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Re: [at-l] Re: Spring Lull....

Gerri wrote:
> 
> I am planning about an 8 day trip for the 1st week of June.  I will be hiking
> between Monson and the Bigelows, heading south.  In this section, I will be
> crossing three rivers - the Kennebec, and the East & West Branch of the
> Piscataquis.  I know there is a ferry for the Kennebec, but I believe the
> others have to be forded.  I was wondering if those who have traveled this
> area, or those that have experience fording rivers can give me an idea of what
> I'll be facing.  Should I be concerned about depth?  Any special precautions
> to take?  Any info anyone has will be greatly appreciated.
> 

Gerri,
When i went thru last year, the Piscataquis was not what i would consider a "ford".
This was in mid-October though, so June might be a different story. Plus, the
"temporary bridges" (i.e. haphazardly strewn branches, rocks, logs, etc) might not
be there any more. In any case, here are some personal recommendations for any
fording you might have to do _in_this_section_. 

1) Use two hiking poles/sticks to increase your balance and stability. They will be
useful if the current is strong, if you slip, if you want to test how balanced a
rock you're going to step on is, etc. 

2) Be PATIENT when fording. Don't be afraid to look upstream/downstream for better
areas to ford. Just because the trail stops and starts at a certain point does not
mean that it is the best place to ford the river. Don't try to rush across either.
Your chances of losing your balance or taking a wrong step will increase.

3) Expect to get wet. This will help decrease the chances of having a "right
brain/left brain" breakdown while fording. Here are a couple examples of what i
mean. Say you only expect to get you calves wet, and you step into a deeper pool,
sinking up to your waist. You might "panic" a bit and quickly try to get yourself
out of that situation. This in turn might cause you to step somewhere in haste that
is even deeper, lose your balance while trying to quickly backtrack, etc. When i
forded the Kennebec i had this happen to me somewhat. I was in a channel that was
deeper than i was hoping for, and the strong currents knocked me off my feet and
started to carry me downstream. My first reaction was "Oh no, all my stuff is
getting wet". Then the survival side of my brain said "So what! Get your feet back
on the rocks and get your balance back, you ididot!". Wet gear can be dried. No gear
is useful to a drowned hiker. 

4) Wear some kind of footwear. If you go for the barefooted ford, make sure your
feet are used to supporting your weight, AND your pack weight, on hard, sharp,
slippery rocks.

5) This is just my own personal recommendation, but i would suggest _not_ undoing
your hip belt when fording, _if_ you have an internal frame pack. I have never hiked
with an external, so i don't want to make any recommendations for that. The reason
why i suggest this is that at least for me, balance is reduced when your pack is
able to swing freely about. It only takes a second to undo your hip belt, and you
should have the presence of mind to grab it and undo it if you take a fall into the
water. 

6) Use your common sense. If your instincts say "Wow, the river looks really high,
and i can't find anywhere else that looks better", then i would say follow your
instincts. If you have a good amount of experience, then they are probably on
target. 

Remember, these are only recommendations for the section you have described (or
anywhere else along _The AT_. My experience is with east coast hiking only, so it is
not necessarily relevant to other locales. As with any advice, YMMV. Enjoy the
hike.... it's a beautiful section. (Like any of Maine _isn't_ beautiful). Peace.

-Rambleon-
rambleon@emai.unc.edu

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