Dispatch from Gorham, New Hampshire -- July 8, 2004

Celbrations are in order.

I have crossed my first state line and am writing from Gorham, NH. I am now a few miles shy of my 300 mile mark. I am resting up for a complete zero day before heading over the White Mountains.

Since writing from Andover Maine, I have covered 42 miles in 2 1/2 days -- 15, 15, and 12. The first two 15 milers are slightly below average for me by this point, but they were together the toughest 30 miles in the state of Maine, which puts them high in the running for the toughest miles on the whole trail.

On July 5 I set out with Tied Right, Oatmeal Stout, 4 Winds and Night Rain up a 2500' climb over the twin summits of Baldpate Mountain. As we climbed the rain started to get serious, and on the summits the wind was blowing around 40pmh. While negotiating the slick, nearly vertical downhill off the East peak my packcover was ripped off by the wind. I didn't even notice until I was below treeline again. I had not felt wind like that since Mt. Washington last summer -- the raindrops felt like marbles and often went straight into my mouth, hitting me in the back of the throat.

After Baldpate, I descended all the way down to Grafton Notch State Park and immediately climbed up 3500' straight to the summit of Old Speck Mountain, gateway to the mythic Mahoosuc Range. After a cold, foggy night at Speck Pond, Maine's highest body of water, I hiked down Mahoosuc Arm into Mahoosuc Notch, universally referred to as the toughest mile on the AT. Tied Right (so named because he hikes in a shirt and tie), Oatmeal Stout and I went through this mile together which lies in a narrow, steeply guarded gorge filled with massive boulders arranged at odd angles. Many of the boulders are larger than the houses we live in and keep the area so sheltered from the little sun the area already receives that the Notch keeps ice year round. Strange trees grow straight out of cliff walls, reaching out 15 horizontal feet or more before climbing toward the sky. One mile took us about 1 1/2 hours or more.

The remainder of the Mahoosuc Range involved walking over misty summit bogs and watching the smoky clouds whip straight by. Not much of a view but I kind of felt like I was in "The Never-Ending Story." That second 15 mile day showed its difficulty in every step. It is mainly that day that has me resting up in Gorham. All the steep, slick downhills turned my toes red and raw. 15 miles that day took me 11 1/2 hours, not good time on any other terrain, but I am kind of proud considering I've heard of people spending 6 hours in the Notch alone. We made it a long day just because we were so hungry for that border. We paused there for a half hour or so. Tied Right and I smoked cigars and Oatmeal Stout drank a Jim Beam & Coke she'd packed up for 2 days. We spent that night at Gentian Pond Shelter, where a cow moose came and fed in the pond for a good while. It was the most crowded shelter I've yet stayed at.

In the first 100 miles or so the trail was practically empty and I very often had shelters to myself. Last night's lean-to was crammed side to side with northbounders and the three of us mongrel southbounders. It was a nice change of pace, though, to have a loud, cordial, fun-loving groud. Lots of good jokes and stories and tips enchanged. Trail life is easy to love. Tomorrow start the Whites, the last major climbing for a long way.

More news from Hanover.
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Note: To date, no computer along the trail sophisticated enough to talk to Bjorn's digital camera. Bjorn will download photos to Susan's laptop in North Adams, MA -- or maybe as early as Dartmouth, NH.