Date: 2004-08-24
From: Grafton Notch, ME

To: Day 122: Surplus Pond, ME
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

On AT Day 122 Hot Chocolate and I were once again able to ¢sleep in¢ to 4:30 a.m. since the AT trailhead on ME 26 at Grafton Notch was relatively close to our trailer at the Timberland Campground near Gorham, NH and since I was originally only planning on hiking about six miles ¢ a goal that I later revised to 12.1-miles. In any event, I was able to start hiking around 7:15 a.m. in spectacularly invigorating weather ¢ clear skies and a temperature in the low 40¢s that later dropped to 34-degrees with winds easily in the 30-miles per hour range on the top of Baldpate Mountain. How¢s that for late August weather!The 1,200-foot climb out of Grafton Notch to plateau below the West Peak of Baldpate Mountain was steep and steady, but not terribly difficult as was the subsequent 1,000-foot climb to the 3,662-foot summit of the West Peak. The peak itself was tree covered, a fact that provided some shelter from the increasingly intense winds and dropping temperatures ¢ but with the sun shining brightly I certainly was not complaining! As I descended a couple of hundred feet to the sag or col between the West and East Peaks, I was ¢treated¢ to lots of mud and bog walks on log/plank bridges through the truly very pretty alpine tundra. In crossing this plateau I had an excellent preview of the completely bare rock-faced climb and summit of the West Peak.To be honest, I thought the trail was going to take some kind of detour to avoid this challenge, but no, up near the top I could barely see another hiker completing the rocky ascent so I knew I was in for a treat. The trail up the West Peak was marked mostly with cairns, a vivid reminder of how much more challenging it would have been if I had to scale it under more inclement weather ¢ like I experienced most of last week in the Whites and going through the Mahoosuc Notch and up the Mahoosuc Arm¢¦ As it was, with the clear and windy weather, the smooth rocky trail provided excellent footing most of the time and except with having to stop periodically to catch my breath, the climb was straightforward and actually a lot of fun. When I got to the summit, I took the requisite ¢peak grabber¢ photo, ate my morning Power Bar snack and then began what I expected to be a challenging descent.As it was, the climb down did not appear to be nearly as steep as I feared, but in hindsight I think this illusion was due to my resurging confidence brought on by the dry and relatively secure footing. Thus after a relatively easy descent of a little over 1,500-feet I reached the Frye Notch Lean-to where I stopped for lunch. I also used the privy where I found a most unusual sign, ¢Latch door when leaving or porcupines will eat this building!¢ And here I thought the alligators we have back in my home state were a problem¢¦ I knew the sign wasn¢t a joke since the shelter maintainers had taken the trouble to shield the bottom three-feet of the privy¢s outside walls with thick metal screening.The hike from the shelter up 500-feet to the top of Surplus Mountain and back down 1,500-feet to Dunn Notch and Falls was strikingly pretty. I now wish I had taken the time to hike the Blue Blazed Cascade Trail so I could have further explored this narrow chasm and its 60-foot falls.About a mile after leaving Dunn Notch, I came to East B Hill Road where I met two absolutely delightful Trail Angels, Calvin and Mary Batchelder. This 70-ish couple was sitting by the roadside with a huge array of goodies that they energetically offered for my enjoyment. Even though I had just eaten my afternoon Power Bar snack at the Dunn Notch Falls less than an hour before, after leaving the Batchelders I had eaten an additional banana, several homemade cookies and a muffin and had consumed a soft drink and a large glass of Florida orange juice. I had to pass up the fudge, grapes and lots of other food and drink, but I did accept Mary¢s plea to take along a care package of cookies and a banana for later.In talking with this lovely couple, I learned that they lived in NH and had been serving as Trail Angels for several years at various AT road crossings. I also learned that Calvin had already hiked the AT and the PCT, the latter he finished over two-years in 1995-96 when I suspect he was already in his early to mid-60¢s. I tell you that I was truly inspired by their generosity and accomplishments. After reluctantly leaving the Batchelders, I easily completed a 1.9-mile hike up 750-feet to Surplus Pond where I found a lovely spot around 5:00 p.m. to make camp for the night.