Day 175
Start: Full Goose Shelter
End: Bethel, Maine
Miles Hiked: 9.5
Miles on AT: 1930.0
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Today, I conquered the slowest mile on the AT and it took me 2 hours! I was cold, wet, frustrated, sick, and unsure it would ever end, but I did it! But let’s start from the beginning.
I woke up today with an even worse sore throat than I had yesterday. It woke me up in the middle of the night; every swallow was excruciating and my nose was overflowing. That was a little bit too much information, but it was true. My old sweat rag was now unusable and I had to sacrifice my small camp towel that I used while eating. Luckily, I just had to make it through this day and I would be on my way to town and fresh tissues.
After breakfast, I left camp and headed down to Mahoosuc Notch, my big obstacle of the day. Rain was forecasted to start falling in the afternoon, so I wanted to make it past the difficult part before the sky opened up. However, as I got closer to the notch, the sky started looking more and more ominous, with dark clouds hanging low in the sky. A few sprinkles fell here and there for a few seconds, but I just hoped and prayed I could get through the Notch before it really started coming down.
If you’re unfamiliar with Mahoosuc Notch, it’s basically one mile of climbing over boulders the size of small cars. They’re arranged in all different positions and there’s no real discernable path through the wreckage. Up, over, under, around; all paths are fair game in the Notch. One thing that’s guaranteed is the need to put away your hiking sticks and use your hands. Climbing is unavoidable.
With that in mind, I started the Notch unsure of what exactly I was going to find. Standing in front of me was a solid wall of boulders. I moved my way through the cracks and crevices, taking time to analyze the different routes and find paths around the boulders when I could. It was painstakingly slow work; not only did it take time to find a good route, I also had to hoist myself up and over the rocks safely. Sometimes I got partway through a route that seemed to be viable, only to have to backtrack because there was no safe way down on the other side.
My hands were cold and sore from gripping the rough rock, so putting on my gloves helped a ton. There was one section where I wasn’t even sure I could climb up the rock. I said to myself, “There’s no way, there’s no way I can do this.” But, I took a deep breath and tried and eventually made it over. The climb was a little precarious because I had to first climb up on a rock ledge that I only felt safe straddling once I got up there. It was about 8 feet high and there was a hole that seemed about 10 feet deep that I could’ve fallen into if I lost my balance. I scooted my way along the ledge until I reached another boulder that I could maneuver myself onto. The whole time, I was scared that I was going to lose my balance and fall into that deep pit, but I made sure to take deep breaths, take my time, and move slowly.
About halfway through the Notch, it started to rain. Luckily, it wasn’t a hard rain, but the soft sprinkles still meant that my cold hands were getting wet. I got out my rain mitts and they really helped me protect my hands from the rain and the rough rock. When I saw the end of the Notch and the flat (flat!) trail that signaled that I was home free, I was soooo happy! I had never been happier to see flat dirt in my life!
The next obstacle was Mahoosuc Arm, which I’d heard was a steep climb. But, after surviving the Notch and eating a good lunch, it really wasn’t that bad. Even with the chilly air and misting rain, I would’ve chosen climbing the Arm over going through the Notch any day. Once I got to the top, all I could see was white mist. I was fully enveloped in the cloud. No views for me today.
I was so fully ensconced in the cloud that when I arrived at a small pond, I couldn’t really tell what I was looking at. My eyes were telling me that there were two rocks floating in the misty air, but my mind knew that couldn’t be true. Once I made sense of what I was seeing, I realized that the clouds were so thick that the white mist was being reflected on the surface of the pond, giving the illusion that the water and air were one and that the rocks in the lake were weightless and floating.
After one more mountain that wasn’t as scary as everyone on FarOut said it was, it was time for me to head down and get into town. I had arranged a shuttle when I was on top of the mountain since I didn’t think there would be a lot of traffic given the bad weather today. So, when I arrived at the parking lot, my ride was there and ready to go. The drive to Bethel was much longer than I had expected, so I was glad that I had arranged a ride beforehand.
Once in Bethel, I got a room at the wonderful Bethel Village Motel (highly recommend it), warmed up with a hot shower, and ate a delicious meal at the local burger stop. I was definitely going to take a zero the next day. It was supposed to rain all day and I was sure I wouldn’t want to be out there in the cold rain. With a full tummy and an unending supply of tissues, I settled into enjoy my evening in a warm bed.
And that’s day 175.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.