River Crossings in ME

A little preview of water crossing during my hike today.

When people ask me if I am afraid of hiking alone referring to animals, I say that the only animal that scares me is man because wild animals are predictable and act by instinct, whereas man is just sick.

My biggest concerns while on the trail are having enough food to eat and river crossings in Maine. I asked Fox about his experience to which he responded, “very dangerous, I almost drowned twice, bring swimmies.” He was kidding of course and continued to say that he only had one bad river crossing, after a ton of rain “It was waste deep and the water was moving fast. Other than that they were knee deep and hardly flowing.” Just when I was starting to feel settled again he left me with, “They say to unclip your pack before you start incase you fall it won’t choke you and keep you down, but I definitely wouldn’t worry about it.” Fox sure does have a way of explaining things.

In her memoir, “A Journey South,” Adrienne hall blows up her inflatable sleeping pad and paddles across. Machine McCarron, plowed through the water and hoped for the best. Bryson and his mate Katz flailed there way across swapping roles of lifeguard and victim. But all of them made it.  

Now there is supposed to be a ferry person that escorts hikers across, but I have heard this is not always the case. If an Inuit can remove the bladder of a dead seal, blow it up, let it dry and use it as a canteen…I am confident I can figure out a way to cross a river. It’s about being resourceful. In the event I come to a river and there is not a ferry man in sight and the water is deep, which I expect it will be from all of the snow we got this winter, I will make a raft using my bear cord and fallen limbs and paddle myself across.