Date: 2006-08-12
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: The Birches Lean-to's
Miles today: 21.1

Wow, it was kinda sad as I woke up this morning to realize that this will be my last full day on the trail. Sad, but exciting too. That's the way I've been explaining it to people who ask me if I'm ready to be done. I usually say that it's been absolutely great, but I'm excited about finishing. I'm definitely not one of those types that slows down to five mile days towards the end just to prolong the experience. I say, bring on the Big K!The first order of business for the day was to get to Abol Bridge, which is the entrance to Baxter State Park (BSP). There's a camp store there, and nearby is the spot where thru-hikers can register for a spot at The Birches, a campsite in Katahdin Stream Campground that's designated for thru-hikers only on a first-come, first-served basis. The eleven miles into Abol were pretty uneventful, save for the climb up Rainbow Ledges, from which you can get a clear view of Katahdin. When we came through the mountain was shrouded in fog, but we were too distracted by the plump, juicy blue-berries the mountain was covered with anyway. I wish I could have crated up several bushels of those things to send home. Mmm mmm good!When we reached the camp store we rewarded ourselves with cold drinks and snacks, and I was happy to finally meet Long Haul, a thru-hiker who I've been behind but slowly gaining on since the very beginning of my hike. The caretaker at BSP told us that there was plenty of room at The Birches for the night, which was a relief to hear, So after a leisurely lunch, we set out on the final ten miles into the park to the campsite. I couldn't help but think that of all the "lasts" I was having- last lunch, last afternoon, last waterfall or stream crossing, last sunset. Endings are always bittersweet, I suppose.Baxter provided us with stunning scenery (okay, well I wasn't stunned cuz I've been seeing this sorta thing for a while now, but you may have been. Come to think of it, is anybody actually "stunned" by scenery? I mean, it's just a view, right? Anyway, it's a popular clich© and I choose to continue to perpetuate it, inaccurate though it may be =). We saw mountains, including Katahdin, waterfalls, crystal clear streams, and of course, the usual rocks, roots, and trees. I suppose it probably wasn't that different that what we've had all week, but it seemed special today for some reason.The highlight of the day for me was hanging out at The Birches. There were four other thru-hikers there, and we deemed the night worthy of a campfire. (While campfires may have been common in Georgia, they're a rare thing for thru-hikers this far north.) After dinner, we all just sat around the fire sharing memories of the trail- the people we'd met, the places we'd been, and the events we'd experienced. We talked about the good times, the bad times, the weird times, the funny times. I found it interesting that though we'd all hiked the same trail, our experiences had been so varied and unique. A few hours went by in what seemed like a few minutes, and there were a lot of laughs all around. Josh even stayed up past his normal 7:15 bedtime to participate. Thanks buddy! =) We retired with our faces aglow, our bellies satisfied, and our minds full of wonder and anticipation for the morrow.