Date: 2017-08-12
From: Wilderness Edge Campground, Millinocket, ME

To: Mt Katahdin, ME
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

8/12/17, Baxter State Park, MEMiles hiked: 1872.4, Miles to Katahdin: 0.0,  Miles to go: 317.9I was up at 4:00 AM to get ready for my summit of Mt Katahdin. I actually slept much better last night than I expected and felt pretty rested when I got up. The Fellowship all met at the campground office at 5:00 AM and headed to Baxter State Park in three shuttle vehicles. The gate to the park didn't open until 6:00 AM; however, we left early so we would be near the front of the line. It was incredible. We arrived at about 5:25 AM and there were already about 10 cars in line ahead of us. As we sat there, the line behind us got longer and longer. It was about 7:00 AM when we finally got to the trail head at Katahdin Stream Campground and were ready to head out. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pretty day to summit. Light rain was falling and the mountain was in the clouds. Oh well. One thing I've learned out here is that you make accommodations for the weather because it won't accommodate you. As I got out of the shuttle car, who should I see but Sitting Bull and Hoops! They pushed hard and made it into Baxter State Park last night to summit on the 12th. Yay! It was great to see them again. I also saw a young friend of mine named Alex, who I first met hiking with his dad and his dog Springer way back before Low Gap, GA, on the second or third day of the hike. I had run into Alex again at Shaw's in Monson last week for the first time since Hot Springs, NC. When I last saw Alex in Hot Springs, he seemed like a clean cut, scrawny high school kid. He was 17 and had graduated high school early. He was a bit nervous because his dad was about to go home and he would be continuing on alone. When I saw him again in Monson, he was now Billy Goat the thru hiker, who was pounding out 32 mile days with the likes of Juggernaut and Highlander. He was muscular and had long hair and a goatee, with this air of self-confidence that made him seem 10 years older. It was really cool to see the transition. Now Alex (aka Billy Goat) was back at Katahdin. He had summited yesterday with his trail buddies; but, he returned today to hike to the summit with his dad and cousin. It was fun to be going to the summit with people I knew from way back at the beginning of this Grand Adventure. Sitting Bull and Hoops were still getting their stuff organized for the hike to the summit, so I told them I'd see them at the top and headed out with the rest of the Fellowship. The plan was for the Fellowship to hike to the top as a group; however, excitement and adrenaline took over and soon the rest of the group left me, along with 4WD, Odin, and his girlfriend Amy, behind. I was hiking faster than the other three, so I was soon hiking alone. Actually, "alone" is a bit of a misnomer. There was a steady stream of hikers, both thru hikers and day hikers, making its way up the mountain. The hike was steep and rocky. As we neared the treeline, the rain stopped; however, we also hiked into the cloud encircling the summit. Soon, visibility was down to 20 feet and the rest of the world was lost to the fog. I continued to climb ever upward and soon found myself climbing hand over hand up vertical rock sections, with occasional rebar steps to help with the tougher sections. As the wind picked up, I had to stop and put on my rain jacket for warmth. I continued to climb and rock scramble for what seemed like an eternity, using my hands as much as my feet in many sections. With such limited visibility, I had no visual cues and could not gauge my progress. I eventually reached the Tablelands and the trail leveled off somewhat. At least I could once again be a biped rather than a quadruped. I reached Thoreau Spring and had only another mile to go. I was still in white out conditions with only about 20 feet visibility. The wind carried away any sound, so I had no idea how close I was to the summit. Soon. I could start to make out forms ahead and I could hear people cheering and calling my name. Then, suddenly, there was that iconic sign I had been waiting to see since February. Soon, the other members of the Fellowship were hugging me and pounding me on the back. It was cold, wet, and blustery at the summit; but, it didn't matter. It was Mt Katahdin and I was surrounded by a bunch of people who had become good friends over the past couple of weeks. Who needed sunshine? Feathers took a bunch of pictures of me on the summit sign. While we waited for 4WD, Odin, and Amy, I broke out the Cadbury Chocolate bars I had carried up the mountain and passed them around to cheers of gratitude. As other thru hikers arrived, we would break into spontaneous cheers for them.  Soon, Sitting Bull and Hoops arrived and we took a bunch more pictures. Shortly thereafter, Billy Goat and his dad and cousin arrived. Before long, 4WD, followed shortly by Odin and Amy, arrived. The celebrations erupted anew with each new arrival. After several more pictures of the whole group, we were ready to head back down to where it was warmer and drier. I hiked down the mountain most of the way with Billy Goat's dad, Jerome. We had a pleasant conversation about the hike in general and reminisced about the early days when we hiked together in Georgia. As we descended, the clouds began to disperse and we could see just how exposed the rock face really was. Wow! What a difference to the ascent in the clouds. After what seemed like forever, we finally neared the bottom of the descent. Sitting Bull and Hoops passed me one last time, as they had done on countless days throughout this hike. At the bottom, we waited for the shuttle and eventually arrived back at the Wilderness Edge Campground. The rest of the Fellowship was planning to head to Odin's cabin in Maine for a day or two of post-hike celebration; however, I was scheduled to fly home tomorrow, so I had a hotel room in town. The owner of the campground was running two other hikers to town and offered to give me a ride. They were leaving right then, so suddenly I was saying rushed farewells to the Fellowship and running to grab my pack. As a final farewell gift, I got one of Giggles' coveted Friendship Bracelets. She has been making them for members of the Fellowship the past couple of weeks and everyone has been waiting to get theirs. Since I was leaving before everyone at the cabin, I got mine before a couple of others. All of a sudden, I am in a hotel room alone. I am safe, warm, dry, and clean. It feels weird. I have been working toward this goal for months and now it's done. By this time tomorrow, I will be home. I haven't had time to fully reflect on the hike yet. That'll come with time. Not to mention, I'm not done yet. I have 317.9 miles to complete in VA. I will be back on the AT August 27, after a couple weeks of R&R. Be sure and join me for the next chapter...