English: Squirrel Point Lighthouse, Kennebec River, Maine USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For over twenty years, Steve Longley ferried hikers across Maine’s Kennebec River in his canoe. He probably met 20,000 A.T. hikers–most of them thru-hikers. He died this past March.
Steve accepted the job from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) after a female thru-hiker drowned while attempting to ford the Kennebec in 1986. Although others sometimes relieved him, Steve was usually the one who paddled hikers across the river.
The Kennebec can be a dangerous river, especially when a dam is sometimes opened upstream. The river swells quickly in that case, and old-timers will tell you of hikers who really had to scramble to make it across before being carried downstream. Click on Steve’s name at the beginning of this post and you can read the full story of Steve and his commitment to all hikers.
Thank you, Steve, for your devotion in protecting all of us.
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