with river water from yesterday and lowering down my food bag from a tall branch. The day is promising to be nice, clear and warm.
05:32 start the hike on a green ribbon of a road.
05:48 I encountered a record bear dang pile that was 2-3 times larger than my foot.
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| 05:48 Looks like only bears are walking here in summer right on the winter trail. That is one powerful dump. | 06:32 Nothing by the net will stop their attack. That will continue till 8AM. Warm rainy summer is the reason. |
06:28 I am a bit tired to go on wet grass. I sit right on the bare spot on the road. To cope with bugs, I am in full gear – rain jacket, gloves and even a mosquito net. Road turns left and right multiple times, so I am not sure where is the top and the bottom is (on the map).
07:04 from 7AM and for multiple long stretches of trail I would encounter tiny ripe strawberries right along the pass.
07:26 Again, I am sitting right on the road on a sunny spot. It is getting hot just now. I am eating my 2 mandarins – a ration for the day.
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| It is 7 AM, but I can’t stop leaning down and picking tiny ripe wild strawberries that grow right on the trail. And that will continue almost all day. | 08:01 the gate is blocking winter snowmobile trail, but that completes first important section of the day. I deserve a breakfast. The mosquitos are gone. |
08:00 – 08:48 I see a gate blocking the snowmobile trail and a view to a much more frequently used road – real road. I am completing the first big section on the trail – from First to Third Debsconeag Lakes. Here I would take the mosquito net off – there are seriously less bugs here. There are less mosquitos, but new larger triangular flies appear (Deer Fly) that have no chance because their bites are too painful.
I have my breakfast here. My breakfast consists of blueberries, some cherries, some dried fruits and I still can’t complete my porridge from home. I feel much better now. I am getting into the cadence. I apply bug spray and put on fresh dry socks. Good thing I checked with the map – I need to make a sharp turn to the right.
09:03 – another gate blocking anyone thinking of using this road in summer, but strangely the road continues to be well used.
09:11 There is a trail or even a road going across – it is a potage Trail between Third Debsconeag and Pemadumcook Lakes. I decided to take a side trail to the water. I drop the backpack and sticks and continue to the lake.
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Unplanned stop at the Third Debsconeag Lake. Fantastic. No one around. Plenty of flat bottom boats here, but no one is using them. |
The swim is great, but the water is a bit shallow. I can’t believe it is only 9:30 in the morning. Well deserved break from the hike. |
09:18 in minutes I am on the shore. To enter and exit the water here is a delight because of a solid wooden dock. Water is transparent, cooling but shallow.
10:36 – tiny ripe strawberries are making me lean low or even crawl on my knees with a heavy backpack on
11:18 I thought I would catch a one or even two-bar cell signal here, but nor APP can connect. Instead, I am just going back and force over the left, and over the right, and over the middle tracks of the road and gather more tiny strawberries.
12:12 -12:26 – after 12 PM the road turned painfully abandoned and ready to terminate at any moment, but now after this falling apart bridge the road will likely pick up.
13:07 I am sitting right on the road with my backpack on. It is very pleasant to sit in the shade. I have already completed 11 mi today, but it is with the deviation to the water earlier in the morning. My track is approaching the real roads and connection to real trails.
13:19 I am getting out of the snowmobile trail into proper Nahmakanta Lands. There is a real road here going to Debsconeag Lake Wilderness Camps, there is a Debsconeag Backcountry trail that starts here as well.
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13:41 the bridge across Nahmakanta Stream that just starts here. I am back at Appalachian Trail (AT), at all the familiar places.
13:51 – I am at the end of today’s hike – Nahmakanta Lake South End Camp. Mile hiked today 12.18. All day with no signal. There is a temptation to keep going. The shelter is only 2.6 mi forward, but I know That wouldn’t find a more convenient camping grounds anywhere down AT. Plus, I remember that to rest, one needs to allocate time to rest.
14:23 there are only two camping spots here, and I pick the first – closest to the road, and then quickly move to the second one – closest to the water. All my wet clothes are hanging on a sting – drying out, and there is so much open space to spread out your things. So much open space right near the water. Amazing.
So, I spread my things, took a swim in the lake, hung the hammock and go lying down from 4 till 5:10 PM. Very nice and refreshing. I have never done this before. Just allow self to relax on the trail. It is always rushing to the next spot.
While in the hammock, I see and hear a large family group trying to get to my spot but retreat to the other spot in view of my things.
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17:15 – the wind calmed down. I am at the picnic table – it is super convenient to cook and eat at the table. The only thing missing is a backrest, but that is for another time. No regrets about to taking it easy today. There are about 17 more miles left to the bike at Sias Hill Rd. and I can do them in one or two days. My appetite has come back, and the meal today will be Organic Red Bean Chili from Patagonia Provisions. The bug’s level is comfortable – almost no bugs. Still, I put on high woolen socks so that my feet are protected from stealthy bites.
18:30 My next camp neighbors are a large extended family and friends with 3 or 4 tents. They are audible but not annoying. I can hear they are swimming and splashing, but I can’t see them. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the lightest wind is pleasant.
All done with food. I am finishing up the tea. It is very important to do everything on time so that there is a remaining interest to find out what’s going to happen next.
19:21 – 19:35 – I am inside the hammock making the closing notes fr the day. I raised the entire backpack on a high branch with a rope. When I am returning to my camp a biplane suddenly lands on the water. It then approaches the banks and delivers people or things to someone and promptly departs. I don’t think I even saw a plane landing on the water that close.
It is a warm and quiet night, and for now I am using almost the entire sleeping bag to prop up my head to make writing in horizontal position more comfortable.
Tough and seasoned north bound through hikers begin to arrive and search for a good spot in a perfect silence. I notice one hiker in particular with a very tiny compact backpack. He emerges from the trail, looks towards my hammock and dives into the woods to pick a more secluded spot in the woods. He will catch up with me around 6:30 AM tomorrow morning.
Navigate through the List
- 01 2025-07 AT trip preparation (2025/06/30)
- 02 2025-07-01 TU from Boston to ME Northern Woods (2025/07/01)
- 03 2025-07-02 WE - Green snowmobile trails from Debsconeag to Nahmakanta (2025/07/02)
- 04 2025-07-03 TH from Nahmakanta to Black Pond motorized trail (2025/07/03)
- 05 2025-07-04 FR - down the Sias Hill Rd. on Golden Rd. to Abol Bridge (2025/07/04)
- 06 2025-07 Lessons and fixes (2025/07/05)
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