Thursday was our last day of touring in Maine, since we were leaving on Friday. It was still “my” day, so I got in the car with Mer and headed more or less due west, to near Bethel in the western mountains of Maine. We went to Grafton Notch State Park, and stopped at Screw Auger Falls just inside the park.

Screw Auger Falls is an impressive falls area with lots of trees and exposed bedrock. The stream is really small, and spreads out very much above the main falls so that it is really shallow. Then, it gets all crammed together and plunges into a pretty deep falls (maybe about fifty feet). The stream has carved out all kinds of fantastic rock shapes, and the stream below the falls is full of fair-sized rocks.

Mer and I made the climb down to the foot of the falls, which involved one or two tricky areas. Happily, we found another way out, since I was not sure how we would return the way we came, which involved a three-plus-foot drop that would have been hard to scramble up. The foot of the falls was really pretty, and we waded a little bit. The water was shallow but still really cold. We spent a fair amount of time down at the base, and then climbed back out by a steep but manageable path that took us to the main road, and we walked back to the car.

 We left the state park proper, and looked around for a parking lot for Step Falls, which was supposed to be really pretty. Mer saw a small parking lot with no sign, so we tried it, and it turned out to be correct. There were several cars and even a school bus in the lot, so we figured it must be worth seeing. We plunged into the woods, and started following the trail. The trail went over a lot of roots and some rocks, but it was well marked with blue blazes. Or so we thought. We followed the blazes until they ended at a stream, and there were some little falls there, but no good access to the water, and no people about. We turned back to the car, and I was disappointed.

Once back at the car, I saw the driver of the bus sitting next to the bus, reading. I asked him about the falls. He said he had never been, but had heard good things about the falls. He said we should have heard people since he had brought forty kids on the bus. So, we decided to try again. This time, we stayed away from the stream, and we discovered there were blazes here as well. We followed them about three quarters of a mile into the woods, and we finally found Step Falls.

It was worth the hike. Step Falls is just that – a series of falls and plateaus, with lots of pools of water that range from a few inches deep to a few feet. The whole area is surrounded by trees, and the trees frame an impressive view of a mountain. Mer and I scrambled up the rock to the penultimate falls, which we had to ourselves. There was a small sheltered area around the falls, so it felt as if we were alone. Mer dangled her toes, and I waded a bit and sat on the rock. I wanted to climb up to the top falls, but did not see a good way up that also offered a good way down. After awhile, the sun came out. I burn easily, so I jumped up on a rock near some trees for the shade. It was high enough that I could see the top of the falls.

It was an unexpected sight. Almost a mile into the Maine woods, in a remote falls area, were forty young women in bikinis. When the bus driver said he had brought forty kids, I had thought he meant little kids. These were all late high school or early college girls. It was a surreal sight. I sat down in the shade a little lower down and told Mer to go look up top. She came back and admitted it was a bizarre sight. She hit it when she described it as a beer commercial. A man came up with his wife and teen sons, and the father kept climbing while the wife rested. We had much fun narrating the event to ourselves (“What Bob does not realize is that we have replaced his usual boring beer….”). The man got to the top and then beat a hasty retreat back to his wife. Smart man.

We stayed at Step Falls for some time. It is a beautiful spot – maybe my favorite on this trip for shear tranquility. Even though there were people around, the falls area is big enough, and the flow of the water loud enough, to make you feel alone. I hope we can get back there next year.

 Late in the afternoon, it looked as if some rain was coming our way, so we made an efficient walk back to the car and headed home. We had done very well in making this trip to Maine an adventuresome one.