Date: 2005-09-21
From: Abol bridge

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Goodness! How do I even begin to describe the emotions and feelings of today? Today marked the end of a 6-month long journey. We packed up our tent for the last time on the trail this morning around 5am. Luckily, after the rain stopped last night, a strong wind blew through and dried out the tent completely. We were all quiet and reflective this morning as we packed everything away and ate our breakfast, wondering what the day would bring and anticipating the climb before us. Teams Hairbunny, T-drop, and P-Bug were on the trail by 6:15 and we were all praying that the weather would be good to us. Our first 10 miles were relatively easy and we were all focused on getting to Katahdin Stream Campground before 10am. The park doesn't allow hikers up Katahdin after that. We decided to stop briefly at Daicey Pond campground to try and snag a view of the mountain. This is the best view we have had, but the peak was still cloud covered. She was amazing to see, even if it was only in part. I began to get chills as we caught occasional glimpses of her through the trees. The ranger there at Daicey was rather cynical and rude. He wanted to get a look at Raindrop's teeth before she "knocked them all out on the mountain", he also asked Bug where his bagpipes were. When inquiring as to when we planned to go up, upon hearing we were going up today, his response was that we be able to make it up there and down today. It was 9:25am and we were less than a mile away from Katahdin Stream Campground. We all pasted on our best smiles and walked away even though we were really seething inside. None of us wanted to say or do anything that would jeapordize our summit day.As we approached the campground, we were a little unsure of what to do or where to go. We knew that we were supposed to check in at the ranger station, but it was off the trail and wasn't well marked. If we had read our Companion we would have known, but we were all too antsy to bother. We met up with Cool Breeze (Hairball's best friend) and stored most of our gear away in his car. We were at the trailhead in plenty of time, but by the time we actually started up the mountain it was 10:37am (we signed in as going up at 10). The first mile I hiked fast. I had a light load on my back and adrenaline was coursing through my body! We passed the waterfalls, which were beautiful but went unnoticed like most of the scenery this morning because I had my mind focused on one thing only...Baxter Peak, Katahdin.Soon after passing the falls, the terrain got much steeper and much more difficult. I was soon able to look behind me and see the many astounding mountains behind me. The day was turning out to ge gorgeous. The next 4 miles were the toughest miles I have climbed on or off the Appalachian Trail. They were also really fun (at least going up)! Most of it was hand over hand climbing, and in some places, flat out rock climbing without the ropes. I soon felt like I was 4 years old again, finding anything I could climb and get a finger and toe hold on. Instead it was rock slabs and tree roots instead of mom and dad's file cabinet. And the prize was a 5,200' summit at the end of a very long journey instead of candy stashed away on top of the refrigerator. I scrambled my way quickly up the rocks, unable to keep myself from slowing down and savoring the moment. One of the wildest things I saw while climbing was Milkman's mother trying to climb this incredibly difficult mountain with long, freshly manicured fingernails. Milkman looked fairly worried about his folks being up there and understandably so.Soon after venturing above treeline we saw our first rebar. It was much different than any we had seen elsewhere on the trail. There 6' up was one rebar step and slightly higher, one rebar handhold. With those two aides, it was up to the hiker to figure out how to climb the 7ish foot vertical rock slab. The next rebar I saw was one handhold on another vertical slab. It was here that I decided it would be best to leave my Leki poles behind (I saw where many others did this as well).Close to a mile hiking past treeline, the winds really began to pick up and it was crazy to look back and see an actual line separating the clear blue skies from the horrfically dense cloud cover. From there, I don't remember much about the terrain except that it was vertical most of the way. I remember seeing my fellow hikers coming down the mountain, hearing the excitement, the fear, and the countless other emotions in their voices. They informed us that we were still a good 2 miles from the top (not what I wanted to hear). The first familiar face was Ug and he looked miserable and cold behind the shelter of a rock. Next we met the Troll family coming down, cold but clearly in great spirits. Soon after we saw the Hemlock Muppets and they were in the best frame of mind I have ever seen them. We quickly spoke with Just Bob and Leviathan, but it was very fast because this was the most dangerous and crucially technical part of Katahdin. Finally, we met up with Pumpkin on the Tablelands and were able to spend a few moments with her exchanging hugs, taking pictures and offering congratulations. The moment was upon us and it was our time to complete the journey and reach our destination. For the next half hour we walked across the Tablelands and up the graded summit path. At first glimpse, I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was the summit or just another sign to ask hikers to stay on the trail, but then I quickly realized that the sign before me was way too big for that! Even through the fog, it was an amazing and solemn moment.We each took a moment at the sign, none of us saying a word, but rather standing in awe of ourselves, the mountain, the journey of the last 6 months, and the realization that with this climb it is over and it will soon be time to say goodbye to our family of the past several weeks. We took pictures and celebrated the moment. Team T-drop was the last of the couples to summit and the last of the day, and it was touching to see the emotion between the two of them even though it was no surprise because each couple knew how the others felt. We stayed no longer than necessary because the weather seemed to be getting worse. After a group hug at the top, it was each couple for themselves and getting down was top priority.Bug and I practically ran down the summit and across the Tablelands, however when we reached the end of the Tablelands and began our descent, the wind was gusting at about 60mph and rain was beginning to spit. I had no other choice but to slow to a crawl, and crawl I did! The majority of my descent was spent on my hands and knees or sliding down on my rear. There was one place in particular that was much scarier coming down than it was on the ascent. I feared for my life at the thought of making a wrong step or misjudging my distance. God protected us and we made it down the mountain safely with only a few very minor scrapes (Bug broke a nail).We recieved our first full view of Katahdin after summiting the mountain when the skies cleared to make for a beautiful afternoon. We were almost completely down and had not yet reached the waterfalls. After summiting at 1:51pm, we made it back to the campground at 5:30 exactly. I am emotionally and physically exhausted. What a day!I hope you have enjoyed reading our journal as much as I have enjoyed recounting the triumphs, trials, and triblations we have experienced. I will continue to journal for a bit and recount what it will be like re-adjusting back to the "other world" and Bug will be sharing his thoughts and feelings about the hike in a journal entry tomorrow. Feel free to keep reading and post any questions you may have for us in our guestbook. Stay tuned....