Our first order of business was Mahoosic Arm, which is a very steep mile up, out of the notch. It had stopped raining, but the whole place was dripping wet and streaming with water at many points. Backwards left a half hour before us, but Boss and I took it very slow and steady. A few slips here and there, but we made it up. The summit was a big cloud! No view for us.
We descended down and around and came across Speck Pond in the fog. It looked very mysterious and cold. As we climbed from the pond up to Old Speck Mountain, the clouds cleared. It got pretty windy as we got to the rock slabs near the summit - it reminded me of climbing Madison back in the Whites. But the rain was gone, and it wasn't too chilly (if you kept moving...).
We descended through the mud to a nice spot by a stream for lunch, and Backwards caught up and joined. It was all-of-a-sudden turning into a gorgeous day! There were poofy clouds and bright sun and nice cool temperatures - pretty ideal for hiking. We all got down to the parking lot at the trail head at route 16 and geared up for the long climb back up to the two peaks of Baldplate mountain. It was a strenuous climb, but we pushed through. We got wonderful views at the top and got to see that the trail was going to take us over a few balds. It looked great, and it was. I felt like I was on top of the world. It was hard to believe how crappy the day seemed like it was going to be this morning.
Going back down was slippery and muddy, and I had a bit of a scary slip at one point. I managed to catch myself before the weight if my pack threw me down over a rock drop-off. It would've been bad it I hadn't. With so much rain, steep angles, wet roots/rocks, and tired legs, it's amazing nothing has happened so far. (Knock on wood!)
When we got to the Frye Notch shelter, there was a big group of Colby college kids and Backwards. We took a short snack break, then headed on to find a campsite closer to the road. Boss and I both need to resupply in Andover, so we hope to catch an early hitch in the morning. We say goodbye to the group and to Backwards, and we hiked a very peasant few miles to Dunn Falls. Very cool falls! And much higher than most of the falls I've seen out here. We were at the top of them, and we were less than a mile from the road. Camp time.
Boss and I both cleaned up in the river and then made dinner. It was a very nice spot, and the sounds of the waterfall were really soothing. It was easy to fall asleep after our biggest day in a while.
It's weird that my body feels so strong and so weak at the same time. I feel like I'm back at Syracuse during the beginning of lacrosse season after multiple days of early morning fitness testing, midday weight training and three hours of practice, all after weeks of little sleep (shout out to my Cuse ladies!). But at the same time, I feel like I could withstand 100mph winds atop the highest mountain while lugging an 80 lbs pack on roller skates.
A few weeks ago, I said that I never wanted this trip to end. Nowadays, I'm beginning to realize that the end will come at the perfect time. I will be ready to stop hiking everyday. I will miss it all, but my body will be very ready for a rest.
(16.6 13st)
-- Posted from the trail...
Location:Dunn Notch and Falls
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