Ginny's Journeys Ginny's Adventures 2008

Moosehead Excitement Aug 16, 2008

I and my two new friends, Lorraine and Margot, went off to find a couple of letterboxes and whatever else was to be found.

North of Greenville is a dirt road that went in more than 11 miles to an intersection with the Appalachian Trail. It was tricky getting there because the directions told me to go straight when I thought the Y I came to made that impossible. So, of course, we went right instead of straight. We eventually had to ask a camper (they just park in a nook near a lake and can stay for free for up to three weeks!) for directions, and she again said to stay straight on this road and we will get there! But we did get there eventually.

The trail was easily found and a letterbox was planted right there. After stamping in, we went up the hill a little ways and found a sign for a spring. I'm sure hikers fill up water bottles/canteens there. When we got back to the trail sign, a hiker came from where the spring was. He was a young man who started the trail at its beginning in April and should get to Mt. Katahdin on or before August 20th! He's on his fifth pair of sneakers and carries a tarp instead of a sleeping bag. He saw the signpost and the plastic bag we thought was for trash, and got real excited that it might be a "treasure". It was surely that! It was full of chocolate covered wafers and cookies and snacks! Good Samaritans place these bags along the trail for hikers! There are also leantos and camping spots along the way. Another learning experience popped up for me!

On the way back to Greenville, we saw a car stopped as if in a driveway, and as we passed by, we saw that the occupants were watching a mother moose and her twins right next to them! They had turned in to go to a campground and there they were! I was able to stop off the road, get out and snap a picture before the moose ran back into the woods!