Start: Full Goose Shelter (AT mi 1916.2). Stop: Bethel, Maine (AT mi 1925.9). Today’s miles: 9.7 miles. Total AT mileage: 901.2 miles
I got up at 5:30 and started packing. I was suddenly so anxious that I’d get stuck or hurt at Mahoosuc Notch and no one would be around to help me. I can’t say I was dreaming about that, but I did wake up in a hurry with only that thought on my mind.
I left at 6:15, while others were just starting to stir. The mile and a half to get to the notch was far from smooth on its own.. lots of ladders and rock obstacles, but knowing whatever I pass would be nothing compared to the famous “notch” everyone talks and warns about I kept going. They say to expect to take 2 hours or more to go through the mile of rock boulders.
I made it to the notch at 7:30. No one had caught up to me yet, so I decided I’d go slow and cautious, and if I found myself in a pickle, id just wait it out until someone else came along to help. I packed away my phone and my trekking poles, and kept my rain cover on my pack to protect anything from sliding out into the abyss while slinking through what awaited me.
The way the rocks were all stacked and toppled onto each other reminded me of a car junkyard.. the ones where the wrecked cars are all piled on top of each other.. while some cars you easily climb up and over, others you crawl through the windows and scootch through the insides to come out the other side. It was a lot of arm work to make it anywhere, the deeper into the boulders you went, the more slick the rocks were. The tread on my shoes felt worthless.
Around 8:15 Reef caught me and I was so happy to see his face. He ended up having to help me down a couple steep sections that I couldn’t reach on my own. Picture this: I’m holding onto a tree root with all my might, both feet are on the rock ledge, knees are bent and if I stretch a leg down I’m still 2-4 feet from the bottom where Reef is standing. He’s telling me I’m ok to let go, and I just couldn’t. I was terrified. He helped me “drop” down. He also helped me through a cave section we had to crawl hands and knees through without our packs. We had to go a few feet, turn, pull your pack, then do the same.. over and over until we got out.
During the 2 hours and 15 minutes it took me to get through that section, I slipped, fell, and scraped my legs so many times I couldn’t keep count. Pulling with all my strength to get up to my knees, only to scrape them so much they bled. Fun times. Also, several people passed me, one younger guy I didn’t know helped talk me through a panicked moment when I thought I was about to fall into a dark hole.. he helped me turn back and attempt a different way, then held my hand until I crossed the hole to him.
Sometimes (ok, almost always-except to when it comes to peeing, and maybe the benefit of longer legs), I’m very grateful to be a woman. I know men would help other men, too, in a situation like that, but would they really stop to look at another man to see if they were actually ok and stay and hold their hand when they’re terrified crossing something sketchy? I’m going to guess not. The terrified man would probably be too proud to admit it to begin with-but there was no hiding my panic in that moment.
Anyway. I made it through and started to look for the stream promised to be ahead before starting the Mahoosuc Arm, the 1500 ft elevation gain in just a mile.. aka: straight UP. I got my water, chugged a bunch and ate a snack, limbs all still shaky with exhaustion from the last 2+ hours of hellish work. And then I started making my way up.
People either seem to love either the notch or the arm. Never both. I hated the notch, I could picture myself being seriously injured so many times.. but the arm? The arm was awesome. It was also all hand over hand climbing-but because it only went up-you could literally see your progress! The notch you could never tell when it was almost over- it just kept going and going and going.. the arm, turn and look down-yep.. I’m moving along nicely. There were roots and rocks everywhere making it mostly easy to guess at the best place for footing to safely move forward. Sure, if you chose wrong and fell, that would be disastrous, but that never came close to being an issue for me.
When I made it to the top, I ate my lunch and marveled at the view. I had accomplished two of the most difficult parts of this section already, and only had Old Speck Mountain to go before I was happily in a hotel bed. Hell. Yes.
I had to hike down to Speck Pond before hiking up Old Speck Mountain. Descents are easily my least favorite thing.. they make my knees hurt and they are slippery, usually the culprit to the majority of my falls. I got to the top just before 2pm and called the hotel to let them know. They offer a free shuttle from the bottom of the mountain to the hotel, but no one has service at the bottom.. If you forget to call at the top, they don’t know when to come get you, and the trailhead is pretty remote.
They picked me up from the bottom at 4:30, along with a SOBO hiker and then they also shuttled Reef and another hiker to town, too. The owners of the hotel were absolutely incredible. Mark took us to the motel first, let us shower and clean up, THEN let us check in.. lol
After paperwork was done he took me and the other hiker staying to get dinner and for me to resupply at the grocery store. I got back to the room and still had to do laundry and repack all my stuff. I was so beat, but I got it all done. I talked to my mom a while and then the second the dryer was done and my clothes were back in my room, I was in bed and ready to pass out. Hiker midnight comes so fast!
Anyway. What a crazy good, accomplished day. My whole body aches.. arms, shoulders, hands, knees, ankles, feet. This comfortable bed is just what I needed. I really wish I had more time and could zero tomorrow, but I’m on a mission to make it to Katahdin. Ahhhh. Well, Goodnight y’all.
