Sunday, 10/22
After yesterday's snowy whacks on East Spruce and Savage, Onestep and I dragged out most of our winter gear and headed up the Notch Trail to Mahoosuc and Fulling Mill, which form the two walls of fabled Mahoosuc Notch. Like typical kids, we only half listened to the advice of our elders and started the whack up Mahoosuc closer to the head of the notch than recommended. This tactic lead us into thick snow-ladden spruce and a minor scamble up a steep rock face. However, once on the west ridge we were able to track through fairly open mature forest until the shorter, denser spruce just before the open summit. From the wide open summit bumps, Old Speck, the Gooseyes, and the Presis were stunning in their fresh white coats. Out of the wind, the sun was warm, lunch was delicious and for a brief time all was well with the world.
During the descent Onestep noted fresh bear tracks paralleling our course initially, then recrossing it several times. Brave talk about the two of us bein' the baddest beasts in the woods helped a little. By staying a little north of our original track lower on the mountain, we avoided the thick steep stuff near the col and regained the Notch Trail at 2300'.
Back up into the Notch area there were brief peeks of the near vertical walls and surrounding cliffs in the Notch itself. Climbing steeply up the AT on Fulling Mill, we headed off trail to the east as the trail began to flatten out. Kurt did his usual expert highground seeking manuvers and found the jar on the relatively flat summit. (Interestingly, at least to me, no one else had signed in since I was there exactly one year ago.) The Peasleys placed this register in 1990; it was fun to read the comments of the few nuts who over the past 16 years had preceded us to this densely forested viewless point in the Maine woods. Whackin' is such a great sport!!
After yesterday's snowy whacks on East Spruce and Savage, Onestep and I dragged out most of our winter gear and headed up the Notch Trail to Mahoosuc and Fulling Mill, which form the two walls of fabled Mahoosuc Notch. Like typical kids, we only half listened to the advice of our elders and started the whack up Mahoosuc closer to the head of the notch than recommended. This tactic lead us into thick snow-ladden spruce and a minor scamble up a steep rock face. However, once on the west ridge we were able to track through fairly open mature forest until the shorter, denser spruce just before the open summit. From the wide open summit bumps, Old Speck, the Gooseyes, and the Presis were stunning in their fresh white coats. Out of the wind, the sun was warm, lunch was delicious and for a brief time all was well with the world.
During the descent Onestep noted fresh bear tracks paralleling our course initially, then recrossing it several times. Brave talk about the two of us bein' the baddest beasts in the woods helped a little. By staying a little north of our original track lower on the mountain, we avoided the thick steep stuff near the col and regained the Notch Trail at 2300'.
Back up into the Notch area there were brief peeks of the near vertical walls and surrounding cliffs in the Notch itself. Climbing steeply up the AT on Fulling Mill, we headed off trail to the east as the trail began to flatten out. Kurt did his usual expert highground seeking manuvers and found the jar on the relatively flat summit. (Interestingly, at least to me, no one else had signed in since I was there exactly one year ago.) The Peasleys placed this register in 1990; it was fun to read the comments of the few nuts who over the past 16 years had preceded us to this densely forested viewless point in the Maine woods. Whackin' is such a great sport!!
