Date: 2003-09-14
From: New Hampshire-Maine Line

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

Couple of young guys come nobo after dark. There's a stretch of "Mahoosuc Notch" type of climbing. I could hear them cursing and grunting as they made their way by head lamp last night. It takes all kinds. That particular stretch was somewhat scary (read dangerous) during good daylight. Also, the heavy dew condenses on the cold boulders to make them wet. Anyone who's done The Notch knows. This is the absolute hardest part of the entire A.T. This is what I came for, and I was gonna' get my share.The sign on the tree reads "Maine, The Way Life Ought to Be". I was feeling pretty frisky after NOT killing myself while getting there and I figured that my Mother and Carol would be pleased as well. The bog bridges surprised me. I didn't expect to see spagnum bogs at elevation like this, but there are new lessons to be learned every day. The weather is changing. Clouds, driven by an approaching front, began to blow over. Carlo Col Shelter was the closest water supply. Had to climb down a 0.3 mile side trail to get there. Had finished my platypus the night before and had to do a good stretch just to get water this morning. Everytime I pump it, I think how fortunate people are who only have to turn on the faucet in order to enjoy all the clean, delicious water they want, hot or cold. Same with the toilets. Just flush it and the "poo" becomes someone else's problem. Out here on the Trail, what to do with the poo and getting a supply of clean, drinkable water are major considerations. If I didn't appreciate it before, I certainly do now as the little alcohol stove heats up my breakfast coffee. About this time, a rather interesting British gentleman shows up. He is dressed all in pink from head to foot, and is carrying an unusual double pack. Never saw anyone else do it. It's kind of like a sandwich board front and back, except both sides are packs. Big Pink Packs! Guess he had made 'em himself out of canvas, and how much they weighed was a touchy subject (just can't tell about somefolks), but he was looking for a New Zealander (a Kiwi) who was hiking with a spotted dog, and had I seen 'em? "No, I hadn't", I remarked, "but I'd sure be on the lookout, and by the way, you sure are looking PINK today!" Well, the fella looked down at himself kind of surprised like (as though it had never occured to him that he appeared to be a "Mary Kay" convention looking for a place to land) and said something about having washed everything together with his brand new flap-back red longjohns, and I allowed as how that would do it every time.By this time, I'd had enough and my water too, and started back up the mountain to get back to where I'd come from. Mt. Carlo came and went. I was taking a breather, and looking up at Goose Eye East and all of those Anasazi-looking ladders going up and over the impossible parts, when the spotted dog comes by. I figured she was hiking with a New Zealander and sure enough he comes by in a bit and we "howdy" one another, and I tell him about Double Pink Packs being a bit behind him. On up into the clouds he goes.Well, I'm still there sucking wind, when a young fella comes whistling down the mountain, carrying a pick axe. Here he is, not even wearing a shirt, and he's obviously been doing volunteer Trail maintainence. I knew the words before they came out of his mouth. As he passed, he said, "enjoy", as though he'd given me a cheeseburger or a taco or something. I wanted to strangle him! I determined that the next young person that found me gasping for air on the side of the road and told me "enjoy", I was gonna beat 'em to death with my hikin' sticks. If that guy hadn't a been carryin' an axe, I'd a sent him over to the other side that very morning.Well! I rode that adrenaline rush over Goose Eye East and Goose Eye West, and had just about caught up to spotted dog and co. on the down hill side, when Full Goose Shelter and campsite presented itself on the far end of a pretty hairy down-slope. Myself (and anyone else) had to hang on to bushes on the side of the Trail in order to get down that slope and no kidding.I caught up with Kiwi Guy in front of me with spotted dog because he (Kiwi Guy) chose to unload his pack, put the dog in the pack and go down the boulderfield, tie up the dog at the bottom, climb back up the slope, reload the pack, and climb down to the bottom again. That's how I caught up to him.Full Goose Shelter was a roomy, somewhat longish, Prairie Style and open on one side. Four or five others (all men) were already there and one southbounder, Green Man, had the floor, addressing the troops. One exhibitionist at a time is plenty, so I pitched my tent out back on one of the excellent tenting platforms with plenty of tie-downs in all the right places. Excellent!I was off by myself and could ignore the orator at my leisure. The sandwich fixins were finally all gone and I cooked up a great pot of noodles with broccoli and a can of tuna with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. That's good eatin'! I finished it off with a Snickers bar and a pot wash with teabag. That's all folks. I fell asleep listening to the sobo tell everyone about coming through "the toughest section on the entire A.T"., Mahoosuc Notch. In my dreams, the infamous rocks dripped blood and tales of mangled arms and legs littered the landscape.