We did this hike on August 12, 2008.
There was a light drizzle as we broke camp so everyone put on their pack covers. A group of kids from the MCC also left at the same time and we let them go ahead of us on the trail since they were so much faster.
We took a break at the beautiful East Branch Lean-to.
East Branch Lean-to
This Lean-to looked rather new and it had plenty of tent sites with a great fire ring.
We then had to cross the East Branch of the Pleasant River. Dragonfly, Fairway, and Dirigo made it across the river without any problems.
Dragonfly
Dirigo then helped me and Shoe across the river because neither of us felt comfortable rock hopping. Dirigo got back into the water and told us where to place our feet and helped steady us on the slippery rocks.
Shoe made it half way across the river and then panicked and threw her pack across the river! Fortunately, her pack landed on a rock and did not get wet. Then Dirigo helped guide Shoe across the rest of the river.
I switched out of my crocs and into Dragonfly's Teva sandals before I had to get into the water. Once I was in the water, Dirigo pointed to the shallow parts of the river and told me where to place my feet.
River Crossing
We took a break at Mountain View Pond outlet and I soaked my tired feet. The climb up Little
Boardman Mountain was tough and during the descent my good knee was screaming bloody murder.
Everyone was still tired from climbing the 4 peaks yesterday and we knew that we could not make it to Jo-Mary Road today (our planned destination). Fortunately, everyone had brought extra food so we were not worried about starving.
We decided to stay at the stealth camp near the Crawford Pond outlet.
Crawford Pond
Campsite
The pond water was very clear and it felt good to wash my entire body. The rain rolled in after dinner and lasted until midnight.