The Chapman Inn in Bethel, ME
Today I went through the famed Mahoosuc Notch. What makes this notch so famous you ask. It is terran it goes through. It appears it lies in an area where two mountains pulled apart. The void between them is filled with a massive bolder feild. Rocks the side cars and houses lie in jumbled piles. The AT whinds above, around, and sometimes even under these rocks as it makes it way through. The notch is only a mile long but the recommendation is that day tripers allow about 6-8 hours to make it through. I had been hearing stories from SOBO hikers of getting stuck in it's many twist and turns and having have someone give a helpful shove.
First we had to get to the notch which was a rugged mile and half up 400' and down 1000'. Flyaway spoted a grouce in the woods which seemed to care not a bit at our watching it.
Once in the notch we almost immedatly came across it's current most famous feature, a dead moose. Apparently it had wandered into the notch about a month ago and slipped breaking three of it legs. From what I hear the Forest Service decided to let nature take it's course and let the animal be. Fortunatly, I hear, a more humane individual took on the task of putting it out of it's pain. As promised by other hikers we could smell it just we saw it. It appeared to be a adolesent cow or bull. The body lay directly in the trail and I was forced to pass with-in a couple feet of it. The smell, though not the worse I had ever smelled, set my still delicate stomach roiling. I did not take any pictures of it but the animal was impressively intact with no evidence of scavenger activity. It also, with it's broken legs below it, apeared much smaller that I knew it once was. It was very sad sight and I am glad, unlike some others, that the only moose I saw thus far was not this dead one.
The notch was a lot of fun after that. I don't agree with the assessment it is the toughest mile but it certainly is the slowest taking about 2 hours for all of us to make it through. It was a blast looking at the trail and racking my brain on how to get through it. It's difficulty doesn't lie with how hard it is physically. Most hiking is fairly mindless putting feet in front of each other. In this case however it required real thinking and stratagy. I think it is one of the most enjoyable parts of the trail. The rocks were filled with nooks and cranies that shaded the ground so well that ice and snow can be found year round in some parts of the notch. Depending on where I stood the ice and shade could cool the tempature by as much as 20 degrees. Below the rocks I could hear the sound of a river burbbeling through the bolders but it wasn't until later that I could finally see it near tread level. It wasn't all rock though. Trees, litchen, and moss covered anything where hik!
ers hadn't crushed them underfoot.
After the notch there was a climb up Speck Mt. where there was very nice views. My stomach however has gotten much worse and I am had to stop every 1/4 mile to catch my breath and wait til the cramping subsided. I took a long break at Speck Pond Campsite which was beautiful but as you can imagine I was a bit distracted. It lacked a shelter register which meant I could do my good deed of the day and leave the blank one I was carrying.
I got some medications from Flyaway and hiked on. The hiking was fairly easy lucky for me with only one climb. On the downhill to the road there was creek which was gorgeous. It had a small flow but it generally ran a lush green stream bed. At one point there was a severl ledges one above the other where it gracefully dripped down over the dangeling mosses. The dirt has been senic too. With all the mica in the rocks when it breaks down it leaves a sparkely appearance like the the trail is filled with diamond dust.
I made it to the road to Bethel and my luck held. I found a hiker, Charlie, leaving who was heading by Bethel who gave me a lift. He is a law professor and with my last job being at the UofC Law School we had lots to talk about. Thank you Charlie, your lift was a real help on a day I was not feeling so well.
Bethel has the Chapman Inn which is the nicest hostel I have been in. True it is $36 a day but Fred makes a great breakfast, there is a sauna, there is lots of space to spread out, there is a full kitchen, washer, dryer, internet, phone, pool table, and ping pong table.
I am feeling better now, I think the hiking is upsetting my stomach so staying put here feels much better though when I went out walking with Flyaway and Mr. Fred to get dinner the 1/2 mile upset my tummy a lot. I hope the Dr. can help me tomorrow as I can't hike like this.
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