Date: 2016-06-30
From: Gentian Pond Campsite

To: North end of Mahoosuc Notch - campsite
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

Cell service sketchy last several days. This is the second of three DELAYED postings. Hiked 12.3 miles from Gentian Pond Shelter to the north end of the Mahoosuc Notch where I am camping. The Notch is described as the most difficult or fun mile of the AT as you make your way through a jumbled pit of boulders. I think it was both - most difficult and most fun. It took me about 90 minutes to get through. Three times I had to take off my pack and push it through a tiny opening between boulders before pulling myself through. There was lots of boulder-hopping and some swinging on branches. Tarzan would have had a blast here! There was still ice in a number of the crevices between the boulders which was surprising to see this late in the year. The cold air around it was quite refreshing. One very big milestone today was crossing into Maine from NH. Maine is the last of 14 states for Northbounders on the AT, covering 282 miles, including something called the 100 mile wilderness which precedes the 4000 foot finale up Mount Katahdin. For anyone interested in Maine fun facts, see the info below at the end of this communication.   Some cards at Papyrus also inspired me to fish for some nature-related quotes as I enter the final weeks of my walk in the woods. Will hike a half day tomorrow and spend the evening at "camp" again. Quotes of the day1. Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. Henry David Thoreau, Walden 2. I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees, as other Indian babes. I can go everywhere with a good feeling. ¢ GeronimoMaine Factoids - Here are some Maine factoids I took from Visitmaine.net. Before reading, get your "Maine on" by repeating after me, "don't bothah your fathah, when he is in the back-yahd, bahbequing." Mariners don't recognize the letter "R". I think they lent it to New Yawkahs who seem to put it where it doesn't belong. Maine Fun Facts and Pine Tree State Trivia ¢¢ Maine is most famous for... Lobster and harvests the majority of the lobster in the United States. ¢¢ Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline - more than California (3,427), and over 5,000 miles of coast if you include all of the islands as well. Only Florida and Louisiana (mostly bayou) have more miles of coastline. ¢¢ Maine has 3,166 off-shore islands. Only about 1,200 Maine coast islands have an acre or more, 600 comprise 95% of the island acreage. ¢¢ Maine has over 32,000 miles of Rivers and Streams. ¢¢ Maine has over 6,000 Lakes and Ponds. ¢¢ The Vikings are believed to have discovered Maine 1,000 years ago. ¢¢ Maine State Capital: Augusta - Population: 18,560 ¢¢ Maine State Population: 1.3 million ¢¢ Maine State Animal: The Moose - Maine has more Moose per mile than any other state, over 75,000 moose, second only to Alaska. ¢¢ Maine State Insect: Officially - Honeybee - (unofficially - the mosquito on the coast and black fly in the mountains) ¢¢ Maine State Nickname: Vacation State or Vacationland ¢¢ Maine's Highest Mountain: Mt. Katahdin at 5,268 ft. elevation ¢¢ Maine's Largest City: Portland at 66,363 population. Greater Portland comprises 1/4 of the state's 1.3 million population ¢¢ Number of Maine Islands: 3,166 ¢¢ Number of Maine Lighthouses: 67 (Quoddy Head Light is the eastern most point in the U.S.) ¢¢ Average Summer Temperature in Maine: 70 degrees ¢¢ Average Winter Temperature in Maine: 20 degrees ¢¢ Maine is the only state in the U.S. with one syllable. Also Mainers don't pronounce their R's - ¢¢ Maine is the only state with just on other state on its border, New Hampshire. ¢¢ York, Maine, was America's first chartered city in 1641. ¢¢ Maine was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state on March 15, 1820. ¢¢ Acadia National Park is one of the most visited U.S. National Parks, with over 2 million annual visitors. The Park was first established and opened in 1916. ¢¢ Maine Lobster yield annually is 40 million pounds, nearly 90 percent of the nation's lobster supply. ¢¢ Maine produces 90% of the country's toothpick supply.¢¢ Maine is a top producer of potatoes and broccoli. ¢¢ Maine is rich in gems - among the biggest zinc and copper deposits in the country plus tourmaline, amethyst, topaz and garnet.¢¢ Geographically Maine is bigger than the other five New England States combined. ¢¢ Maine's Aroostook County at 6,453 square miles is larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. ¢¢ Eastport, Maine is the eastern most U.S. city, and the first in the country to see the sun. ¢¢ Maine contains 542,629 acres of State and National Parks. ¢¢ Portland is the birthplace of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. ¢¢ Nelson Rockefeller was born in Bar Harbor, Maine 1908. ¢¢ Author Steven King, amous US horror story writer, is a resident of Bangor. ¢¢ Freeport is the home to the L.L. Bean Company, the first retail clothier to be open 24/7/365, founded in 1912. ¢¢ The first ship built by English colonists in Americas was launched on the Kennebec River in 1607. ¢¢ The first naval battle of the Revolutionary War was fought off Machias, Maine in 1775.