Seven months ago today we started the Appalachian Trail. Everyone that started near or with us has finished or gotten off the trail. We’ve been checking logs and have seen several people that were at this shelter over a month ago: Lil Blue, Bear Foot, Geo, and Summit are still hiking together, RTK, and Pit Boss, all should be done by now. We’re still almost a month away but we’re still going. Both of my knees are hurting. I think I’ve been over compensating with my right leg to make up for my left. I’m definitely in the area of diminishing returns as far as trail legs go.
It was supposed to be nice today. When we woke up, we were still in a fog…literally. We’ve been in a fog for months, metaphorically. It did start clearing up a bit before we packed up, but not enough that our stuff dried out. My pack felt a lot heavier because everything was soaked.
I made the mistake a long time ago when I told Bunny we would have to crawl under boulders in Mahoosuc Notch. Since that time, in her mind, the boulder has grown to a mile long cave with mud on the bottom and no light. Bunny is claustrophobic (a gift from her mother and sister).
We had a mile and a half of trail with small 400’ climb up and over Fulling Mill Mountain before we even got to the gap. The trail was filled with lots of boulders and climbing even before we got to the Notch. Maine is not going to make it easy for us.
With all the rain of the last couple of days and hearing there might be ice down low in the boulder field, Bunny and I overdressed. We both wore long pants and long sleeve shirts. I was overheating during the first climb and my left leg was throbbing from all the trail obstacles. I am getting worried about my chances of finishing this trail. I’m hoping the slack packing will give me a chance to recover. It’s getting close to the time when Bunny will have to choose whether she is going to ditch me and hike on with Bear and Sassy or get drug down by my pace.
Mahoosuc Notch turned out to be a monster under the bed for us. This is one of the things (like Pennsylvania, Mount Washington, Moosilauke, etc) we have been worrying about for so long that turned out to not be bad at all. It was actually quite fun. Most people (meaning young weedlings) take between an hour and a half to two hours to navigate through the maze of rocks. We took two hours and forty minutes which included a twenty minute break about half way. Not bad for old folk (and me with weak legs).
We were right behind Chip all the way from camp through the Notch. He’s another entertaining guy that’s fun to hike with. He just retired last year and has been planning on hiking the AT for years. He’s also having problems with his knees, but it’s more of a bone on bone problem than overused muscles. He could very easily replace me in the foursome and no one would even notice. He is going to slack pack with us for a few days so this is his trial replacement window. I think my days are numbered.
What makes the day tough for nobos isn’t necessarily Mahoosuc Notch, but the climb up Mahoosuc Arm afterwards. We have to climb 1700’ in about a mile. If these were nice trails with some switchbacks, that wouldn’t be an issue. What we have for a trail is bare rocks where the top soil has eroded away. It’s steep and slick most of the way. Hikers have been hiking on the edge of the trail in tree roots to try and make steps. It’s treacherous at best.
The higher we climbed, the further behind I fell. Bunny would occasionally yell back to make sure I was still climbing, but Chip was up front of the group. By the time I caught up at the top, they were all laughing and having a good time. I’ve already been replaced. I’m only still here because I carry the tent, stove, and food.
On the way to the shelter, Chip had phone signal and was able to call ahead for reservations for slack packing the next couple of days. He’s also got better electronics. My days have been reduced to hours.
While Chip was taking care of reservations, I hobbled on ahead so I could get to camp about the same time everyone else did. I figured if I wasn’t there, I probably wouldn’t even make it through the night before I was forgotten. I did my best to set the tent up, get water, and cook supper without complaint. I know I’m on thin ice with this group. I tried to keep quiet all day thinking it was best to not draw attention to the fact that I’m still around.
After supper, Bunny, Sassy, Bear, and I went down to Speck Pond to look for wildlife. Bunny really wants to see a moose so I had better be there to spot one to secure my place in the pack. I know an outsider in a wolf pack comes in and has to work his way up the hierarchy, but with humans, new members are prized right away. In both cases, the weak are shunned and eaten. I’m afraid to go to sleep tonight.
EFG