Day 156 – US 2 Quantum Vortex to Gentian Pond

“I am a lineman for the county

And I drive the main road

Searching in the sun for another overload.

I hear you singing in the wire.

I can hear you through the whine

And the Wichita Lineman

Is still on the line.” – Glen Campbell 

Up at 7:00. Tent is wet from the dew. Nuts:( Got moving slowly, hoping for the tent to dry. No luck. On trail at 9:15.

Sunny, mid-70s, no wind.

Passed a small hydro plant before heading into the woods. Washington and Madison in the background.

Another major milestone at 1900 miles. The leaves are turning.

Hard, steep climb the past 3 miles, but not technical. Plenty of rock steps. Wish there was a breeze and cooler temps.

Stopped and chatted with a SOBO, FilpFlop, and a cattle dog at 11:00. Got good intel on what’s coming and gave them intel on the next few days. Once I get to the summit in about .3 miles, it’s not bad until Gentian Pond campsite. From there, I can look down into Mahoosuc Notch and giant boulder fields for many miles. 

Put out my tent and bandannas to dry on a false summit of Mount Hayes at 11:30 and 3.5 miles in. Hung out for 30 minutes until everything was dry. Back on trail at noon.

Passed by the summit of Mount Hayes. Got 7.9 miles to Gentian Pond. It’s hot out here!

Took a spill on a slick rock. Hurt my wrist, but I’m okay. And now this sucks. That’s almost straight up.

Summited Cascade Mountain at 1:20. Took a snack break and swapped water bottles. Moving again at 1:50.

Took a break and filtered water at a pond at 3:15. Very picturesque.

Summited Wocket Ledge at 3:55. Still have 3.2 miles and one more PUD to go.  Gonna get to camp later than I want, but not too late.

Got to Gentian Pond Shelter at 5:50. Crowded. One guy in a big shelter and a dozen tenting but not enough tent spots. Glad I got here a tad early. Got set up, filled up on water, and made dinner by 7:00. 

Dana dropped my next package at FedEx, and it will meet me in Bethel, Maine, on Wednesday. Sweet!

Today was a hard workout. Lots of steep, hard climbs and an annoying amount of damp, slippery rocks. Fell twice, and one was almost very bad. Tomorrow and the next day are harder. Got Mahoosuc Notch followed by Mahoosuc  Arm. Mahoosuc Notch is the hardest mile on the AT. I’m hoping to do that late tomorrow, but it depends on what time in the day I can get to the start of it. 

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts: 500
• Oreo: 160
• Oreo: 160
• Oreo: 160
• Zero-sugar sausage: 120
• Snickers: 250
• Snickers: 220
• Zero-sugar sausage: 120
• Oreo: 160
• Salami: 180
• Ramen: 370
• Dehydrated chicken: 170
• Water: 2
• Miles: 11.7
• Time: 8:30
• Elevation gain: 4134
• Calories consumed: 2900
• Calories burned: 6500