Date: 2006-08-01
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Baldpate Lean-to
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Started around 7:00 by going down to the famous Mahoosuc Notch. It is a one mile long Gulch filled with boulders and is commonly known as the slowest mile on the AT. As I stepped down from the last rock steps into the notch the temperature dropped drastically. It got cold! Under a few boulders I even saw small patches of ice - and this was August, good place to keep a beer cold It was fun climbing over, under, sliding, crawling, scooting, and jumping from boulder to boulder - at least for the first hour. The rocks then seemed to get smaller and it became more of a regular trail, or so I thought. It was just a tease for here came another 2 hours of tiredsome wet climbing. Often I had to take the pack off, hand it over, then climb over the boulder, put the pack on and all that just to take the pack off again a few minuttes later. I think that is what made it hard for me to get through the notch. I am very careful on wet rocks and being a little short meant I had to take off my pack more often so I could climb over rather than jump to the next boulder. At 12:30, hundreds of boulders, a raging hunger, and 3.5 hrs later I finally finished. I was famished and exhausted and the moment I started looking for a spot to sit I heard thunder in the distance! It sure was a quick lunch, wolfed down a Cliff Bar, a granola bar, and a few bites of cheese and off I went again. Wanted to get up the Mahoosuc Arm before it started raining. The Mahoosuc Arm is a 1.5 mile very steep uphill that seems to follow a stream. The moment I sat foot on the hill a torrential downpour began I was completely soaked before having taken ten steps! Didn't matter for the trail was like walking up a waterfall on big slick rock slabs and water streamed down over my boots. The only thing that prevented me from falling was all the trees and roots I constantly grabbed hold onto. Because I was so occupied with the rain and the slick steps I never seemed a long uphill. At the top the the trail veered off the waterfall and went over rocks and roots again. Up here the trees were mainly spruce and low growing bushes. It finally stopped raining again as I walked the mile to Speck Pond Shelter. Before reaching the shelter the trail passes this beautiful pond (Speck Pond)and it would have been very tempting to jump in had the weather been any better. Instead I was getting a little cold so I passed the shelter and started up the trail leading up over Old Speck Mtn. Mahoosuc Arm had been toughbut at least there had been roots and trees to hold on to. Up on Old Speck I felt very exposed on the steep rock slabs as there was nothing to hold onto and I would fall along way should I slip. Made me extremely careful. Reaching a summit and immediately going down is something I have done many times on the AT but it still feels strange not stopping to enjoy the "victory". However, many times the cold wind and rain will force you to go on and I guess it would take me a year to complete the AT if I took a break at every summit. Back down at Grafton Notch I met Lotus and Mufasa and together we walked up to Baldpate Shelter. The shelter was full after we had arrived with several NOBOs and SOBOs. It was 19:30 as I arrived 12.5 hrs on the go through tough terrain - I was beat! After cooking dinner and settling in for the night it started raining hard again and then came a most fantastic thunder and lightening storm. The lightening was relentless and the whole shelter shook at the big thunder. It looked like as if someone had let the light on outside. I loved it since I was warm, dry , and relatively safe inside the shelter.