MILLINOCKET, Maine — A rainy forecast has hit the majority of Maine for the past few weeks, and it's impacting hikers in the state.
At Baxter State Park, Park Director Kevin Adam said trails were hit hard with flooding earlier this month, with some streams reaching waist high for hikers.
"It was significant, and we had to let people know, especially AT hikers, because they're starting to come into the park right now," Adam said.
Adam said the majority of the flooding in the park was because of water releases from the Ripogenus Dam, and it could be a few more days before the water recedes.
"They released a lot of water, which part of our trails are in a flood zone, so it flooded right off the west branch of the Penobscot," Adam added.
Trails around the Abol stream trail, 3 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and lower portions of Blueberry Ledges, Foss, and Knowlton trails all saw flooding.
One hiker who found herself caught in the flooding is Laura Rushfeldt, who made the trip up from Greater Boston two weeks ago to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail.
"It was just unbelievable the amount of water that was coming through," Rushfelt recalled.
Although she wasn't in Baxter State Park, she still got caught in waist-deep waters when she tried testing out a stream.
"I was holding this tree trunk or this tree branch, and I used the tree branch to pull myself back up back into the part where it was only chest deep," Rushfelt said.
Adam advises hikers that they should still plan to get wet, even though the trails in Baxter State Park are seeing receding waters.
"You know, be cautious. You are in a wilderness setting here," Adam advised.
If you're planning on heading to Baxter State Park in the next upcoming days, folks can stay updated on trail conditions on their Facebook page.