Date: 2014-08-19
From: The Birches Leanto

To: Summit of Mt Katahdin/Baxter Peak
Miles today: 5.2

I arose before daylight and way ahead of watch alarm...body was rested but nerves were alive. It had sprinkled overnight until nearly 10pm, but the strong breeze enabled the ground and my tent fly to be mostly dry. Today's weather forecast was to be clear and I hoped the continuing high winds wouldn't make it too chilly on the summit, but I was more hopeful for clear skies and great views! I dressed for my long-anticipated summit-day, and donned my windjacket as the air was still cool - maybe low 50s. I heard other hikers whispering and packing - several had entered camp well after "hiker midnight" with headlamps and tented near me - as everyone at The Birches would attempt their summit today. I packed my camping gear into a big trash bag to leave in the car, since I would carry very little in my backpack today - 1.5 liters of water, 32 oz gatorade, water filter, fleece/hat/gloves, several trail/power bars and my celebratory beer! I then fetched my food bag from the bear cable, sat in my lawn chair to enjoy my last ziplock breakfast of cheerios, and thought about the day ahead. Time was flying by and I wanted to walk back to Katahdin Stream Campground ahead of my team's arrival from their overnight in "civilization"!. I filtered and filled my camelbag at the clear, fast-flowing Katahdin Stream, mixed and drank a Juven, and trekked myself and all gear to KSC parking lot. Mt. Katahdin was completely visible this morning under clear, beautiful morning sunrise light. WOW! What a difference one day of Maine weather makes! I heard the familiar Pathfinder engine sound approaching and my eyes were filled with tears before Boss could even park! Boss, Princess, Rocketman and Ranger each had their own nerves, energy and thoughts...each individually ready to attempt this day's challenge, but together we would undertake the journey as a team. Once we had readied our daypacks, used privy, applied sunscreen and took some pictures, we headed up the Hunt Trail at 6:45am. The trail began as a nice dirt and pine needle coated, gentle 500 foot uphill climb for the first mile, as Boss and I walked leisurely along Katahdin Stream. We reached the powerful Katahdin Stream Falls within about 20 minutes and the sun hit the water with perfect lighting. The trail grade became steeper, more rocky and rooted as we climbed over 1800 feet in this mile and a half section, but also provided a few nice vistas at various tree clearings as we approached elevations over 2500 feet. By 8:45am we reunited with the Princess, Rocketman and Ranger trio who, like us, kept pausing to allow multiple groups of faster hikers to pass. Our team soon passed "the cave", a massive boulder overhang and knew we were approaching treeline and the trail's "middle mile", a much anticipated (or dreaded) vertical boulder-climb section. The hiking poles had to be stowed because now they would be no help and in the way as we would need all hands and feet (and knees and arms) to maneuver around and over giant boulders, sheer ledges, and vertical rock "walls". It took a true team effort of sheer full-body muscle strength, strong guts, verbal encouragement and each others' help to push, pull, leverage, balance and hoist all of our bodies (less a bit of skin and a bunch of bruises from each of us along the way) for the next 2 hours, 1 mile and nearly 2000 more feet in elevation. We took a short snack/water break, slowed our racing heartrates, breathed, joked that we did not die, lightened the mood and soon began the "tableland" section, a half-mile flat plateau walk across low alpine tundra/groundcover vegetation. The trail was quickly covered with spring water as we approached Thoreau spring, but none of us needed (or did not want to stop for) water replenishment because dominating our views ahead are the "final mile upslope" and Baxter Peak. This last mile went quickly for me as my adrenaline was pumping, I could clearly see people on the summit, and I spotted "the sign". I heard several hikers call out "Pintsize" and I made a bee-line to the A-frame wooden sign I have seen in so many photos. KATAHDIN - it read. I climbed onto that sign after this insane five-hour, 5.2 mile hike, raised my hands in victory and gave a big old yell of complete joy. 11:45am on 8/19/14. 129 days of hiking in my 171-day, 2185-mile journey that began on 3/2/14 on Springer Mountain, Georgia. Our fivesome team made it to the top, reached our goal and celebrated together. The next half-hour was a bit of a blur as photos were taken, hugs and high-fives exchanged and celebration ensued. To my surprise there were over 70 people on the summit at that point - a combination of thru-hikers, section hikers and day hikers, with who knows how many different reasons to have made that hike today - and WE ALL MADE IT! I did pop open my Murphy's Stout for a refreshing "stout summit", sat down briefly with my team and ate a little lunch. Low clouds began to blow in, and the winds picked up, but generally the summit provided clear vistas in 360 degrees of direction, a great deal of sun and temps that warranted only a light fleece, but not hat and gloves. By 12:15pm we began our final descent, choosing to return via the Saddle and Chimney Pond trails which were expected to provide us a slightly longer, but preferably less treacherous return. The trail leading to the Saddle wove around alpine tundra as it took us downslope from the peak and across a slide of smaller, flatter rocks. We then proceeded to quickly descend larger, steeper rocks and loose gravel and sand. At one point Boss expressed grave concern about going down this trail, as her legs were very shaky, hands had death grips on her poles and nerves were high. However, we both knew this was a much-better trail choice than the severely steep Hunt Trail or insanely terrifying Knife Edge Trail, so we pressed on slowly, deliberately and step by slippery step we finally reached 3500 feet where shrub vegetation began to block the visibility of this crazy steep slope or at least might cushion a fall! Eventually, after about 2.5 hours and a couple miles, we reached The Basin, a fantastic "bowl" area below this magnificent curved mountain that we had only recently been atop. Our team turned onto Chimney Pond Trail...only 3.3 miles to the parking area at Roaring Brook Campground. Typically a piece-of-cake, this became an arduous, mental challenge--the length of time and physical trail challenges left us each with "hiker brain" as we mentally struggled to stay alert, upright and in forward motion. Alas, in four hours, 5.5 miles later, we reached flat ground, trail's end and our shuttle driver's van to return us to our car at Katahdin Stream Camp.Several final photos of Mt. Katahdin in glorious light were taken, boots were off and we drove the final hour out of the park and to our respective hotel/camp residences for showers before our celebratory "beer dinner" at Pelletiere's Logging Restaurant in downtown Millinocket. What a fantastic, full day this has been. I am blessed, loved, fortunate, grateful and thankful for every moment this day and journey have offered. I achieved a lifelong dream to hike the entire AT, and to summit Mt. Katahdin. I could not have done it alone, and I did not do it alone, but I DID IT!!!