Snowflea
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- Sep 5, 2003
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Trails: Centennial, Mahoosuc, Old Speck
Trail conditions: Major blowdowns (many!) have been cleared--impressive work there! A few bog bridges are in serious need of replacement. With the rainy June, probably a bit more mud than usual but overall pretty much status quo for the rugged Mahoosucs. Lots of gnarly, slippery rocks, STEEP grades, and lots of ICE in the Notch!
Summary: A good CA friend of ours, Luis, is on the Scott Jurek AT crew, and my husband didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him. Since SJ’s next section was the Mahoosucs, and since the weather forecast was near perfect, we decided that Chris would visit with the SJ folks for a bit and do a shorter hike while I would do a Mahoosuc Traverse. The Jureks are super nice people--we used to live in adjoining towns in CA and were part of the same running community--but I have mixed feelings about the commercialization and the media spectacle being played out and decided I’d be much happier on a solo sojourn across my favorite White Mountain range. (A bad groupie I am!)
South-to-north made logistical sense today, but after 6 traverses over the years I’ve come to realize that I actually prefer this direction. Sure the trail gets harder as the day progresses, and with its 500 ft more vertical is probably slower time wise as well, but I would rather finish with the more exciting Mahoosuc Notch, Mahoosuc Arm, and Old Speck than with the mellower, seemingly endless 11 miles from Gentian Pond to Hogan Road with its tempting bailouts, Austin Brook and Peabody Brook Trails.
Chris dropped me off at the Centennial Trailhead a little after 5 am, in time to witness the lovely sunrise. The early miles over Mts. Hayes and Cascade passed quickly and easily and were followed by the pond section with peaceful and lovely Page Pond, Dream Lake, and the Gentians. Many happy frogs were heard croaking, and I spied fresh moose prints along the shore of Page Pond, alas no sightings of its owner.
The next stretch up Mt. Success, elev. 3565, was a climb of over 3 miles. This section always feels long to me! I’d met 8 or 9 southbounders to this point, most eager to get to Gorham for resupply, and I spotted one last lingering ladyslipper. There was quite a breeze blowing atop Success as I paused for a quick phone check-in with Chris. Down to NH-ME state line and Carlo Col I dropped, cracking up at the crazy excuse for a “trail,” gymnastically climbing up and over and down huge rocks on this extra sporty section of the Mahoosuc Trail. The section between Mt. Carlo and Goose Eye Mtn. is a fun one with a long set of steep stairs and even a little “via ferrata” section that must be climbed. (I always wonder how dogs manage this section?) A few dark clouds swirled around, never producing any rain--there was a 10% chance--but providing interesting colors and contrasts. Views were gorgeous this day, and the temperature was perfect.
From the Goose Eyes to Full Goose Shelter the trail continues to challenge with sloping planks, steep grades, and some precarious bog bridges gapping knee- and thigh-deep mud! A few of these bridges are in serious need of repair--a couple appear to be completely gone as I could not feel them with my hiking poles. At one point I planted a pole only to have it sink in about 3 feet! The unfortunate consequence is that people are (understandably) going around these mud pits and trampling the vegetation. It was quite satisfying to negotiate through/around these areas without emerging with a black leg or two!
At Full Goose Shelter I sat down for my only real break of the day and chatted with a young northbound thru-hiker, one of a handful I encountered. Among other topics, I asked him what year he was born and told him I’d thru-hiked the AT when he was 4 years old (OMG), pre-internet, pre-cell/smartphone, when “social media” consisted solely of shelter registers. Him: “Wow, that must have been cool!” Yeah... it sure was.
Up and over South Peak I went (why is South Peak north of North Peak??) before plunging down the flanks of Fulling Mill Mtn and thence FUN: Mahoosuc Notch. What was striking about the Notch this day was how much ice still remained in the deep dark crevices. The temperature felt a good 20 degrees cooler than up above. That was pretty neat. However, the coolest thing that happened was when a hummingbird appeared and hovered overhead for a bit checking me out. What was a hummingbird doing in Mahoosuc Notch?!
I stopped to refill my bladder from one of the little streams before the grunt up Mahoosuc Arm but surprisingly felt pretty good and made good time. Black flies, the first I’d seen all day, were pretty ferocious around Speck Pond--a new hatching since all the rain? I did not linger. Chris surprised me at the Old Speck Trail junction--he had come up The Eyebrow!--and we very leisurely descended the mountain, chatting all the way, to finish around 7 pm.
This was a spectacular hike on a beautiful day, one that I never tire of and one that I hope to be able to do for many more years to come.
Trail conditions: Major blowdowns (many!) have been cleared--impressive work there! A few bog bridges are in serious need of replacement. With the rainy June, probably a bit more mud than usual but overall pretty much status quo for the rugged Mahoosucs. Lots of gnarly, slippery rocks, STEEP grades, and lots of ICE in the Notch!
Summary: A good CA friend of ours, Luis, is on the Scott Jurek AT crew, and my husband didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him. Since SJ’s next section was the Mahoosucs, and since the weather forecast was near perfect, we decided that Chris would visit with the SJ folks for a bit and do a shorter hike while I would do a Mahoosuc Traverse. The Jureks are super nice people--we used to live in adjoining towns in CA and were part of the same running community--but I have mixed feelings about the commercialization and the media spectacle being played out and decided I’d be much happier on a solo sojourn across my favorite White Mountain range. (A bad groupie I am!)
South-to-north made logistical sense today, but after 6 traverses over the years I’ve come to realize that I actually prefer this direction. Sure the trail gets harder as the day progresses, and with its 500 ft more vertical is probably slower time wise as well, but I would rather finish with the more exciting Mahoosuc Notch, Mahoosuc Arm, and Old Speck than with the mellower, seemingly endless 11 miles from Gentian Pond to Hogan Road with its tempting bailouts, Austin Brook and Peabody Brook Trails.
Chris dropped me off at the Centennial Trailhead a little after 5 am, in time to witness the lovely sunrise. The early miles over Mts. Hayes and Cascade passed quickly and easily and were followed by the pond section with peaceful and lovely Page Pond, Dream Lake, and the Gentians. Many happy frogs were heard croaking, and I spied fresh moose prints along the shore of Page Pond, alas no sightings of its owner.
The next stretch up Mt. Success, elev. 3565, was a climb of over 3 miles. This section always feels long to me! I’d met 8 or 9 southbounders to this point, most eager to get to Gorham for resupply, and I spotted one last lingering ladyslipper. There was quite a breeze blowing atop Success as I paused for a quick phone check-in with Chris. Down to NH-ME state line and Carlo Col I dropped, cracking up at the crazy excuse for a “trail,” gymnastically climbing up and over and down huge rocks on this extra sporty section of the Mahoosuc Trail. The section between Mt. Carlo and Goose Eye Mtn. is a fun one with a long set of steep stairs and even a little “via ferrata” section that must be climbed. (I always wonder how dogs manage this section?) A few dark clouds swirled around, never producing any rain--there was a 10% chance--but providing interesting colors and contrasts. Views were gorgeous this day, and the temperature was perfect.
From the Goose Eyes to Full Goose Shelter the trail continues to challenge with sloping planks, steep grades, and some precarious bog bridges gapping knee- and thigh-deep mud! A few of these bridges are in serious need of repair--a couple appear to be completely gone as I could not feel them with my hiking poles. At one point I planted a pole only to have it sink in about 3 feet! The unfortunate consequence is that people are (understandably) going around these mud pits and trampling the vegetation. It was quite satisfying to negotiate through/around these areas without emerging with a black leg or two!
At Full Goose Shelter I sat down for my only real break of the day and chatted with a young northbound thru-hiker, one of a handful I encountered. Among other topics, I asked him what year he was born and told him I’d thru-hiked the AT when he was 4 years old (OMG), pre-internet, pre-cell/smartphone, when “social media” consisted solely of shelter registers. Him: “Wow, that must have been cool!” Yeah... it sure was.
Up and over South Peak I went (why is South Peak north of North Peak??) before plunging down the flanks of Fulling Mill Mtn and thence FUN: Mahoosuc Notch. What was striking about the Notch this day was how much ice still remained in the deep dark crevices. The temperature felt a good 20 degrees cooler than up above. That was pretty neat. However, the coolest thing that happened was when a hummingbird appeared and hovered overhead for a bit checking me out. What was a hummingbird doing in Mahoosuc Notch?!
I stopped to refill my bladder from one of the little streams before the grunt up Mahoosuc Arm but surprisingly felt pretty good and made good time. Black flies, the first I’d seen all day, were pretty ferocious around Speck Pond--a new hatching since all the rain? I did not linger. Chris surprised me at the Old Speck Trail junction--he had come up The Eyebrow!--and we very leisurely descended the mountain, chatting all the way, to finish around 7 pm.
This was a spectacular hike on a beautiful day, one that I never tire of and one that I hope to be able to do for many more years to come.
