Date: 2003-08-15
From: Gentian Pond Campsite (2165') 

To: Full Goose Shelter (3030') 
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: light rain

ALOHAAAAAA!!! Reaching deep down inside you, on the count of three, I want you to yell almost as loud as you can a deep and guttural - YEEEHAWWW!!! Ready? One, two, three - YEEEHAWWW!!! You are now in the state of Maine! The 14th and FINAL state! Let's do it again - YEEEHAWWW!!! Most cool.   Where to begin this entry? That is the question. Do I begin with how wonderful it is to have crossed in to Maine? Oops, I already did that. Do I tell you about the second, in a row at that, absolutely sterling weather we had? Hummm... I sort of just did that too. Or do I just begin at the beginning and work my way through? Today it really doesn't matter as long as you know that WE'RE IN MAINE! Wuhuu!   It looks like we have our replacement for Old Corpus in Don Quixote. He worked in nicely today. He and Gutsy have basically walked together the past two days and seem to be playing together nicely. It's my understanding that they have been great help to each other in some of the rougher places. Excellent.   As for the trail, there's no surprise for you when I say that we left camp and immediately went UP. Nothing new there. We went UP until we finally reached Mt Success (3565'). Though it was a major huffer and puffer it was so worth the trip when I arrived at the top. Views to die for once again. Like yesterday, Mt Washington and Madison were visible, along with the smoke from the Cog train going UP. I wonder how far a person¢s eye can see in a straight line distance. Our visit to Mt Washington was many days and miles ago and yet I can still see it in the dim distance. It makes you wonder if you've really gone as far as you think you have. Anyway, a whole hour was spent lounging about leisurely chatting with Coffee and then Gutsy and Don upon their arrival. Glorious views, great people and perfect weather to start off the day. It was sooooo worth the work to get there.   From there it was off to what we were all gunning for - Maine! As I arrived at the border crossing (sounds like Texas and Mexico) I found Coffee fixing a hot lunch and awaiting our arrival. He had yet to cross into Maine (2972'). I joined him for lunch with my crackers and peanut butter and waited for Gutsy and Don to come in. I decided to at least wait for Gutsy to cross. It seemed only fitting that we crossed together since we battled New Hampshire together. And it was.   Maine is said by many to provide the wildest, most rugged, and most remote hiking opportunities on the AT. I've accepted the fact that I can expect little else than arduous climbs and descents characteristic of the White Mountains. Parts of the trail travel through fragile bogs atop log walkways. Over 600 of them today alone. In the case of Maine, the trail has also reacquired the root-ridden problem. Slipping and sliding all the way to Katahdin. There is no getting around it, Maine is going to hurt.   Our first stop after crossing into Maine was .5 mile UP the trail where Coffee and I went the .6 miles round trip to locate water. Upon our return UP the mountain Gutsy and Don were having lunch and ready to go with the purifying efforts. It turned out to be another lovely hour sitting, chatting and munching. Something we all do well.   From that point on it was one gorgeous roller coaster ride after another. Up to Mt Carlo (3565') with its wonderful vistas, to the west peak of Goose Eye Mountain (3854') and then to the east peak of Goose Eye (3795') and finally the north peak of Goose Eye (3675'). We crossed balds, dipped back into the pine forests, came back out on other balds, scrambled UP and down steep mountains, and practiced mini Mohoosuc Notch scrambles. All through the hike the vistas crossed showed breathtaking views in all directions. It was another hard but perfect day for hiking.As I said earlier, it was also a long and hard day. The ladders attached to the sides of mountains are fun and exciting but also slightly scary. Same with the 600 plus bog bridges. Great for the environment but lousy for relieving the anxiety attached with falling on one.   I mentioned this yesterday or the day before but at this point it has been confirmed, this trail isn't going to get any easier. As I said, I did two things wrong at the beginning of this hike. It distinctly stands now in Maine. My warm-up in the states with lower elevations and limited vertical changes weren't enough to prepare the old legs and knees for New Hampshire and Maine. The 800 or so miles hiked getting here helped of course but they still weren't all that was needed. Stairmaster on the hardest and highest setting would have helped. Maine is rugged. Gorgeous but rugged. It's going to be fun! Umph!   It's been a very long day for me but an even longer one for Gutsy; she just arrived. All we could hear as she climbed the last ladder for the day is "I hate backpacking and I want my mommy!" The whole place was roaring before she even entered the site. Guess it's been an even longer day for her. Poor kid!   Tomorrow is the infamous Mahoosuc Notch. Something I've been hearing about since way before I started this trail. Its infamous for its house sized boulders and time it will take to make the one-mile it covers. Time for bed. Want this night to go fast - I'm ready! Wuhuu! Night-night!BSandTs: nothing differentAandPs: same-o, same-o, tired knees and feetMandGs: false peaks that go on forever!...waah!