Date: 2009-08-19
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: stealth past Mahoosuc notch
Miles today: 7.1

A strong wind blew in during the middle of the night and never died down. I was still so tired from hiking for more than 12 hours yesterday, that I was in no hurry to get up. Both Chance and Top of Gothics planned on getting past the Mahoosuc arm today, but I was thinking about breaking the Notch and arm up, and camping in between. A southbounder had given me that advice. She said that all of the northbounders were complaining more about the arm (a mile of vertical rocks) than the notch, itself.    I ate breakfast alone and then headed on toward Goose Eye Mountain east peak. The climb was only a few hundred feet, and yet I was struggling so much! Even though I could physically feel the muscles in my legs, they just weren¢t working! My body didn¢t want to climb any longer!    I met a group of southbound guys, and chatted with the one leading the pack for a bit. His name was ¢Favre¢ and we discovered that we both live in the same town! He said that maybe he¢d see me downtown after he finished his hike. When he asked me if I was hiking alone, he responded, ¢It¢s a long way to go for a girl alone!¢       I reached the east peak summit and changed direction to get to the north peak, where the wind was whipping up a fury! It was kind of fun to be in the midst of so much energy, but very cold, so I had to get moving. I walked across the rugged Maine landscape that I had heard so much about, and was not surprised about what I saw. When I reached Full Goose Shelter, I was happy to see it right on the AT! I took a nice break, collected water, snacked, and read through the registry. One of the entries mentioned that we had the same number of miles to go as it took to get to Hot Springs. I thought about all that that encompassed, and knowing that Maine¢s terrain was much more difficult, the thought did not make me feel good. Time was ticking on, and I had to get moving, as the toughest and slowest mile on the entire AT was now a mile and a half ahead of me! That mile and a half did not go quickly in itself, but finally, I had reached the dreaded notch! It did not look at all like what I was expecting. I kept hearing people talk about the car and house sized boulders, and that it was like a playground. I had envisioned a granite slope of sheer rocks that one had to slide down, in the open air, but the notch was more of an earthquake-like tunnel of jumbled rocks that you had to individually climb down, up, across, over, and under. The neatest part of this maze was the cool pockets of air that you felt. It was so cold, that it felt refreshing after hiking in the heat and humidity for so long. Then, you would rise up, and encounter a warm pocket of air, before finding another pocket of cool, fresh air. I heard that some people even saw ice, but I did not see any. I knew about the moose that had gotten stuck and died here two years ago, and although I did not see its bones, I did feel its presence early on in the notch (other hikers saw some bones). All by myself, I picked my way around the rocks, collecting my patience, taking off my pack and pushing it ahead of me through rock tunnels, and then putting it back on. Then, it began to rain! This was not the place you wanted to be in the rain! I called Erik and discovered that I had cracked the screen on my iphone while pushing my pack through the rocks. He asked how far I had gone. I had no idea! One has no sense of time or space in this jumbled mess. There are no indications as to how far you have traveled or how much of it you have left. He told me to call me when I got through.   Around 4:10, I saw a couple coming south. ¢Karen, there¢s someone here to help us!¢ the man called out. He then asked me what time I started. I thought around 3:15. ¢What time did you start?¢¢Two o¢clock.¢¢Two o¢clock!¢ I thought to myself! You mean, I still have more than 2 hours to go before I get out of this?! I had to pick up my pace!       Luckily, I completed the rest of it faster than they had done it, and I knew from reading other journals that there was a camping spot after the notch. I found some flat ground, but nothing that looked particularly enticing, so I kept going. I came to a brook and decided to stop and cook my dinner there. That way, I wouldn¢t have to carry the water for cooking with me. I tried calling Erik, but I had no service. I knew he would worry about me all night long, but there was nothing I could do! I packed up and kept hiking, and soon I found a clearing that was big and private and perfect for my hammock! I set everything up, washed up, and got into my hammock just after all light had disappeared by 7:55! I had made it through the notch all by myself! Tomorrow, I would tackle the arm!