Wow! Today we completely the most difficult section of trail we are to encounter along the entire length of the AT - Mahoosic Notch. This section is only 1 mile long and can take 35 minutes to 9 hours to complete, depending on the hiker. It has also been referred to as "natures jungle gym" because there are sections that you have crawl through, over, under, around, etc. Its the low spot between 2 mountain ridges where accumulated boulders from ancient rock slides present challenges to hikers. The quickest time I heard was Millipede at 35 minutes. I took 2 hrs and 15 minutes. I stowed my trekking poles and that might have been a mistake in retrospect because I felt like Sampson without his hair. After the first hour, I didn't have as much fun and just wanted to get through. Blackfoot, Mickey, Mallory and Magnet had fun though.
Immediately following that was Mahoosic Arm, a 2000-ft climb to the peak of Mt. Mahoosic. This was a STEEP climb up slickrock and mud and tree roots. I actually enjoyed this more than the notch - not sure why. In many places you had to put your toes in one crevice and your fingers in another and pull your way up. It can be pretty difficult with your pack on (throws off your center of gravity) and the steeper it is, the more prone you are to sensations of vertigo (at least for me).
At any rate, we finally reached the peak. It was another beautiful day and we ended it by making camp on top of Old Speck Mountain near an observation tower. We were able to view a fantastic sunset, followed by a similarly striking sunrise. I feel so so lucky to be able to do and see things like this.
Steph
www.hikingat.com
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