08-25-13 Lost in the dark somewhere

B here, finally got to write a day's entry after a long time off.

The shelter was a good decision allowing us to get an early start. The trail was easy; after breaking at East Carry Pond Beach midmorning, we still clocked 10 miles to the Pierce Pond Lean-to by lunchtime.

We relaxed pond-side, watching a loon fish on the lake fit for a postcard. There was no need to rush; the ferry didn't resume again until 2:00 p.m. at the Kennebac River.

The ferry has operated since the beginning of the AT and is the only ferry service on the trail. The Kennebac crossing is downstream of a hydroelectric dam; the water releases are unpredictable and cause the water to rise over 15 inches within a minute. While we were there, we witnessed how fast the water moves after a release. Many hikers have risked fording and have gotten into serious trouble on this otherwise tame looking river.

Our canoe ferry made it safely across and we ventured to the Northern Outdoors Resort in Caratunk, Maine for tasty burgers and micro brews as an afternoon snack.

K stayed at the lodge while I set up the tent across the street in the campground. I returned for happy hour and air conditioning.

It was getting late, so K left for the tent while I stayed at the lodge. After what I thought were excellent directions to the tent, she was on her way. What neither of realized, though, was how dark it would be. Not only was the campground poorly signed, but it was pitch dark too.

When I got back to the tent, I noticed K wasn't anywhere around. Morning Kid checked the lady's restroom and confirmed K wasn't there.

At this point I realized I was now on the hunt for a lost and highly-likely angry K somewhere. After a few rounds of the campground, I checked the lodge. Still no K.

It had been an hour since the last K sighting, and our friends were ready to help. Our plan included I and 5 other thru-hikers combing the campsite. Another 30 minutes. Still no K.

A vacationer drove me around the major roads as our friends began round two. My driver also happened to be a police officer so while we calmly looked for her, I got to answer all the standard police questions.

"Did you two get into a fight?"
"Not since we got separate trail mixes"

More cop questions: "Could she have run away?" and "Does she have any medical condition?"

The driver dropped me at the lodge; I was now really worried. Our next plan was to search the empty camp cabins. As I was running to my search area, MASH informed me that he had found K in a cabin tent farther down.

After she had walked down to the campground and some indeterminate distance, she realized that she didn't know where or how far she was going in the dark. She then stopped at a cabin tent and waited for me to come by.

Thankfully the story ended well, and is now just another side-adventure of our Appalachian Trail journey.