Somehow, I got another great forecast for the Mahoosuc Range this weekend! I was ready to go early and left my condo at around 0615. Used I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10, US-302, NH-116 and US-2 to reach Gorham (listened to audiobook on the way). Ate breakfast at McDonalds (0810) and then drove to Shelburne to see if I could find a place to park. Got lucky with a parking spot at the trailhead for the Peabody Brook Trail (previously, I’ve never seen an empty spot there). This allowed me to carve out a huge chunk of my remaining NH miles north of US-2. I was on the trail by 0830 and, in three miles, I reached Dream Lake and the Mahoosuc Trail (AKA AT). Starting SOBO, I followed the white blazes along a “backwards capital D” shape. Within minutes of starting my AT Section, I started seeing NOBO Thrus - in total, I probably passed 30-40 (I lost count). There were lot of section hikers too but I only saw one SOBO Thru… The weather was actually really nice because the sun stayed mainly in the clouds all day and there was a steady breeze. Actually, I probably needed a jacket for the 50s temps but felt so good that I toughed it out. Initially, I stopped to talk with several of the hikers, sharing Intel and stories. Eventually, though, the series of boulder-filled roller coaster climbs and descents put me in a business-like mood. Fortunately, none of the climbs exceeded 500 feet (highest peak was just under 3K feet). So I stayed on task pretty easily and made good progress as I headed towards my car. Some nitpicks: there really were very few blazes to follow today and I encountered a lot of downed trees. Highlights: Wocket Ledges, Trident Pass, Cascade Mountain and (finally) Hayes Mountain, I landmark I’ve now climbed from three different directions. Leaving the Mahoosuc Trail, I descended towards US-2 on the Centennial Trail which showed a lot of damage after the fire this Spring. After I reached the bottom of my last descent, I walked about a mile on pavement until I reached my car again (1730). All told, I walked almost 14 miles in just over 8 hours. Felt good, actually, which was nice because I was trying out a new pair of boots... Quickly changed clothes and then went to Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church (1800). Afterwards, drove to Moose Brook State Park to check into my campsite (1900). Made sure I liked it (there was another option if I didn't) and then drove back to town to eat dinner at Gorham Dynasty Buffet. After a great meal (finished at 2000), I checked my email (cell service was spotty at the campground) and then drove back to Moose Brook (2030). Decided to sleep in my car again, rather than pitching my tent, and it worked even better this time (seats folded town). Read until about 2200 and then went to bed. Best news of the day is that I’ve finally cracked the 200 AT miles to go mark! AT Today = 6.1 miles / Grand Total AT = 1990.3 miles / AT Left = 195.0 miles
