7/23/06 Sunday: The Cabin in East Andover,ME Day off...

Spent another day relaxing, recovering, and preparing for my last 2 weeks of backpacking at this lovely oasis in the Maine woods... Earl and Margie have been wonderful spreading warmth and charm making my stay and that of the other guests memorable... It will take more than a few days to fully recover from this hike but the staff of The Cabin really know how to make you feel comfortable and prepare you for whats to come... Tomorrow I will be once again charged and ready to head north on my quest to reach Katahdyn...

7/22/06 Saturday: Baldpate Lean-to to The Cabin, South Arm Rd, Andover, Me. (18.1mi)

Pictures:
1. 0643 view of the East Peak of Baldpate from the West Peak
2&3. 0701 Summiting the East Peak... A bit hazy but still some wonderful views...
4. 1015 Beautiful water source just NE of Dunn Notch
5. 1506 A look back during my ascent of Moody Mtn. The rebarb reflects the steepness of the ascent...1200' in <1mi:(...

I awoke at 0530 to overcast skies and temps in the mid 60s... Perfect hiking weather...:)... By 0615 I was a gain heading north with no fewer than 4 peaks to climb today, I would need all the time I could get to accomplish an 18mile day... My first challenge of the day was to cross the Peaks of Baldpate. As the name implies, the summits are rock with views in every direction... The climb both up and down were both challenging, and I was thankful that I had dry weather to keep from sliding on the rock faces... My first short break would come at the Frye Notch Lean-to where I got some water, used the privy and jotted down a few notes in the shelter journal. After about 30 minutes I returned to the trail and began the long slow descent to East B Hill Road where I had the option to hitch in to Andover to The Cabin or continue to the next road 10mi away and from there hitch to The Cabin for the night. At 1200, I arrived at the first road and decided to push on to the second one. I was motivated by the fact that my pack was as light as ever with only 1 meal left with a couple of snacks... I was gonna be resupplied at The Cabin which means carrying an extra 10lbs of food. And the concept of ascending Moody Mtn, a 1400" climb in less than 1mi, with another 10lbs on my back was not a pleasant one..;)... Before Moody Mtn though was Wyman Mtn which was a relatively easy 900" ascent over 3 miles. At about 1330 I reached the scenic view on Wyman Mtn and stopped to make a few phone calls. I called Jackie to say hi and let her know that I was thinking of her...;)... and I called The Cabin to let them know I would like to spend the night in their hostel... They also offered to provide transportation from and back to the trailhead, a 9mi each way ordeal. Sounded great and I gave "Bear" an ETA of 1700. I continued on my way looking forward to the home cooked meal,a shower, and bed...:)... By 1500 I was at Sawyer Notch knowing I was about to tackle one of the steepest climbs of the entire hike. It took me about an hour to reach the summit of Moody Mtn. with its assorted stairs and rungs, it was quite a climb... With 2 miles left on the descent a light rain began to fall.. I persisted with my descent and arrived at the road early at 1630. "Bear" arrived just as I made my way across Black Brook to the road, and what a welcome sight he was too... We stopped in town on the way to the hostel and I picked up a few snacks before arriving at the hostel around 1715. We had a wonderful meal, and I watched the end of the REd Sox game :)... before retiring for the night...

7/21/06 Friday: Carlo Col Shelter to Baldpate Lean-to (16.4mi)

PICTURES:
1. 0737 I'm at 3200' walking over bridgework through a wetland area with Goose Eye Mtn in the distance.
2. 0835 Been climbing through bogs for an hour approaching Goose Eye Mtn...
3. 0848 East Peak of Goose Eye Mtn looking @ N peak
4. 0855 More bridgework during my descent of this very sensitive area.
5. 1054 Thats the rock surface of (AT) Goose Eye Mtn S peak... Not much soil for the vegetation...
6. 1126 Yes thats ice under that rock... The temperature in Mahoosuc Notch dropped 30 degrees... You could feel the cold air as you walked through it... Like standing in front of an open refredgerator.
7. 1128 LOL nice trail huh... Took me almost 2 hours to travel the 1 mile through this notch...
8. 1147 This passage through the rocks was too small for both person and pack... only one at a time...
9. 1150 More ice
10. 1150 You see that arrow (double click on the pic)... the AT goes through that small hole... There were about 4 such small passages down here.
11. 1415 I'm near the top of the Mahoosuc Arm looking back at the Mahoosuc Notch and the multiple peaks of Goose Eye Mtn.
12. 1421 Between Mahoosuc Arm and Speck Pond lay a field of wildflowers... What a beautiful sight to behold...
13. 1423 At 3500', Speck Pond is one of the highest bodies of water on the trail...
14. 1726 Climbing Old Speck the weather changed and a light mist began to fall... Unfortunately no views today from Old Speck:(

I rose to another beautiful day and headed out by 0615. I stopped in at he Full goose shelter for a break at about 0945 and was prepared to whatever was to come. Shortly thereafter I carefully began my descent into Mahoosic Notch. Once down inside the notch, the temperatures dipped about 20degrees. I could feel the cold rush of air occationally, like standing in front of an open freezer. I could see solid blocks of ice clearly hidden beneath large boulders, ice that never melts... The northern end of the notch had a rapidly flowing brook under the rocks that I got glimpses of occationally between the large boulders. I had to take my pack off about 3 times to squeeze myself and then the pack through a small opening between the boulders... It would prove to be my slowest mile on the entire AT taking about 2hours to complete. Keep in mind, I normally average 2.0 mph. I began my ascent up the Mahoosic Arm (north side of the notch), a 1300" climb in less than a mile. By 1500, I had reached Speck Pond shelter, exactly 10mi from the start of the day... Once there a light rain began to fall and I considered ending my day. By 1600 the rain ended and I decided to push on to the next shelter, about 7miles away... It would be a relatively easy undertaking with a 2mi ascent to Old Speck, followed by a 3 mile descent to hwy26 and a 2.5mile ascent to Daldpate Lean-to. I arrived at the Baldpate Lean-to about 2015. I had a hot meal and retired shortly thereafter.. Definately one of the most exhausting days of my entire trip.

7/20/06 Thursday: US2 Gorham,NH. to Carlo Col Shelter, ME. (17.0mi)

PICTURES:
1. 0747: Looking back toward Gorham down in the clouds during my ascent of Mt Hayes
2. 0829:Mt Hayes blueberry picking
3. 0833: On the Mahoosuc Trail (AT) at the summit of Mt. Hayes looking N. to the Mahoosic Range. Another perfect trail day:)
4. 1007: Came across some dead birch trees... Probably died during the big ice storm a few years ago...
5. 1027: Some nice views from Cascade Mtn.
6. 1054: More nice views from Cascade Mtn.
7. 1227: I took a break on Wocket Ledge with SW vistas... Met Dan as he was making his way south..
8. 1338: Genetian Pond
9. 1537: Mt Success looking SW
10. 1554: Mt Success looking NE
11. 1708: Greetings from Maine:)

Protozoa had negotiated a 0630 pick-up with Art, a local shuttler, and we were both ready when he arrived. We stopped at Dunkin donuts for some goodies before they first dropped me off at the US2 trailhead. Protozoa was headed for a side trail to Carlo Col shelter where he had begun his oddessy 7 years ago. He planned to begin there with a 3 mile hike in from the Success Pond Road and hike back to Gorham. We planned to meet somewhere on the trail for our final goodbye...
My first climb of the day would be Mt Hayes where I took a break, some pictures, and phoned Jackie. It was a gorgeous day with plenty of sun and temps in the low 70's. From Mt Hayes I could see a number of the peaks I would be traversing in the days to come.. Protozoa and I hooked up around 1130 at Wockets Ledge with a beautiful backdrop for our final photo... We parted just before noon after having a snack for lunch, and I returned to my northbound route while Protozoa headed south for Gorham... About 1530 I crossed into Maine and quietly celebrated, a few tears were shed recalling many of the pleasant and a few of the unpleasant cercumstances that will come to define my trip through the Appalachian Trail... The trail in Western Maine is extremely rugged with little opportunity for water and by 1730, having walked the last 3 miles without any water, I decided to end the day at the Carlo Col shelter. I spent the night there with YOYO and blondie, with a good sized group of teenagers camping nearby... The spring was not flowing too well but there was plenty of water for everyone. I turned in early, anxious from the thought of passing through the most difficult 1mile of trail on the AT tomorrow, the Mahoosic Notch...

7/19/06 Wednesday: Gorham NH Day off

I spent the day relaxing after a grueling trip through the White Mountains. Protozoa and I moved to a nicer motel that had also offered laundry facilities... We got up late and walked to the outfitters shop and generally just checked out the town center... After lunch I went to the public library to get some blogging done and spent most of the afternoon getting caught up. We celebrated Protozoa's completion of his 7year AT Journey with a quiet steak dinner at J's Restaurant next door to the motel. It was a much need relaxing day before I was to tackle some more difficult mountain ranges in Western Maine. The day finished with a pleasant conversation with my wife and other members of my family letting them know I would be entering Maine tomorrow. :)