Second Toughest Mile on the AT?

[grizzlyadam]

On Saturday while doing an out and back day hike of the "toughest mile" on the AT, the Mahoosuc Notch, my gf and I started wondering what the second toughest mile on the trail is.

A few days earlier we'd hiked up Mount Moosilauke from the north side and both agreed the stretch of trail with the steps would definitely be up there on the list.

So, what do you think is the "second toughest mile" on the AT?

By the way, on our return trip back through the Notch Saturday we completed it in 45 minutes. I bested my old time of 1:05 (which was with a full pack). Had a blast!

[hikerboy57]

On Saturday while doing an out and back day hike of the "toughest mile" on the AT, the Mahoosuc Notch, my gf and I started wondering what the second toughest mile on the trail is.

A few days earlier we'd hiked up Mount Moosilauke from the north side and both agreed the stretch of trail with the steps would definitely be up there on the list.

So, what do you think is the "second toughest mile" on the AT?

By the way, on our return trip back through the Notch Saturday we completed it in 45 minutes. I bested my old time of 1:05 (which was with a full pack). Had a blast!

katahdin=the middle part

[Just Bill]

katahdin=the middle part

+11! to that- although I would also put them number one and number two on my list of most fun miles on the AT.

[Zippy Morocco]

katahdin=the middle part

+11! to that- although I would also put them number one and number two on my list of most fun miles on the AT.

+1 fun and difficult

[Just Bill]

Although there was that one mile in Vermont on the way to the swinger's house, but I guess that would be the most productive mile...

[joshuasdad]

katahdin=the middle part

Hiked up Katahdin on Abol Trail and down via Hunt Trail (AT) on Sunday. That mile south of the Tablelands on the AT was awesome. Looked like I was ready to go off a diving board at one point, with cliffs on both sides, and a precipitous drop going forward. Adrenaline fueled by a combination of awe and terror prevented this mile from being my most difficult to date (I still need to do most of NH/ME, including Mahoosic), but I agree that if I had tackled the Hunt trail NOBO, that mile would be my most difficult.

[illabelle]

Hiked up Katahdin on Abol Trail and down via Hunt Trail (AT) on Sunday. That mile south of the Tablelands on the AT was awesome. Looked like I was ready to go off a diving board at one point, with cliffs on both sides, and a precipitous drop going forward. Adrenaline fueled by a combination of awe and terror prevented this mile from being my most difficult to date (I still need to do most of NH/ME, including Mahoosic), but I agree that if I had tackled the Hunt trail NOBO, that mile would be my most difficult.

you're not supposed to say things like this - you're scaring me!
you're supposed to say, it's not that bad, you can do it.

[hikerboy57]

Hiked up Katahdin on Abol Trail and down via Hunt Trail (AT) on Sunday. That mile south of the Tablelands on the AT was awesome. Looked like I was ready to go off a diving board at one point, with cliffs on both sides, and a precipitous drop going forward. Adrenaline fueled by a combination of awe and terror prevented this mile from being my most difficult to date (I still need to do most of NH/ME, including Mahoosic), but I agree that if I had tackled the Hunt trail NOBO, that mile would be my most difficult.

you're not supposed to say things like this - you're scaring me!
you're supposed to say, it's not that bad, you can do it.

please refer to the if it isn't fun why do it thread

[fiddlehead]

The first mile is the hardest.
Just to get there, get time off, find all the food you want, repackage it, get to the trail, legs are a little rusty as it's been too long......................
Then you get that first mile done, and all that stress goes away.
Now you're just thinking about the woods, sun down (what time?), water (where?), and maybe a little about the weather.
The crap disappears and it's all about what's important in life.

I definitely don't agree that Mahoosic notch is anyway the hardest mile.
That would be the one that you just did in the pouring rain, with lightning chasing you up the steep, slippery climb to get to the full shelter and have to go out and down the ravine to wait in line to get some water to cook your last ramen.
Mahoosic notch is the most fun mile on the trail.
And climbing Katahdin is second.

Just climbed Kinabalu a few weeks ago.
The pouring rain made the last few miles down the hardest as the bridges were out, the trail was a roaring river and there were people being carried out making it too crowded to get into a good run.
The 7,000' climb was the easy part. (actually I didn't make the top as the lightning turned us around about 1,000' short)

[1azarus]

please refer to the if it isn't fun why do it thread

HB, that is hilarious!!! With less than perfect weather, I've always thought that hikers didn't whine enough about how hard Katahdin can be to climb and they must, in general, be tougher than me.

[fredmugs]

My toughest mile (and a half) was SOBO down the Mahoosic Arm. The Notch was a welcome sight. Moosilauke wasn't a big deal but Carter Notch kicked my butt. Any toughest miles for me will be the ones going downhill - never the climbs.

[max patch]

Mahoosic Notch is the slowest mile. Not the toughest. Big difference.

[hikerboy57]

My toughest mile (and a half) was SOBO down the Mahoosic Arm. The Notch was a welcome sight. Moosilauke wasn't a big deal but Carter Notch kicked my butt. Any toughest miles for me will be the ones going downhill - never the climbs.

I agree coming down mahoosuc arm in the rain was much more difficult than the notch itself

[Gersh]

I totally agree on the Mahoosic arm being tougher than the notch. The notch is a challenge for sure but in a fun kind of way but the arm kicked my butt. One crazy descent that sticks out in my mind was coming down from the sugarloaf area to the Carrabassett river in Maine. Of course I did it in the rain which is probably why it seemed super tough.

[Zippy Morocco]

I want to change my answer. I too think that the toughest mile will be different for everyone. For me the toughest mile was that nice big climb coming into North Carolina. I was injured, it was raining and really windy. My spirits were low.
Strangely, after a half hour break at Muskrat Creek, I was ready to go.

We finished the day hiking over Standing Indian and camping at Beech Gap. At Beech gap we pitched in what would become a small pond and had to pitch the tent again on higher ground.

[The Solemates]

not sure if its the toughest, but going up albert Mtn NC i believe is the steepest

[Fur Queue]

I agree...the toughest mile is the first one...just to get there...second toughest for me was the walk out of the woods with my knee all twatted...not because it hurt(it did)...but because I was having such a good time in big nature and it was over...for a while anyway...

[Another Kevin]

I said in another thread some time ago:

The hardest section is the one where it's been raining for the last four days and everything you have is wet and stinks of mold, your feet are pleading for mercy in wet socks, and on top of that, you've got a cold and a stomach bug. A level stroll under those conditions is harder than a rock scramble when you're fit and having good weather.

[max patch]

You'll never have consensus on what is the toughest mile. In Georgia, seems like most complain about Kelly Knob. That doesn't bother me at all. For me the climb NOBO out of Tesnatee Gap is the hardest in the state.

[hikerboy57]

there was nothing in ga for me that remotely approached the difficulties of the whites and western maine.the ridgewalk in the northern smokies was the only area that slowed me down at all.climb out of noc was probably the longest sustained climb in the south, still nothing compared to the northeast