Date: 2007-08-22
From: Carlo Col Campsite, Maine 

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.6

What an incredible day! Again, today the weather is absolutely perfect, making it easy to overlook the small things like the hole in the toe of my only pair of hiking socks. Jack and I were on the trail by 7:30 am and just had a wonderful time today. The terrain was challenging but varied, and the views were spectacular. We could clearly see what lay ahead of us. After crossing Carlo Mountain and the east and north peaks of Goose Eye Mountain, we stopped at the Full Goose Shelter for water and a snack. An hour and a half of up and down trail hiking later, and just before entering the west end of the infamous Mahoosuc Notch, we stopped again, this time for real lunch (Tuna salad wraps and lemonade and cheese, which never tasted better) and sustenance before the challenge that lay ahead. Fortified, we entered ¢the notch,¢ which is described in every one of the trail publications for hikers that I have seen as ¢the toughest mile on the Appalachian Tail,¢ and, indeed that is what it was; but a wonderful adventure too - something really worth sharing with my son. What makes Mahoosuc Notch so special is that it is a very narrow canyon between two sheer mountain walls, each faced with rock. Over the years, huge boulders have fallen into the notch on top of the trail, creating a jumble of school bus-sized blocks of granite. In some places you need to squeeze through narrow passages, and in others you need to climb over them - or under them - or even jump between them. Half of the challenge was in picking your route. The other half was, of course, in executing it without slipping or falling into one of the crevices between the boulders, some of which were 30 or 40 feet drop (this was the fate of one unlucky moose, who fell between the boulders last spring, broke his leg, and could not escape. He died there, and has since remained in place. Jack and I wrapped balsam twigs in our bandanas and tied them under our noses as we skirted the site of his demise, as he is now rather ¢ripe¢ to say the least). It took us 112 hours to complete the Mahoosuc Mile, and the adventure of it was exhilarating. Neither of us had ever experienced or seen anything like it before. It was physically challenging, it was somewhat dangerous, but it was all part of the day. Once we were through the notch, the trail headed straight up, climbing 1,700 feet in 112 miles, which is pretty steep. Nevertheless, one hour and ten minutes later both of us were on the summit of Mahoosuc Arm, high-fiving each other for the great hike. We then descended to Speck Pond, got water, and headed to the tent platforms above the shelter. We set up our tents and sleeping bags, prepared dinner, and now to go to bed. To our surprise, ¢Grasshopper¢, ¢Two Dogs¢, and ¢M&M¢ are here too. After doing 14 hard miles yesterday, today¢s trip through the notch and up the Mahoosuc Arm slowed them down enough for us to catch up with them again. ¢Grasshopper¢ joined Jack and me for a cup of decaf coffee and some ¢trail talk¢ while we ate our dinner. He is really a good man, and both Jack and I enjoyed his company a lot. Now it is time to snuggle into my sleeping bag and enjoy some shuteye before we do it all over again. Only different. That is one of the things I like the most about hiking the AT - life is reduced to very simple repetitive elements - eat, pack, hike, eat, hike, unpack, eat, sleep¢¦then do it all over again! Each day may be entirely different from the other, but the pattern is the same. That is what I like.