Day 28, July 20: Success on Mahoosuc Notch

I was the first to leave the shelter at 5:30, motivated to get through the Mahoosuc Notch before the expected rain began to fall.  On the 1500′ descent down the Mahoosuc I embraced every step and assumed anything less than intense focus could result in the same dangerous falls and slips I already experienced.  Fortunately, rain was not falling but water ran across rocks and down the trail.  It was a zen experience as I connected with the ground with every step.  Fully aware, I reached the start of the one mile Mahoosuc Notch at 9:00. 

Very careful starting the descent down Mahoosuc Arm.

SOBO hikers Slow Squeeze and Double Take hiked with me through the one-mile Notch, which is a bouldery, narrow canyon that requires climbing over, under, and around huge boulders.  Fearing more risk of injury, I took extreme care on the handholds required to pull myself up and prevent dangerous falls.  My two Notch companions and I made a great team as we helped each other lifting backpacks onto boulders, identify the safest handholds, and choose the best way through the bouldery obstacles. 

Double Take entering one of the narrow passages.
Me holding on!
Getting through a very tight space in the rocks!
Slow Squeeze, Greg in Wild, Double Take after completing Mahoosuc Notch.

The strain of the one mile Notch over the three hours it took to reach the end Limited our day to 5.1 miles.  The Full Goose Lean-To was a great place to let the aching joints and muscles to rest.

 

8 thoughts on “Day 28, July 20: Success on Mahoosuc Notch”

  1. Glad you made it safely through this gauntlet. Onward! I appreciate your vivid descriptions of this trail and your experiences.

  2. Beautiful and intense . . . we are proud of you, Roger! Thank you for the photos and the log of your journey.

  3. “Bouldery” is a good word indeed. Mahoosuc Notch looks pretty scary.

  4. Thank you for another exciting chapter of the AT. Mahoosuc Notch surely must have been designed by the Marquis de Sade.

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