May 14, 2025 4 min to read

AT Blog: Day 123 and 124

Bogs and Mud in Maine

Day 123:

Bogs everywhere. I’m up by Dream Pond lake, but am slow in packing up. The first few miles aren’t bad but the trail is constantly routed through bog fields covered in moss and small plants. Unfortunately boards protecting the ground have mostly rotted away, leaving behind huge trails of water and mud where constant footsteps have destroyed the trail.

And by mud, I mean thick deep mud. I use my hiking sticks just to figure out the deep spots, as it’s difficult to judge. The trail is slow again today due to it, any non steep hill is just covered in mud. Goose Eye peaks are pretty to look at but have fields surrounding them.

I take a break at Full Goose shelter to recoup and refill my water. Unfortunately today my CNOC camel bladder sprung a leak, so I can’t carry as much water and I’m using my smart water as my new filter bottle. I run into Master Splinter again with his dog Leo, as we both are about to tackle the Mahoosuc Notch.

The Notch is known as the longest mile on the Appalachian Trail, as it’s a boulder field at the bottom of the valley. I quickly pull ahead of Master Splinter as he has to navigate the trail not designed for dogs. There is a funny encounter where he meets a southbounder named Shredder, the nemesis of Master Splinter.

The Notch itself is fascinating. It’s angled correctly to create an “ice cave” effect. Essentially the boulders and positioning allow air currents to cool the bottom, allowing ice to stay there year round. There’s lots of snow and stuff in the cracks, plus dipping in and out of certain areas feels like walking into and out of A/C. I make sure to record a video of me singing Ice Ice Baby then keep going. Overall it took me nearly an hour and a half to go through it all, making it my slowest mile.

I meet a few more southbounders near the end, before having to climb up the Arm. It’s a brutal climb after boulder scrambles. But afterwards I get to Speck Pond Shelter. Ironically it’s my first AMC hut, while also being the last of them. I pay the money for staying the night to the caretaker and prep myself for the night. Greenbeard is also there, as well as a SOBO hiker who is struggling a bit. It’s funny running into SOBO hikers because I can see how I was when I started, reflected in them at this point.

Master Splinter and Leo arrive hours after I do. The boulders and path of the trail are barely navigable by foot and were not designed for dogs—it took them over 3 hours to go that mile.

Day 124:

I start out at Speck Pond Shelter. There’s a brief rain shower but it doesn’t last long.

Long climb to the top of the mountain, then a rough descent where I see lots of people celebrating the Fourth of July.

At the road, I get trail magic from Pastor Candace, a former officer in the area, and hear tales. She rants about FarOut and how there is an old abandoned access road that it marks as a way to get out. The reality is the road has been abandoned for decades and ATVs are unable to get all the way down it anymore. They have had to do rescues when hikers try to use it. She also tells a story of a hypothermic hiker who gave a 9 PM satellite call from the Notch. It was an awkward rescue as they had to hike the rescuers in, since the terrain is much too rough for a standard monowheel carrier. The rescue lasted over 12 hours, going into the next morning. The guy got out okay, but it was dicey for them.

I get a Dr Pepper and some snacks from here. I take a break at Baldpate Lean-to while going up. It’s akin to Stone Mountain in Georgia near the top, with only stone and hiking on it. A bit slick and annoying to go down. At the end of the day there are some waterfalls too.

Camp at Wyman Mountain at a stealth site.