Date: 2012-08-29
From: Mahoosuc Notch W End & Notch Trail

To: ME 26, Grafton Notch SP
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

This was a fabulous day of hiking, although it did get long, & my feet were aching by the end! Bob & I got up early. It was 41 degrees in Gorham, NH. We drove through the neighboring town of Berlin, & then 10 miles up a rough logging road to the Notch Trail. This was a beautiful little 2 mile (not included in my daily miles) trail that took me to the Notch in exactly 1 hour. I sat down & ate a Snickers for energy & began my traverse of the famous Mahoosuc Notch at exactly 9:00. Although known as the most difficult mile on the trail, I found it very fun & not scary at all! It made me feel like a kid on a playground! I did feel very fortunate to be doing it with a daypack, as opposed to my big pack. As I neared the end, I caught up with an Outward Bound group that was moving very slowly. There was a young lady who was having a very bad time. Someone was having to tell her every spot to put her hands, where to step, etc. It was tedious to watch & I was thankful when they finally allowed me to pass.By 11 am I was through. I took another short break & ate the first half of my PBJ sandwich, then continued on. At a stream crossing, I came upon a hiker, who immediately looked familiar to me. She didn't remember me, but after a few questions, I figured out that I had met her & her dog in PA last year! The trail is a very tight knit community. Becki was drying out her tent, so I kept moving. Very quickly, the trail turned upwards. The climb up Mahoosuc Arm was unbelievable!! It not only went on forever--at least an hour & a half, but it often was almost straight up granite slabs that had almost no places for toe or hand-holds. Every time I would think I was almost to the top, I wasn't. The reward at the top was a beautiful view &, in another mile, Speck Pond. Speck Pond is the highest pond in Maine & was just lovely! There was a strong & very chilly wind blowing, so I didn't linger. I stopped in at the Speck Pond shelter, where I visited with some young thru-hikers & ate the 2nd half of my PBJ. I left the shelter before they did, but they soon passed me--hoping to make Andover & another 15 miles! After they passed, I stopped & called Bob to let him know that it would probably be 6:00 before I would get in. Shortly, after that, Becki caught up & we hiked together for the rest of the day. It was nice to have her company.As we headed up Old Speck Mountain, we were both walking on hands & feet--not daring to stand up! It was scary! It was another straight up slab of granite, but totally exposed. Aside from the fear of falling off, the wind was blowing so hard that you felt like it could just blow you right off the mountain. Once the trail leveled out a bit, we both stopped & admired the exquisite view. The skies couldn't have been more blue & you could see Speck pond just glistening below. Next came the very long & endless descent to Grafton Notch. It took forever. There was never any terrain that allowed us to make any time & the constant large step-downs were just hard on feet & knees. We reached the parking lot a little before 6:30 & Bob was waiting. We gave Becki a ride to the Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge, then headed back to the RV for a nice steak dinner!