Date: 2004-10-04
From: Katahdin Stream Campground, ME

To: At Last, Mount Katahdin!
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It was dark out when I woke up in the lean-to on the final day of my journey on The Appalachian Trail.I bundled up in warm clothes and treated myself to a luxury¢brand new hiking socks.A beam of light from my headlamp guided my way as I carried loose gear and a backpack from the lean-to over to the campfire area. There, I placed the materials on the planks that we hikers had sat on a few hours before. Thru hiker Chris appeared. He was wearing extra warm clothes and shouldering his backpack. There was vapor from his breath rising in front of his bearded face. We shook hands and wished each other luck. He walked off into the darkness.I stirred the ashes in the fire pit, revealing embers. I placed some wood over them and attempted to revive the flames. In the meantime, the cold air was chilling me. I decided to hasten the revival of the campfire. I poured denatured alcohol over the wood and lit the fluid with a match. Presto! The wood kindled. I was basking in warmth and illuminated by flames.I boiled some water and prepared to add into the pot an extra large portion of oatmeal. Tiny bits of wood swished around the water. I thought to myself that when this journey ends, the presence of debris in a pot of water might illicit a less tolerant reaction.I ate the oatmeal, cleaned the pot, and stored gear into my backpack.My intention was to carry in my backpack a full load of gear, clothes, and remaining food. The weight of a full load has been pressing on my shoulders all of the way from Georgia. It would be a fitting conclusion to this journey to carry the same burden during the final hike.The darkness gave way to daylight.Pop Up strolled over. He warmed himself beside the fire and nibbled on a dry breakfast. His companionship held a special meaning. He was the only person in this campground that I had hiked with down in The South. Together, we would ascend Mount Katahdin.At 7:03 a.m., we began our climb. For a while, the trail rose gradually in a mixed forest. To the right, Katahdin Stream flowed down the mountain. We crossed a footbridge over the stream. After that, the trail became steeper. The scenery improved. We passed a waterfall. Higher up, we enjoyed our first view of other mountains. Bands of red and yellow foliage colored the slopes.Exertion warmed me up. I removed my gloves and fleece jacket. Shortly thereafter, I was putting the jacket back on. We had hiked into a belt of dense evergreen trees; it felt like entering a walk-in refrigerator. The deep shade was retaining the chill from the night.The hiking became strenuous. We used our hands and feet to pull ourselves up the steep and rocky slope. My wooden hiking sticks were useless in these conditions. Whenever it was necessary to use both hands to pull myself up, I would toss the sticks into the nooks and crannies among the rocks above us. We stopped often to snap photographs. T-Bott and a thru hiker named Late Start, a middle aged woman, caught up to us.The four of us hiked out of the tree line. We followed the trail up a steep and exposed shoulder of the mountain. The views were spectacular.This mountain is the tallest vertical ascent on The Appalachian Trail. As I bouldered my way up, I realized that I was not getting tired. Five and one half months of continuous hiking is a great physical conditioner.We crested the steep incline and took a break in a flat spot among some boulders. The wind was blowing hard. I became all the more chilled and put on my rain jacket. T-Bott and Late Start pushed on. Minutes later, Pop Up and I resumed hiking.We crossed The Tableland, a flat and wide expanse of ground. Boulders and rocks were scattered across the terrain. Along the way, we spied a slope ahead of us; it led to the summit which was wide, not conical. There were tiny figures¢silhouettes against the sky¢visible up there, representing people, a cairn of stones, and a plaque. The shape that excited me the most was a pointed one; it was the cairn of stones identifying the summit.Where exactly is the terminus of The Appalachian Trail? Is the spot at the cairn of stones? Or is the location several yards away at a wooden plaque that conveys a message about the terminus of the trail? Nobody seemed to know the answer, including a park ranger whom I had asked. Most hikers surmised that the wooden sign represents the terminus. For me, the cairn was where the journey should end.After traversing The Tableland, Pop Up and I began a twenty-five minute ascent up the final slope. We agreed to photograph each other at the precise moments we reached the ends of our journeys.A gathering of thru hikers and well wishers greeted us with applause and encouragement as we took our final steps.I stood near the plaque and focused my camera lens upon it. Pop Up walked up to the plaque. In a gesture of exultation, he raised his trekking poles toward the sky. Click. I memorialized his moment on film.And then, at last, I approached the cairn of stones, the official summit of Mount Katahdin. The cairn was taller than me. My initial emotion was solemn, as though I was in the presence of a tabernacle. I placed aside my wooden hiking sticks and knelt down at the base of the cairn. I paused for a moment, grasped the cairn and closed my eyes.I offered a prayer of thanks to God for having protected me from injury along the way.I opened my eyes and reached into the pocket of my rain jacket. I took out a tattered white bandana, my talisman on this journey. It has accompanied me during other adventures in my life, but never on a challenge of this magnitude. I spread out the bandana, revealing a pebble. I placed the pebble between two fingers, stood up and faced the gathering. My location was higher than everyone. From my stone pedestal, I shouted, "Hey!" My voice got their attention. I raised my hand which held the pebble. I don't recall my exact words after that, but I shouted something like this: "I am holding a pebble that I've carried from Springer Mountain!"Applause and whoops of approval greeted my utterance. I cocked my arm and flung the pebble into the sky. At that moment, I experienced pure elation. My quest had ended.Has this thru hike of The Appalachian Trail taught me anything? Has it changed me? In the future, I will compose a final entry to this journal and attempt to answer those questions. In the meantime, I shall return to my former existence, hopefully a better person then when I took those first steps on a mountain called Springer, located 2,174 miles away.