View Full Version : What's the toughest mile?
Votes for the toughest mile on the AT? I'm thinking the climb (nobo) up to the ridge at South Kinsman. Though possibly it was just my state of exhaustion and mule-like pack load at the time.
SalParadise
01-29-2007, 01:04
you mean besides Mahoosuc?
if it's for most exhausting, I'm definitely for Sweetwater Gap, those first few hills after the Robbinsville road just south of the NOC.
Jan LiteShoe
01-29-2007, 01:05
Well, folks will say Mahousuuc Notch, but I loved that, had a ball there.
On the other hand, I HATED the last couple of hours approaching Dragon's Tooth - steady slight incline, sweltering and humid day in the blazing sun, dehydrated with no water on a dry ridge, rushing to catch the shuttle to the HomePlace, thunder grumbling and threatening to lash out at a lonely hiker at any second, feet ground to hamburger and hurting like fire, last one out on the ridge. I hated life, LOL.
Not technically difficult but I think that's the only day I said I hated the trail.
:)
SalParadise
01-29-2007, 01:11
it's an interesting question because I think everyone's answers are going to vary not so much on difficult topography but on just how bad we were already feeling that day.
The last one. I didn't want it to end. Still don't. Ever see a kid with a bunch of bruises and fear-snot dribbling from his nose grinning and crying screamin' "let's do it again!"?
Jan LiteShoe
01-29-2007, 01:30
it's an interesting question because I think everyone's answers are going to vary not so much on difficult topography but on just how bad we were already feeling that day.
Exactly correct.
That said, the Wlidcats are pretty tough. The day before Carter Hunt was a killer.
:)
TREE-HUGGER
01-29-2007, 07:32
For me it is any where along the Barren and Chairback Range.:eek:
Mahoosuc Arm was tough for me. But I was sick at the time.
Kerosene
01-29-2007, 08:09
I'll second the vote for the NOBO climb up South Kinsman (and I was fresh!), but I haven't got past Pinkham Notch yet, so the Wildcats, Mahoosuc Notch, Mahoosuc Arm, and Katahdin are still in play.
Sawyers Notch near Andover. I was just finishing a 14 hour day to get to the Hall Mtn. lean to.
the_iceman
01-29-2007, 08:56
For me it is the first mile of my thru hike. I have sectioned the northern third, some in the winter, and I am sure there were times I whined. But the memories are all fond.
However that elusive first mile of my thru hike is 40 years in the making and now, after a 30-day delay, just 65 days and 23 hours away.
BTW the Mahoosuc's were a blast.
icemanat95
01-29-2007, 09:29
My hardest mile was the mile over the summits of Baldpate. I was at my psychological low point having spent too many days alone in cold, rainy conditions. I was in the final stretch and I was depressed and lonely. Struggling over Baldpate in the wind and rain wore me down to nothing and I decided to go home when I reached the road to Andover. Fortunately the sun came out and sense prevailed while I was sitting at the roadside eating a snack. Someone came by and asked if I wanted a ride into town. I thanked them and told them I was moving on. I got up a few minutes later and walked on. Never had second thoughts again.
Mahoosuc Arm was a hard slog, but there were a few hard slogs.
The Wildcats were a lot of hard scrambling, but that was fun. I left Pinkham Notch around 11:00 am and made it to Carter Notch Hut before dark....not much before dark, but before dark. The descent into the Notch was interesting. Looking down several hundred feet at the roof of the hut, essentially right below your feet puts an interesting feeling at the base of your spine.
several - the first mile after i woke up and saw that it was raining.
the three miles of mosquito hell in massachussetts were all up there as well.
Jan LiteShoe
01-29-2007, 09:57
The Wildcats were a lot of hard scrambling, but that was fun. I left Pinkham Notch around 11:00 am and made it to Carter Notch Hut before dark....not much before dark, but before dark. The descent into the Notch was interesting. Looking down several hundred feet at the roof of the hut, essentially right below your feet puts an interesting feeling at the base of your spine.
No kidding! One of my Top Three Views on the AT. Looking down into that jumbled, epic narrow slice of a valley - "notch" is accurate - was very "Lord of the Rings-ish." It's a place I still dream of.
:)
Steep climb out too. I plan to go back there.
Footslogger
01-29-2007, 10:30
My toughest mile was the climb up to Liberty Ridge (Franconia). Had a kidney stone attack and dropped into hypothermia. Dang near bought the ranch that day. If it wasn't for Firefeet and Chickflick there might be a little "RIP Footslogger" sign at the base of that hill.
Aside from that day/mile it's really hard to pick out just a single "mile" as being the toughest, especially in retrospect. Time has a funny way of softening even the steepest trail in your mind.
'Slogger
Katahdin, at least there's a mile-plus in there that wiped me out. Definitely also the climb with the best rewards tho.
Tipi Walter
01-29-2007, 10:48
It's not a mile but north of Stecoah Gap there's a mean, short, satanic climb right before Brown Fork Gap shelter. Is this right after Sweetwater Gap going north?
soulrebel
01-29-2007, 11:30
Any stretch where water and food supplies are low or perhaps a ridgeline walk in a lightning storm.
Everything else was cake!
It's not a mile but north of Stecoah Gap there's a mean, short, satanic climb right before Brown Fork Gap shelter. Is this right after Sweetwater Gap going north?
Ayup. The climb out of Sweetwater Gap. And there's no water in "Sweetwater Gap." None that I could find, anyway.
:) for me it is the last mile of every section hike,because i miss the trail till i am back on it again:cool: neo
vipahman
01-29-2007, 12:02
Being a weekender, the hardest part is dragging my sorry ass out of bed at 5 am on a Saturday morning.
saimyoji
01-29-2007, 12:34
The last mile on the highway home. :(
Lone Wolf
01-29-2007, 12:36
Votes for the toughest mile on the AT? I'm thinking the climb (nobo) up to the ridge at South Kinsman. Though possibly it was just my state of exhaustion and mule-like pack load at the time.
i found no mile of the AT tough physically
minnesotasmith
01-29-2007, 14:17
i found no mile of the AT tough physically
You don't drink or have a beard, either, right LW? ;)
Lone Wolf
01-29-2007, 14:19
You don't drink or have a beard, either, right LW? ;)
yes to both but i really don't think any of the AT is physically tough.
Jim Adams
01-29-2007, 14:21
The Mahoosuc Arm. Alot of use of the hands! It was fun on both thrus but it physically drained me both times also. That was probably the hardest for me but the most difficult was the 36 miles of Pa. without water in 2002.
geek
yes to both but i really don't think any of the AT is physically tough.
Maybe there is some other trail that has some section that you consider tough? Inquiring minds need to know. :-)
Lone Wolf
01-29-2007, 14:29
Maybe there is some other trail that has some section that you consider tough? Inquiring minds need to know. :-)
running a 50 mile trail ultramaraton in 8-9 hours is tough. walking up a steep mountain at a slow pace, taking rest breaks is not tough to me.
Votes for the toughest mile on the AT? I'm thinking the climb (nobo)...................etc,..................... ......
the 1st mile out of town after lunch!:D
Kaptain Kangaroo
01-29-2007, 16:46
Yeah, that short steep climb out of Sweetwater Gap was a real grunt. It was knee deep in dry leaves that seemed incredibly slippery. You felt like you took one step forward & then slid back half a step.
I remember the register at Brown Fork Gap shelter was full of comments about the climb, in particular that a hill that nasty should at least have a name !
Cheers,
Kaptain Kangaroo
Tipi Walter
01-29-2007, 16:52
Yeah, that short steep climb out of Sweetwater Gap was a real grunt. It was knee deep in dry leaves that seemed incredibly slippery. You felt like you took one step forward & then slid back half a step.
I remember the register at Brown Fork Gap shelter was full of comments about the climb, in particular that a hill that nasty should at least have a name !
Cheers,
Kaptain Kangaroo
Satan's Throne
For me, the toughest mile was that last mile of the day sometimes, after it's been a long hot day, and I'm low on water.
Mahosic Notch is a mile of bouldering. It's completely different than every other mile, so I enjoyed the change. Not the toughest, just the slowest.
swamp dawg
01-29-2007, 17:25
The toughest mile was the climb up Wildcat, it just never seem to end.
Swamp Dawg
Lone Wolf
01-29-2007, 17:27
The toughest mile was the climb up Wildcat, it just never seem to end.
Swamp Dawg
next time walk the road down to the ski area and ride the gondola to the top.:)
Jack Tarlin
01-29-2007, 19:56
Toughest five miles:
Leaving Hot Springs
" Erwin
" Damascus
" Pearisburg
and of course, Hanover. There's no place like home.
Gettin' outta Gatlinburg is a bit easier. :D
drdewrag
01-29-2007, 20:53
It's not a mile but north of Stecoah Gap there's a mean, short, satanic climb right before Brown Fork Gap shelter. Is this right after Sweetwater Gap going north?
No kidding!:eek: I haven't walked anywhere near the whole thing, but that is certainly the baddest, toughest part so far. That one really hurt!
Jester2000
01-29-2007, 20:58
The toughest mile had to be that first one after I quit my job.
Jester2000
01-29-2007, 20:59
No, no, I take that back. It was the one ON THE WAY to quit my job.
RedneckRye
01-30-2007, 04:44
The toughest mile is the one on the way to tell your folks/ family/ non-hiker friends/ boss that you are leaving real/ normal/ regular life to go hiking for the first time or the second time or the tenth time. Eventually they realize that you aren't going thru a phase and this is the wat you are. Eventually that mile is easier and they know what to send in a mail drop. Hooray for folks, family, friends, and the boss.
camojack
01-30-2007, 04:55
Coming down from Katahdin...in the dark. :eek:
Jan LiteShoe
01-30-2007, 09:40
i found no mile of the AT tough physically
You probably found the Long Trail easy too.
:)
That one, my first long-distance backpack, about finished me for backpacking, LOL.
I guess it's like childbirthing though, you forget the rough stuff and come back for more.
The hardest stretch for me... hmmmm...
It was either in CT when I kept getting stung by bees, and my energy level dropped to near zero. But actually it was in MA, when the mosquitos literally drove me off the trail. They got so bad, 27% deet did nothing, clothing did nothing, hiking speed did nothing, they just came in clouds of blood-sucking doom. I had a bit of a freakout, and walked back a half mile to the road I had just crossed. I didn't know where that road went, so I walked up to a house and asked someone which direction to the closest town and what town was that, and then the next car that passed by I put out my thumb and they stopped. I spent the day in town, eating town food, and not having to deal with mosquitos. I picked up stronger deet (100%), and that evening went back out to the trail. The mosquitos had quieted down a bit, and the new deet helped a bit, so they were tolerable.
But criminey, that was a heck of a day.
As far as hard trail? Hmmmm... CT was harder than I expected because it was many many ups and downs, like walking on a zipper. But really, that wasn't that bad... like I said I was just tired out from the bee stings. Mostly, the trail just isn't that hard.
sweetpeastu
01-30-2007, 11:11
toughest mile? does it have to be the AT? It was somewhere (i dunno where i was exactly) in New Hampshire. Maybe I'm a wuss cause Im from the hills of Virginia but that trial was freakin verticle! lol.
Sleepy the Arab
01-30-2007, 14:09
It's a toss-up. For shear physical difficulty for me it would have to be the the miles around Nuclear Lake. There was a heat index of 108 and no breeze. Hiking was harder than any other day I've experienced. The worst part was I couldn't quite figure out why the hiking was so hard - I was having trouble thinking straight. It was like hypothermia in reverse.
Mentally speaking, I'd go with the Hunt Trail, at 2 miles from the campground to 1 mile. That was the point when it hit me that that was it. Over. Kaput. Done hiking. Nothing but zero days from here to eternity. Now what do I do?
mnof1000v
01-30-2007, 16:04
The arm was a bit of a challenge, but I remember my climb out of the NOC being quite a workout. Then again, it was about 85 degrees with high humidity, and it was the first uncomfortably warm day on my hike.
climb out of the NOC being quite a workout.
I forgot about that climb. That was a bear. Especially coming out of NOC fat on town food, fully laden with trail food, and lazy from a day off. Heck of a payoff at the top though...
DawnTreader
01-30-2007, 17:01
Sawyers Notch comming off the backside of Moody Mt. was a tough go.. Barren Chairback SOBO was tough 4th peak was ridiculous..
I forgot about that climb. That was a bear. Especially coming out of NOC fat on town food, fully laden with trail food, and lazy from a day off. Heck of a payoff at the top though...
:D the climb out of noc is easy:cool: neo
:D the climb out of noc is easy:cool: neo
If you're not fat and lazy and over-laden :p
Lotta false summits on the climb outta NOC. The two breakfasts didn't help.
SalParadise
01-30-2007, 19:37
in 04 at Sweetwater Gap I was carrying so much weight i thought my heart was going to explode. the next year i vowed not to take a break and i actually managed to climb the thing without stopping, i was so happy. granted, i was stepping about three inches at a time.
MistressJenkins
01-30-2007, 20:15
While I haven't done the whole thing (YET!!) my vote would have to be the EPA Superfund Mtn in PA!! Lots o rocks... and no cover (needless to say it was a sunny, dry, and windy day)... Straight up... but what an AWESOME view!