Date: 2013-08-23
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Grafton notch
Miles today: 10.0

8.23.13 Friday - day 145Full goose shelter - Grafton notch10 miles - 11 hoursLight rain overnight, we stayed dry in shelter. Cool morning pop tart & cookies breakfast. After small hill reach entrance to Mahoosuc notch, infamous boulder ravine at the bottom between 2 canyon walls. We put poles on pack & began hosting ourselves up & lowering down large boulders, some size of refrigerator, some a car n larger. lots of hand on boulders, roots, trunks. Some times on knees, elbows, backside, easy to get cuts & scrapes on skin, clothes & gear. So much fun to hurdle above, tunnel below, squeeze between boulders. One move i did alot was to plant one hand, straight arm, lean on it and then walk legs over. Another move on descents was to plant both hands, use upper body to lower whole body until boots touch rock. Lots of upper body & arm work today. Honestly not as difficult as i expected, lots of hype about it, probably because its new, different. People seem to have fear of unknown. Had a blast going thru, in a group of 6, sometimes bottleneck, casual pace took 2 hours. Lucky it was mostly dry, some damp at bottom, sunny weather. Fun memorable experience, go slow, set feet hands properly nothing to fear, enjoy it. Thanks to Code Walker who pulled ahead & left dove chocolates on a boulder top for us to find & enjoy. Thanks to Esmeralda who went south bound just to hand out apples & Ruth blueberry bars on the notch as trail magic, awesome. Long steep slow climb up continuous rock face to to Mahoosuc arm. Not so hard but long slow tiring. Steep rock face to top, glad it is dry out, boot grip is good today. Climbing distance duration longer than usual, want to believe summit is just over where you can see, get there see another rock to climb. Finally real summit, getting hungry, take view photos then down to Speck pond shelter on the side of Speck pond. Violet & Code Walker there, forest Gump arrives, MT, Peaches, Wilson show up, Winter Flower behind them, apparently she & her pack got stuck in a crevasse in the notch, Wilson & gang came upon her help her out. Great water source here, straight from hole in rock, wooden half pipe forms spout, water is cold & clear, no tannin here. Up to Speck mountain summit, call to Pine Ellis hostel, will get ride at bottom Grafton notch in 2.5 hours. Drop down is gradual easy, perfect weather, cool fungi grow on tree sides like steps on spiral staircase, brown on top, white under. Toads jump out of way as you pass, stop to take picture & they freeze. Reach parking lot, sit a minute, then ride arrives, driver gives us lemonade with alot of sugar, i like. Wilson & gang are there getting into another van going to The Cabin, a different hostel. 40 minute ride reach house hostel in Andover, a block from town intersection. Quaint town with gas station, general store, restaurant, post office in town. Town hall bell rings every hour for years, residents don't mind, I'm surprised it rings overnight when folks sleep. I wake up when it does, locals tune it out i guess. Some sobos & sectioners sit drinking on porch, I get in simple bunk house behind garage. One shared bathroom n shower, common living room area, use of kitchen, backyard with hammock between 2 un-harvested apple trees. Owner is small white haired lady with glasses, Ileen. Robin Hood an older gentleman from Iowa who I briefly met in jail hostel in Palmerton is there, been a while i dint recognize at first, then he mentions the jail and i remember he was the one who left before 6am. Oreo, a 6 foot girl i met early on is there with hiking partner Quohog, they are a day ahead. They tell me Little Red hen cafe has prime rib tonight, they go there, when I'm in shower he text me saying they out of prime rib, me n Octagon go, crowded, grab bar seats, order patty melt, get homemade pumpkin spice whoopie pie with cream cheese center to go. Slice of raspberry pie to eat there. At general store got Shipyard Pumpkin head beer, excellent now one of my fav Halloween beer, Grittys pale ale OK. geary's pale ale pretty good. Chat on porch a while then off to bunk, cold night in bunk, thin walls open windows. Clear night sky no city lights only black sky & stars.Met Germans Pacemaker & Runner Up, Yooper, Big Red.