On the AT - Rt. 2, Gorham to Wright Trail

Photos of our hike.

June 8, 2008 | Miles: 11.8
Start: Rt. 2, Gorham
End: Gentian Pond Shelter

Danielle:
This weekend's hike could be summed up as follows:

Ghost was smart. We were dumb.

and

Sweat. Sweat. Sweat. Bugs. Bugs. Bugs. Sweat. Sweat. Sweat.

Throw in a some really stiff and rugged terrain, a few nice views and some spring wildflowers, and there you have it.

Now for the long version:

Ghost decided to skip out on this weekend's adventure due to the forecasted hot and humid weather. He had been out hiking on Saturday and said it was pretty awful. He was going to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing inside. We decided to go ahead with our plans. One, we are dumb. Two, we have a lot of things going on this month and only had this one weekend to get out backpacking. Three, we really want to finish up all the miles we have remaining before we do the final stretch in the 100 mile wilderness this September. So. All of the above being noted, we met up with Ghost on Sunday at 7:45, so that he could help us with our car spot. That really made things much easier. Thanks Ghost!

About 2 minutes into the hike, we were sweating. And it was buggy. Not even an hour into the hike and Snowman was saying "This is too hard. Too hot." This was going to be a rough day. I seemed to be faring better than him, but we still had a ways to go. We took it easy and trudged onward. The terrain was rugged and the trail not well used. It seems the Mahoosucs were living up to the rumors, as a beautiful, but rough and rugged stretch of mountains.

The 11.8 miles took us 8 hours, which considering we took at least an hour worth of stops through the day to rest, drink, eat and fill up our water, isn't too bad. But we were both spent by the time we got to Gentian Pond Shelter. The heat and the terrain had taken their toll. The shelter was empty, and had a great view out into Shelburne with the mountains beyond. A pretty spot. After dinner (by the way, the Pad Thai by Backpacker's Pantry is not recommended. Neither of us could finish our portion, which is really unusual for us.), we set the tent up in the shelter. Not good shelter etiquette, but as no one had arrived by 8pm, we figured it was just us for the night. It was hot, but we finally fell asleep. I awoke at 11pm to rain and a couple of hikers coming into camp. 11pm? What were they doing?! We felt bad for taking over the shelter, but they said they had already set up their tents... Ok. back to sleep. We needed it.

Flora and fauna report: Lots of moose poop and prints, but no moose. Lots of overly friendly black flies. Two grouse, one junco, one gray jay. One black and yellow garter snake. A few toads and frogs. Lots of pink and white ladyslippers, false lily of the valley, goldthread, bunchberries, blue bead lilies, mountain laurel, violets and rhodora.


June 9, 2008 | Miles: 7.3 (plus 4.4 miles on the Wright Trail)
Start: Gentian Pond Shelter
End: Wright Trail, South Fork

Danielle:
The rain during the night had cooled things off slightly, but the air was still heavy when we awoke at 6:30. Turns out what we thought was two hikers last night was a group of 8 or 10 wilderness camp instructors out for a training backpack. Still don't know why they arrived so late. We headed off up Mt. Success at 7:50am, in an attempt to beat the heat. The rain had turned the overgrown trail into a car wash, but it was good. Still, it was slow going. The roots and rocks were now wet, and the terrain had not gotten any easier.

In a few spots, upon first glance, we couldn't figure out how to get through the obstacle course of boulders that was the trail. Snowman had to help me up and down numerous times. My skirt was totally dirty. I was soaked, again. My legs were covered with sweat and mud and pine needles and heat rash. Lovely. It took us forever to get the Carlo Col Shelter for lunch and water refill. From there, we trudged onward and upward to Mt. Carlo and one of the Goose Eyes. Snowman was falling back. I kept urging him on. He was not looking good. This was not looking good. But there was nothing to do but keep going. Wingfoot had definitely gotten some of the mileage wrong, and we kept going and going and going. We did pass through some beautiful high bog areas, where the cotton sedge and mountain laurel were blooming. Still, neither of us were having a great time. I, again, seemed to be better off than Snowman but this did not stop me from swearing a good number of times at the rather impossible climbs up slick rocks or the bugs trying to gnaw at my arms and legs.

Finally, we reached the Wright Trail junction. The 7.3 miles (although I'm pretty sure Wingfoot was off by 1 mile at least through this section) had taken us until 3pm. Man... The Wright Trail was rugged for the first few miles, but had some gorgeous views. We finally dropped down to Goose Eye Brook, which we followed for the last few miles. Definitely a nice trail, but all I wanted was to get to the car. It had been a long day. We hit the trailhead at 5:40. D***, that was tough.

After a refreshingly cold wash in Goose Eye Brook, we had dinner at Sunday River Brew Pub. After a quick unpacking and a much needed shower, we were in bed by 9:30. Perhaps we shouldn't have chosen one of the toughest stretches of trail for our first backpack of the season, on the as-of-yet hottest weekend of the year, in early June when the bugs are at their worst. But then again, we're dumb. Who would have expected anything else from us?