September 6 - Grafton Notch (Day 171 – milepoint 1892.6)

“Every year we come out for a week after Labor Day to escape the fast pace and enjoy some peace and quiet.”

One of the New Jersey cops at Full Goose Shelter said that to me last night. As I walked today, I was thinking about the irony of it. “Escape” … “peace and quiet” … I guess it’s another lesson in perspective. They made quite a ruckus with each other – not the kind of energy I’ve grown accustomed to from people out here – and talked only of their jobs all evening. Nothing about where we were and what we were experiencing in the moment. I never heard anything about how nice a day yesterday was (it was!) or about any neat things they’ve seen or done while hiking in the past four days.

It was weird, a part of me was angry with them. I felt like they were intruders in my home…I felt vigilant, protective of the space we shared, like if I didn’t keep a close eye on these guys that something sacred would end up severely abused. This is a new thing for me, to be critical of other people’s energy in the woods. It would be unrealistic to expect them to feel what I feel out here, and though many very intelligent and highly perceptive people would argue with me about this, I’m not quite perfect myself. So I guess I’ll just hope that by the end of the week they come away with more of an understanding and appreciation for what it really is to be a part of the solitude.

Cosmo mentioned that it would take a lot more than a week for those guys to really “escape.” In a better light, though, we agreed they were positively entertaining, we gave them credit for choosing a week of hiking on the AT in Maine over the infinity of alternative choices available to them, and behind the chaos they were a bunch of pretty good fellas…just like us. So, moving on.

A very difficult but entertaining day. The one mile through Mahoosuc Notch took almost two hours. A natural playground of boulders and trees, Mahoosuc Notch is often described as “Nature’s Jungle Gym.” Our own Indiana Jones adventure, minus the bad guys, or as Achilles put it, “It’s like IMAX…only better…except no popcorn.” Lots of tight squeezes. Knee pads would have been nice. The effort through the Notch took far more out of me than the typical mile and I was quite happy to call it a day after only 10 miles.

Grafton Notch: Enter David E. Risner, college roommate, stud… Dave left from Chicago yesterday to join me for a week of hiking. His timing could not have been more perfect as he pulled into the trailhead parking lot (after 1,028 miles of driving) at exactly the same time as I emerged from the woods (after 1,892 miles of walking).

We’re now in the Andover Guest House with Achilles, Cosmo, Paka Bear, Redwood, and Blue Bud. I’ll be going through Dave’s pack in the morning to remove all of the things he thinks he needs, but doesn’t.

Aquaholic