Date: 2006-08-22
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

And then it was over...Alarm went off at 5:30 and like a kid on Christmas morning, I went about annoying my parents and sister until they to woke up. We packed up all our stuff and threw it in the van. Started hiking around 7:30, my Mom hiked the first mile to Katahdin Stream Falls before giving me a hug and watching us continue the hike. I am sure she would have loved to climb Katahdin, but there were a few tough rock scrambles and several sections where rebar was used for hand holds, she would have had trouble those things.The climb from Katahdin Stream Falls up to the Table Land was very steep and long, but not any harder than I expected. It consisted of lots of rock scrambling and very strong winds. The winds proved to be the most difficult part for me because I was carrying a big piece of cardboard covered in plastic on my back (You will find out what I was carrying later in this entry). The cardboard was acting like a sail in the wind and several times I thought I might get blown off the mountain... or at least blown into a face plant with the rocks.We made it up to the Table Land just as the clouds rolled in. The Table Land is a relatively flat section of Katahdin that sits completely above treeline. The clouds were so thick in places that I could only see to the next blaze. Then out of no where the clouds cleared for a few seconds and in the distance I saw a fairly large crowd of people. I knew that had to be the top... I gave my camera to my Dad and started walking faster.About 50yds from the summit I saw the sign marking the end of the trail. Tears began flowing from my eyes and I walked even faster. The final 50yds of the trail are one big blur, but I do know that I set my backpack down walked over to the Katahdin sign and just collapsed. Oh, and I cried... I cried a lot. It was one of the most emotional moments I have ever experienced. There were lots of other day hikers at the summit as well and as I made my to the sign there was this very odd silence that came over them as they witnessed my moment at the sign.I then went about taking lots of pictures with the sign. I also got a chance to get my picture taken with Brutus Buckeye. Ever since Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts I had been thinking about a way to get my picture taken with Brutus on Katahdin. A coworker at Ohio State happened to have a cardboard cut-out of Brutus that he let me borrow for my hike.Just as we were about to start down the mountain the clouds began to clear and we received some incredible views. The clear skies remained for the rest our our hike down from Katahdin. The winds were still just as strong as the climb up, and it was pretty hard at times to keep myself and Brutus from being blown away. Once back to Katahdin Stream Campground I gave my Mom a big hug and then made my way to the Ranger Cabin to sign my last trail register. Then I got in the family van and left Baxter State Park. It was a strange feeling, in the morning I was a thru-hiker in the mist of hiking the AT, and then just like that, I was in a mini-van cruising down the highway at 70mph. It was a very strange feeling. The good news is as we were leaving Baxter State Park we saw 2 Moose, one of them ran towards us and came within 20 feet before running off into a marshland. Now that the trail is over I have a million thoughts running through my head. Too many to even try to make much sense of it at this point. So in the next couple days I will post a couple more entries going into more detail on what exactly I am thinking and feeling now that I am finished. As for me right now, I am happy with my accomplishment and sad that this journey is over.