[at-l] mahoosuc notch

[blisterfree at isp01.net (Brett)]

I don't believe I actually recommended the alternate route I 
laid out. Having hiked the Maine AT several times in the 
course of nearly three end-to-ends of the AT, I can vouch 
for the fact that Maine only gets better the more one hikes 
it. The difficulties really do seem to diminish as one's 
psychology improves, bolstered in no small part from the 
knowledge of what lies ahead, and the reality that any 
challenge is, in the end, surmountable.

That said, there are plenty of good reasons that a hiker 
might not wish to tackle various portions of the official 
route. Injury, for one. Or illness. Or dangerous conditions 
including but not limited to snow, ice, heavy rain, or 
lightning. I wouldn't choose to hike through the Notch, or 
points soon thereafter to the north, in highly adverse 
conditions. I _could_ wait out such conditions, at least 
assuming that I had the wherewithall to wait. Otherwise, 
knowledge is power, and an awareness of alternate routes can 
be useful.

I didn't present my alternate to Mahoosuc Notch with an eye 
toward the poetry of the thru-hiker's experience. And I 
don't profess to know what constitutes beauty and purpose 
for another hiker.

- blisterfree

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Simblissity Ultralight :: One-of-a-Kind Designs for the 
Great Outdoors
www.simblissity.net




>>Sorry, Brett. That's a terrible idea. <<