Day 38 - 7/16 - Boulders, Ice, and Rescue in Mahoosuc Notch

Baldpate Lean-to (265.1) to Stealth Camp (280.5)

I started the day with a nice, easy descent down to Grafton Notch and then a not-so-nice climb up Old Speck Mountain. The hiking was already slow going, given the tough terrain, and it only got tougher as I headed over to the Mahoosuc Arm peak. At the top of the Arm, I met some NoBos who told me about a lady with a dislocated shoulder in the middle of Mahoosuc Notch. Mahoosuc Notch is a mile-long stretch strewn with boulders, some as big as school buses, and is generally considered the most difficult mile of the AT. In almost any other place along the trail, a shoulder dislocation would be unfortunate but not a disaster, as one would still be able to walk to a road.

View from Old Speck Mountain

However, the boulders in Mahoosuc Notch require going around, over, and even under the rocks, all of which require your arms. The NoBos gave me the number of the Maine Warden, who told me to give the injured lady any supplies she might need and that a search and rescue team was on the way.

The "path" through the Notch

When I finally made it to the Notch, I was first struck by the complete lack of a clear path. There were any number of ways to navigate through the boulder field, all of which were very slow going. Twenty minutes into the Notch, I found the injured lady, Katie. I was very surprised to find her wearing a jacket, with her legs wrapped in an emergency blanket, and smoking a cigarette. She put out the cigarette, and I stayed and talked to her, as there wasn’t much else I could do.

A patch of ice in July in Mahoosuc Notch

The SAR team arrived about an hour later and told me they had it from there. I kept going through the notch, which I discovered as honest to God ice patch in between the boulders, even in the middle of July when it’s 80 degrees out. I made it through the Notch and eventually reached a stealth campsite around 7 pm. I had been planning to go a few more miles to a lean-to, but I wasn’t sure I would make it before sunset, and the clouds were looking ominous. Sure enough, I made camp, and just as I finished up dinner, the rain began. I quickly hung my food bag and rushed into my tent.