Date: 2014-07-23
From: full goose shelter

To: frye notch lean to
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

I planned on staying where i did last night because it put me right before the mahoosuc notch. The notch is "the hardest or the funnest mile of the trail". I have read about people taking two hours or more to get thru the notch so i wanted to get it early. I got on the trail about six thirty and headed straight for it. I got to the official start about 7:15. The first fiftenn feet i dropped down into this pit surrounded by boulders and the temp dropped at least ten degrees! Oh this is gonna get good. When i say boulders i mean boulders on steroids here, big as a school bus some of em are. The cold air was rushing out of the cavities between the rocks. On i went into the madness. The best description i can give is there are two mountains close to eachother and some huge event caused them to both fall into the valley at the same time. Now each mt has a cliff for a side rather than a slope and all the boulders piled into a jumble in the middle. The average size of the rocks is @ 6' across but all odd shaped. So you pick your way down the length of the gorge over and under the boulders. Many places i looked down to see ice still in the crevasses below me, ahh, thats where the air conditioning is coming from! I would imagine some of it stays all year. So i climb over rocks, hop to another rock squeeze between rocks and even crawl under some. I had to take off my pack 3 times and crawl thru first then reach back and drag the pack thru. One spot is small and it was a bit of a squeeze for me to get through but i made it and so did my bag. It took about an hour and twenty minutrs to get to the other end. I would not say the hardest mile but for sure the slowest and what a cool place. I would have liked to have been a fly someplace safe to see that all happen, must have been something! So i was thru the notch, now to climb the mahoosuc arm. This is reported to be rough as well but i have learned to form my own opinion and not believe everything people say. I was glad i was going up the arm as large areas of it are just slab of exposed rock, steep exposed rock. There are a few places i found out how much traction my old boots had left in em, not enough. I slid back a hanful of times wishing for new boots with treads on them. Dont get me wrong, my keene voyagers are the best dollar per mile i have spent on shoes but 700+ miles is more than the tread could stand. I made it up and over the arm and down to speck pond shelter for noon break. I got some more spring water and ate some combos. Two southbound girls came in and asked about the notch and the arm. I said it was really neat, just expect it to take a while. They were eating lunch too when one pulled out a full size bottle of mustard then a full size bottle of mayo. I contained my first thought and remembered all the way too heavy things people had early on in the hile. Soon these girls will learn of stealing packets of condiments from convenience stores. Some places even have salsa packets! I wished them luck and moved on down the way hearing tell of possible thunderstorms on the way this afternoon. Im meeting cindy in a couple days to hike with me so i needed to get to a place where we could meet, hike for three days to a road we could get a ride back to her car, logistics. The only thing i could come up with had me going sixty plus in three days so i needed to make miles while it wasnt raining. From old speck mt it was a looong drop down to grafton notch, 2500'! On the way down i met redbeard, he said he had just checked the weather and it was to be raining by five. I thought, cool i should be able to get to frye notch lean-to. He looked pooped, i hoped he could make it to speck pond. From the notch i had to get over the baldpate peaks, east then west. The west peak is a 2200' climb and as i got halfway up it i could hear the thunder rumbling behind me. Dam. I was a hustling as fast as i could after downing a double espresso gel packet and a snickers bar. I was about halfway up when i passed the baldpate lean to. This was a calculated move. I couldnt stop this early and i still thought i had time. On i went, legs pumping for all they were worth, calves powering up the hill. Nearing the summit i could see the storm moving in and the thunder getting closer, dam. I got to the first peak and could clearly see the storm comin over the mountains and she didnt look friendly. I could also see the second peak, a bald topped pile of rock. There was a notch between the two i could hole up in but was nearly out of water. That was calculated too, less water less weight, more faster. I wouldnt be able to stay the night without getting a mighty thirst on. I prepped by putting on my ball cap, storing my phone and camera in safe places, and putting on my pack cover. I never put that on before it rains but this looked like it could go south real quick. Ok son, lets do this! I bolted for the valley as fast as i could, of course i saw a sweet spot to tent if i had water. Onward at full throttle across the valley and as i started up i felt the first sprinkle. No not yet i told the storm, give me a minute. I constantly monitored the storm and my position on the mountain as i started to climb. The wind had picked up and was whipping now causing me to have to walk diagonal to where i wanted to go. I saw a point on the hill that i told myself that if i could get there before it started raining i would be ok. The thunder moved closer the sheets of rain moved in with it, i hustled for all i was worth now on pure adrenaline. I stepped up the solid rock mountain always peeking to my left to see what was coming. I got to the spot i wished for but did not let up. Still climbing it started to sprinkle. They were big heavy drops pelting me but not in volume. I pushed and pushe then the winds got windier and the rain got rainier. Dam. I neared the crest of the summit when i looked over at the clouds promissing to saturate any hiker that did not seek shelter, i was that hiker. It started to rain now as i came over the summit. Seconds after it was raining hard and the wind tried repeatedly to take my hat. I told the storm it could soak me but it couldnt have my hat. I travelled to arizona from ny for that hat and i was not giving it up. I tipped my head down and toward the wind like an old buffalo out on the plains and scurried along. As i started to descend i was getting hammered with rain, almost painful it was hitting me so hard. Then the lightning started. You ever hear lightning while on top of a mt? It sounds different. It sounds like 'ut oh'. Two bright flashes and crispy crackling bangs came soon behind. I didnt stop to look. Down the rock as fast as i could without sliding out of control i got to the trees. That was better even though these first trees werent very tall they did block the wind. Then the trail lead me back into the open where the storm battered me. Whatever, ive seen worse, i taunted tmother nature. Might as well right? Once i got to the trees for the final time i thought, good i made it. Thats when the lightning came looking for me. It was so close that i involuntarily ducked. Like that would help i thought everytime i did it. Still dropping down to the valley thet rail was a stream helping me along. I knew i would be ok at this point so i did slow my pace a bit to cross over the rocks safely. It was 1.8 miles from the peak to the shelter. That might have been the longest 1.8 on the trail to date. By the time i got there i was spent and soaked. I dropped my pack under the overhang of the shelter that was full of sobos. You were up there in that? Yup, not the best i told him. I was a bit put out that nobody offered to slide over for to make a place for me to sit out of the rain. Nobody budged. No matter, i tent. I left my bag under the shelter roof and went to fetch water from the stream then scouted for a spot. I found the tent area on a grade and again got irritated with a sobo. A guy with a hammock took the nicest flattest spot! Dude, you gots a hammock, you dont need a flat spot. Thats why nobos get irritated with sobos. I godd a not too bad spot and set up shelter real quick like to keep the inside dry. The southbounder in the hammock poked his head out and said, 'you look pretty wet.' Yup, pretty wet. I got myaelf all set up, even put up a clothes line in the rain, i couldnt get any wetter. I changed and quickly hung my clothes for in case it did stop they might dry. I cooked and ate in my tent thinking i had a 22 mile day tomorrow which was more than i had hoped for but did not want to go further in the rain. I cooked and ate in my house and for the first time ever didnt even hang my food bag on a low limb like i always do to keep gummy bears from getting it. You want it, take it. I was settled in early, by six. Oh, i got to the shelter just at 5, redbeards report was wrong. It was ok. I didnt get fried, didnt blow up, didnt melt, did slip and fall, and i had a nice mobile home to protect me and a great story to tell. I sent a txt to my ma to tell her i was alive before i wrote this entry so she would hyperventilate while reading. Honestly i was aglad to be done early, i feel tired like i need some extra sleep and 22 miles didnt seem so bad tomorrow. Dozing of the the drops pattering on my roof like the old farmhouse days, i thought about what i just did. One side said poor choice, other side said you did it! I like what the other side said better. It all worked out like it usually do. Mother nature let me get away cuz she likes me, and i like her.