Date: 2007-08-25
From: Grafton Notch

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

We got away early as this was to be one of the bigger days on the trail. It was quite a haul up Old Speck Mountain (780m) but we made it in 2 1/2 hours, then on to Speck Pond shelter. There is meant to be a caretaker there as it is a high use area, but we did not see anyone. The pond was really picturesque but we did not stick around too long due to anticipation of the rest of our day and the fact we wondered if we were going to get all the way to Full Goose shelter on the other side of Mahoosuc Notch. Going down from Mahoosuc Arm to Mahoosuc Notch was very steep and slow and we weren't sure what we were going to encounter when we got to the bottom. Some people say this descent is the hardest on the trail. Mahoosuc Notch turned out to be a pile of large rocks spread along a narrow gorge. View from Mahoosuc ArmMahoosuc NotchOver the last few days we had been regaled with stories about Mahoosuc Notch and how challenging it is, so we really had been wondering what we were going to find. Due to the fact that many people have been along it there is a well-worn trail through the rocks, although one can get befuddled here and there with alternatives. There was nothing that stopped us for long, though we had to figure out how to get up or down several of the larger rocks which required some scrambling. It helps to be fairly tall and a bit of a rock-climber. We were through in an hour. To compare with New Zealand, I suppose not so many of our readers have gone over Red Hill in the Richmond Range - Dave and I did that earlier this year and spent an 11-hour day in rock with no trail. Well, Mahoosuc Notch has bigger rocks than a lot of those but they are stable, unlike Red Hills, and there is a trail, so that helps. Also, it reminded me a bit of the true right of the Cascade River - that trip you took, Neil, where the travel was about one hour per kilometer through untracked terrain along the side of the gorge over huge rocks clothed in heavy rain forest. Eight hours of that was hard work. The deep "V" on the right hand side is Mahoosuc Notch and the peak to its right is Mahoosuc Arm. (The topo doesn't show the whole trail, but the profile is complete)Since the start of the trail we had met quite a few people who had had trouble getting through Mahoosuc Notch. One woman said it took her 3 1/2 hours. While we were there we met a couple who were going to be quite a while. We helped them over one big rock and it was obvious they would be there for a lot longer. She was very short and just trying to help her I got some understanding of the advantages of being tall. The famous dead moose was just a large dead animal still in the smelly stage - dead anything all smells the same, not pleasant but that is how it smells. So that was the dreaded Mahoosuc Notch and we struggled up another 280m (on adrenaline, in my case) to Full Goose Shelter reaching there by about 4.30pm. South Peak of Fulling MtnDinner was one of those freeze-dried meals plus potato, cheese, nuts etc on the side. We deserved a good meal. There were a couple of older guys there in the shelter who had started on the trail in early May so were doing really well. We were impressed. They were dealing with a problem as one of them, feeling more tired than he thought he should, had gone to see a doctor only to be told he had a heart problem and should get treatment immediately! He was determined to finish the trail, then seek treatment, and hope he didn't die doing it. As we were preparing dinner there was a cool breeze, then another, and shortly a fierce thunderstorm blew in. We had decided to stay in the shelter that night because there were several others there and all the tent platforms were occupied. As it turned out the tent would have been better because the wind blew the rain in right to the back of the shelter and it was pretty wet. We had our large ground sheet pulled over us and all our stuff in waterproof bags, so we were fine, but the others cowered against the back wall and got wet anyway. Later in the evening after the storm a young girl hiking alone arrived and put up her tent near the toilet (there being no other vacant spot). She was sick and we heard her throwing up at intervals during the night. Next day she said she was better but was looking forward to reaching Grafton Notch so that she could hitchhike out and get help. I don't know what was the cause of her sickness but we have met several people who were not treating their water. This seems like too much of a risk to us as you can lose a lot of time due to sickness, not to mention the sheer unpleasantness of it.