| September 24, 2005 |
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It's 7:10 and I'm leaving Full Goose
Shelter. Gorham is 21 miles away, but I doubt I'll make the 21
miles today. |
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Getting read to do some rock scrambling
first thing this morning. It's really cold. I don't know
how well I'll do on this. I had my first rock climbing lesson
this morning. I climbed practically straight up for 10 or 15
minutes, nearly vertical rocks. I hiking on level ground now
that's rocky and rooty, but very level. An extensive board
walk for a period of time through the pines. Here's another
rock I've got to climb. That was a wet rock and really
dangerous to try to get up. Your feet slip out from underneath
you. That's what happened to me yesterday when I fell. |
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It looks like my level trail was short
lived. I've got big rocks ahead of me. Everyone of these
big monster rocks I had to climb over today was vertical. Hand
over hand, plus a kit if boardwalk hiking. |
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I thought it was getting close to 32
degrees. There was this sift of ice on those boards as I was
going through the swamps. The frost is certainly on the
pumpkins this morning! The low shrubs I thought were blueberry
have a little tiny purple flower on them in bloom. |
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The sun is shinning this morning and
it's really beautiful, but there's not much heat with it. I've
got my rain coat and a jacket underneath it. A long sleeve
shirt and my shorts and rain pants on, just to try to get me
protection. |
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The trail markers are on top of the rocks.
It's amazing how much swamp there is in the highlands. The
board walk is nothing but ice. Have to be real careful on
those. The clouds are going through the mountains so rapidly
that it looks like smoke from a forest fire. At the same time
the sun is shinning. I can look down and see a little bit of a
community. I can see 2 or 3 lakes. |
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These rocks are mostly granite, but I can
also see iron ore in them, reddish brown in color, glassy stuff, not
sure what that stuff is called. There is quartz and also
marble in here. I was wondering if there was a little fool's
gold. |
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From here I can a bunch of swamp land and I
can see that I'll have to hike across a bunch of boardwalks before I
start down. The frost is on these little alpine bushes through
here. |
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This is going to be one hard one to get
down. Big rock step offs. I'm in a area now that is
nearly above tree line. I have some board walks and rounded
rocks to go over. I see Careens way out there. The
fog is still rolling between the mountains, just coming right up the
valley. |
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I just found a red berry in the trail that
resembles a cranberry. It's 8:45am and my hands are jus beginning to
warm up. My feet are warm though. I can definitely see
where I'm going, right into the valley where all the fog is coming
up through. Here I go again, I'm going to do some rock
scrambling up the hill. Hand over hand, plus there's water
running down which makes it worse. |
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Coming into an open exposed area. I'm
going to be above tree line I think. The wind is really gusty
and about blows me over. This is Goose Eye Mountain and I've
already crossed the north peak. I'm going over to the east
peak which is 3,790 feet. |
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I just came out of the saddle area that was
exposed and starting up a real, real steep mountain climb.
Probably to the next peak. Some of these rocks are so steep
that the maintainer's couldn't go up them, so they build big
ladders, but they had to bring this material in by helicopter.
I noticed at the shelter where I stayed last night that they fly
mulch in all of these areas for the privy. Then they decompose
it and put it back into the ground. |
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I can look straight up and see a half of a
moon in the sky. I just came up over the big vertical rocks
that I could see from the saddle when I was hiking across it.
It interesting to look back to see where you've been. I can
hardly believe I've hiked all those miles. The maintainer's
have build extensive board walks to take you up around the side of
the mountain on the vertical rocks and a switch back. It's
amazing how they put these board walks and ladders in. One of
the walks have boards across them to keep you from falling if it's
slick. Then inter mingles with ladders to take you up over
these rocks. I've got to hand it to the maintainer's who did
this. |
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I've reached the summit of the Goose Eye Mt.'s east
peak. You won't believe how strong this wind is, it's blowing
me from side to side. Right now I'm hunkered down behind what
little pines there are here. Right on top there's nothing,
your completely exposed to the elements. It's beautiful, but
you can't stand to stay. |
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There comes a plain right over the top of
me. I'm down in the pine and EJ can't see me. I can
defiantly see where I'm going off the top of here. I'm going
to hit another saddle and I'll be up there for a little while on an
exposed ridge. I hear somebody coming behind me or somebody
coming below me, they were talking. I just met 2 locals and
the little community is Berlin, NH. |
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Coming off Goose Eye wasn't nearly as bad
as I thought it was going to be. I did have some large
boulders that I had to come down or slide off and a big wooden
ladder that I had to come down backwards. Then I had some
boardwalk hiking. Now I'm getting ready to go up Mt. Carlo,
3,565 feet. |
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A lot of spruce in this area. I'm
defiantly getting higher, but it's an up and down roller coaster
deal. A lot of vertical boulders to climb up, more rounded and
not as hard to clime up as Goose Eye. |
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I know that one of those white speckled
grouse, it's dark in color, white specks all over. He or she
is not flying. I'm probably within 8 feet of it. It's
brown with what looks like zebra stripes, I think it is
actually speckled feathers. It might be a ruffled one.
If I was really hungry I could almost reach out and grab it.
It has it's feather fluffed, that is because it's so cold. I
kept pushing her, but walking forward a little bit, she just kind of
turned around and finally she moseyed off to the side. |
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I just met 3 day hikers, hiking with their
dogs. I'm certainly glad that I didn't have Simon with me
through all these rocky places, thee is just to much danger of him
getting hurt. He has done his job. |
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It's 5.2 miles to Gentian Pond Camp site from the
turn off here. I'm going to stop here at Carlo Coal
Shelter and get myself something to eat and try to do that 5 miles
today depending on the terrain. I changed my mid and decided
it was to far off the trail. I'm hit with big boulders.
I'm going to try to get up these big boulders and find a sunny spot
and cook myself something to eat. |
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That was a nasty rock climb. The
places I had to squeeze through. One place I got stuck and had
to fight out I could turn my legs around and get on up to the next
level. My back pack was stuck. |
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I'm hoping this 5.2 miles goes quickly.
I've crossed the Maine / NH line. Springer Mountain is 1,893.5
miles north. Mt. Katahdin is 289.5 miles away. The sun
feels really good on my back and I cooked my self some noodle soup,
so I'm going to sit here and eat it and then I'm going to be on my
way. |
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So far NH looks exactly like Maine.
Pine trees, ferns, moss and boulders that you have to climb up.
It's 12:45pm and I've come 2 miles. and it's I have a good view of
the Maine-NH view of the mountain around me. 360 degree. |
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Ran into Hot and Sweaty. I started
with him in GA. and hiked with him off and on and haven't seen
him since Tenn. He had to get off the trail, he was having
trouble with his knees and his legs. |
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I've roller coaster several different times
up boulders and down. It hasn't been to bad. I'm in a
swamp area now and I can really smell the ferns. The really
look frost bitten. It's 4:40pm and I'm going to try to get to
Gentian Pond Shelter before dark. I don't like this night
hiking at all. I think I talked to Hot and Sweaty to long.
I got a little cool standing there talking to him. |
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I see the shelter now down below the
privy area. It's been a long day, a lot of rock climbing, hand
over hand which I don't like very well. I've done 3 major
mountains today. I've had a pretty good physical work out
today. tomorrow I'll have 11 miles to do and I'll be in
Gorham. I'll talk to you tomorrow. This shelter is
facing east on top a large round rock, the pond is just below it.
On the hillside opposite the shelter is nothing but huge big house
boulders. They'll probable sent me up those first thing in the
morning. I hope tonight is not as cold as last night. |
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Swing'n Jane |
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