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| Mainer Steve Longley helps Appalachian Trail thru-hikers keep their boots dry and spirits high. |
He's a positive voice to those in it for the long haul. "Way to go," Steve Longley chirps as weary northbound Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hikers emerge from the Maine woods. "Only 160 miles left to Katahdin." Those heading south get a less encouraging greeting: "You're doing great! Only 2,000 miles to Springer Mountain [Georgia]." Besides being a cheerleader for AT thru-hikers, Longley is also the ferryman at the Kennebec River crossing in Caratunk, Maine, and a living, breathing part of the AT. He and his red Old Town canoe are the official means endorsed by the Appalachian Trail Conference, that is - of getting across a particularly treacherous stretch of the Kennebec. Recently, we caught up with the 43-year-old son of a former Maine governor. |
| BP: What's it like to be such an important part of the AT? |
| SL: I get down at the [river] crossing sometimes and I can't remember the combination to the lock on the boat, and I think, "Oh my God, I just stopped the AT." It hits home at that point that I hold the key to the Appalachian Trail. |
| BP: What's the craziest thing you've seen at the river crossing? |
| SL: There was this guy named Moses with a big white beard and big white hair who walked across [the river] one time. |
| BP: Did he part the waters? |
| SL: No, but he was enthralled with it. He looked like a superstar. |
| BP: How do you feel when someone asks you about your father, the late Governor James Longley Sr.? |
| SL: I model myself after my father. I may not be a governor or senator, but I'll be the best ferryman I can be. |
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- Jonathan Van Fleet
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