But the narrow trail provided the thrill I had expected, and the final 40-foot, vertical ascent of Pamola was a satisfying stretcher. Pamola is named for an Indian god of wind and storm, but as we arrived the sun broke through and we shed our vests and windbreakers. From this point, we had a little more than three miles down Helon Taylor Trail back to Roaring Brook. There was no way they could be back in the valley before nightfall, yet they seemed unconcerned by the risk. Frequently park rangers have to go up and find hikers who start too late, dawdle, become dehydrated or otherwise hurt themselves.
Some hikers simply run out of steam and spend the night on the mountain.
You don't have to be in first-class shape to finish Katahdin, but you do have to be conditioned to enjoy it. Soon, though, we entered stunted balsam and spruce, and the horizon scoped in from miles to feet. As the forest thickened, the noise of the wind decreased and I became aware of the sound my knees were making. Think of a steel Caterpillar tread on a wet gravel road and you've pretty much got it. Another hour or so brought us down to the deep forest, where the trail softened and the sound of Roaring Brook filtered up from below.