August 27 (Day 119)

I went to bed at 7:30 last night, and I needed every bit of those ten hours of sleep. I will need no less than ten hours of sleep again. The 17 miles I did today were the most exhausting 17-mile stretch I've walked on the AT so far.

I hiked up out of the shelter early this morning and made slow progress over the next 5 miles to a shelter next to a very beautiful pond.

From there I had to climb again and then make the long, steep descent into Mahoosic Notch, the "toughest mile on the AT." Just prior to the notch, I passed a group of about eight college-age kids going the same direction.

I would not agree that Mahoosic Notch is the "toughest" mile, but I will say that it was the slowest. It was actually a lot of fun, after I got past the dead moose and the smell of him rotting there. The notch was a huge jungle gym of car-and-truck-size boulders that you have to climb over, under, and through. I had put my trekking pole in my pack, because it was better that I have both hands free. I only fell once and luckily did not hurt myself. I had to take my pack off twice because the spaces I had to squeeze through were too small for me to get through while wearing it.

After the notch was a ridiculously steep climb, which was far "tougher" than the notch itself. I have probably never climbed slower than I did today.

After several more slow miles, I started the long slow descent down to Route 26 in Grafton Notch. I have rarely been more tempted to hitchhike into town for no reason than I was today. But, I stayed strong and started hiking up the other side, leaving the road behind.

August 28 (Day 120)

I was alone at the shelter last night, which was nice because it meant I was able to go to bed early without worrying about other people staying up and being loud.

The only difficult part of the hike today was the first few miles. I climbed up and over Bald Pate Mountain, which was very bald and gave some excellent 360-degree views. There was a lot of steep, exposed rock to climb and to descend, and I really wouldn't want to have to get over that mountain in the rain.

I soon passed another shelter but kept walking until I came to a road. It's a secondary road, but a lot of people go into Andover at this point, which is 8 miles east on this road. There was one hiker there trying to hitch into town, but my book says it's not a well-traveled road, and hitching might take a while. I took about a 30-minute break there, and during that time two cars and a tractor-trailer went by, all going the wrong direction. The other hiker started walking down the road, and I started back into the woods.

The next mountain had the gentlest grade so far in Maine, and it was a nice break not to have to scramble up large rocks.

I only walked 14 miles today and I finished up early. The last two days tired me out, and I'll try for a bigger day tomorrow. From looking at the map it appears that the steep climbs will begin again as soon as I leave this shelter.