Yes rain. Yes pain. Yes MAINE! Rockhound and I entered our 14th and final state today crossing into Maine around 10am.

In addition to the NH/ME border sign and the mileage arrows from Springer to Katahdin, there was a blue sign bolted to a tree reading “Maine—the way life should be” I almost cried, but instead I ate a King sized Snickers bar. Yeah, I am a thru-hiker.

What a day! We went through the hardest mile on the AT today at Mahoosuc Notch. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to hike through the field of massive boulders. The temperature dropped from 75* to 55* in the notch. The rocks were real cold to the touch and ice was present in my of the holes under and around the rocks. We put away our poles and scrambled, climbed, and swung our way through the bolder field. The trail took us over, around, and sometimes under rocks. This is the place for extreme hiking in New England if you are looking for it!

The rain grew heavier after we passed the notch and we climbed up the extremely steep and slippery Mahoosuc Arm with heavy legs. Fifteen miles of this kind of hiking is a bloody long way! By the time we reached the shelter we were soaked and cold. Condor and Tom are here and have been great company, as well as the caretaker Caroline.

We’re talking of heading into Andover, ME tomorrow to get dry and have some food. There are 271 miles left in Maine and of the AT. What a fun and challenging start to our hike through Maine!