Weather: Overcast, threatening showers
Wildlife: A murder of crows, a gaggle of geese, a cast of eagles, a hedge of heron and a brace of ducks
Ate a leisurely breakfast under the sunshine as we watched the clouds move in. Walked back up to the Pelletier office where we had a nice chat with the owner, who told us about Hurricane Irene (who knew?!), and paid our camping fees. Headed back on the water for our last day with mixed emotions. Its just about over. I'm ready to get back to my "real" world. I can't wait to see Sam. I want to keep going.
Texted Sam, who is flying in to Bangor today, picking up the car and then us, as we paddle toward Ft. Kent.
Skies look threatening, so we don the rain gear. I ended up mostly portaging the rain gear these past 52 days, but if that kept the rain away, I'm fine with it. Stopped at Savage Island near Wheelock before taking a break to eat the last of the Power Bars and share a single bottle of Heiniken left over from yesterday's purchases at the general store. Food is once again on my mind as we longingly look over at the Canadian side of the St. John where surely there is a nice cafe or two just out of our reach.
Took our time paddling to Ft. Kent threading our way between Canada and the U.S. There were some nice ledges and rock formations along the St. John and the occasional small rips--it wasn't completely flat, but nothing like the rapids near the St. Francis Checkpoint area. Hwy 161 weaves in and out along the shore as we head northeast. We later found that the water was unseasonably high at 1900 cfs and we could coast over the gravel bars easily.
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| Last day on the trail. Paddling on the St. John in sight of Ft. Kent. |
Arrived in Ft. Kent around 2 p.m. Talked to the grounds crew and took the requisite photos by the eastern terminus kiosk before pulling the canoe for one last, unofficial portage to the Northern Door Inn--a good mile (?) away from Riverside Park, back toward the International Bridge. We stopped to buy fresh tomatoes from a farmer's stand and ate them like apples. Sam texted back that he was on his way and would arrive around 4:30 p.m.
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| Eastern Terminus |
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| Kay's paddling achievement: 180 miles. |
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| Leg 6 (Kay), Leg 1 (Sam) and I at the end of the trail. |
Kay and I checked into the motel where we both agreed, and were relieved, to get separate rooms. She claims she could hear me shriek all the way from the lobby when Sam arrived. (Not true. I was on the phone talking to my parents.)
With the car once again at our disposal, we took a drive along Hwy 161 seeing the river from above before heading to the Lakeview Restaurant near St. Agatha for dinner.
Thanks Kay for signing up first and paddling the longest. After a quick visit to Acadia National Park, it's back to Wisconsin.
I had a very good summer.
