Pierce Pond Lean-to to Moxie Bald Lean-to---July 3rd

Owl and Piece of cake were out before it got fully light, hoping that a big day would put both of them beyond the Bigelows.  I, on the other hand had no reason to rush because the Kennebec Ferry didn't run until 9 a.m., so I opened up the book I was packing and had a chance to read.  Left the shelter a little after 7 and made quick time down to the river, getting there at 8:15.  With time on my hands, I read some more.
Eventually, I saw movement on the far bank as the ferryman pulled out the canoe from where it was stored, put it in the water and began paddling over.
It's a wonderful service that is provided for A.T. hikers, taking them safely and dryly across the open water and depositing them on the far shore.  I was the first one ferried that day, but met five sobos tramping through the woods, having left Caratunk earlier and looking forward to their own passage.
Not bad hiking today, but it was cloudy and that meant no views from Moxie Bald or Pleasant Pond Mountain.  In fact, I even took the bypass trail on Moxie Bald since I felt there was no real reason to summit.  Perhaps I should have reconsidered because I slipped yet again and took a header into a standing puddle of water.  How refreshing!  Ha ha. 
The best wildlife experience was coming across a ptarmigan family, actually a mama bird and her three chicks.  Surprising them, these little birds didn't duck and cover, hoping that their camouflage color and stillness would protect them like the turkey chick.  No, they did their best to flap their underdeveloped wings and launch themselves in the air, hoping to reach the protection of the trees.  The best they could really manage was to perch wobbly on a small branch at about eye level, which for me was pretty darn cool, but for them was quite possibly terrifying.  Not wanting to cause them undue trauma, I went on down the trail.
When I got to the lean-to, there was a southbounder holed up with a stray dog.  It had a radio collar, but was apparently lost in the woods and, judging by the number of ribs I could count and the amount of begging it was doing, in need of a good meal.  Unfortunately, the average thru-hiker isn't carrying a lot of extra food around.  Other hikers slowly filtered into the area, some taking up the tent sites and a couple joining us in the shelter.  Then, my education with the drug culture element continued as the 40-year-old traded some swigs from his whiskey bottle for some marijuana the teenager was packing.  Well, certainly my eyes have been opened with regard to drug use on the trail.  I've seen the reality, but in most ways I'd rather have remained blissfully ignorant.  At least the rain that's begun to fall on the roof will send me into a blissful sleep.

Kennebec River and Ferry