Hiking Four Ponds and Finding Those Words

Who knew? For decades I've driven up through the Height of Land to Rangeley. At the scenic turnoff, there's a quintessential Maine view of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. About one quarter of a mile before the turnout is a gravel road on the right marked with a partially-built rock wall. This deteriorating road winds up through the rolling western mountains. Bailey and I hiked down several ATV trails on the left to Long Pond, one of the Four Ponds (actually, I read here there are six named ponds and a bog).        

View from the Height of Land––October 5, 2012

Down one trail, we found a cluster of boats, a rustic, backwoods marina. These boats are owned by true fishermen--I suspect they come to this rural outpost for the quiet, their friends, and the fishing. Long Pond has several cabins on the shores but no electricity. It sounds cliché, but Four Ponds is a hidden gem. Next up for us will be a hike of the AT from the Height of Land across to Four Ponds.

While on this hike and leaf-peeping tour that ended with a 40-minute run in Weld, I thought of a new writing project to undertake and worked through several others that are percolating. Although I know that "The writer is the one who stays in the room" (Ron Carlson), it's not news that sometimes you have to get out from behind your computer screen and leave your room to find those words.

Remember to click on the photos to enlarge!