Date: 2006-08-13
From: The Birches Lean-to's

To: Baxter Peak, Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

I'm kinda surprised that I didn't have trouble sleeping, as excited as I was. In fact, I slept so well that I didn't hear my watch alarm go off, though it was right beside my head, and our "alpine start" idea never got off the ground. I had wanted to start extra early (5 or 5:30) so as to be sure of being the first to summit the mountain. I know that countless thousands of hikers have summited it, but for me, they didn't matter. Not even the thru-hikers that summited the day before mattered. Today, August 13, 2006, was my summit day, and I wanted it to be just me and God on that peak. (I had warned Josh early in the week that I'd would probably forge on ahead the last day to have a little time to myself on the summit).So it was a great plan, but sleeping in didn't exactly help facilitate it. We woke up to broad daylight, and the time was about 5:30. We got up and packed quickly, scarfing down our raspberry Pop-tarts in the process.The climb up Katahdin is the single longest sustained climb on the entire AT, with more than four thousand vertical feet of elevation gain in just five miles. BSP rangers require that all attempts to summit the peak be underway before 11 am, so I knew that lots of folks would try for an early start. The park rangers also recommend that thru-hikers leave their packs at the ranger station and borrow one of the day-packs they provide, carrying only snacks, water, and extra clothing layers. Josh and I intended to take a different route down the mountain however, so we wouldn't be coming back to the ranger station. I would have carried my full pack anyway. It's been with me every single mile of the trail, and I wasn't about to leave it behind now. Besides, it's small and light enough that this wouldn't be the first time it was taken for a day-pack. We got to the trail-head a little after six, and saw that five hikers had already signed in and started up the trail. Five other hikers! And I didn't recognize any of the names, so I assumed they were day hikers. Yes, that's right, lousy no-good day hikers =). I had been saying for a while that while I wouldn't mind a few other thru-hikers on top, I didn't want to have to share the summit with people who had no idea what I was experiencing or had accomplished. None of them had more than a 45 minute or so head start however, and I felt confident that my conditioning would allow me to catch them in the 5.2 miles between where I stood and the plaque up on top. I love a challenge, and today was no exception. The adrenaline was pumping as I bid Josh adieu (he was still a bit stiff from what I'd put him through the last six days) and took off like a rocket.The climbing was steady but not overly difficult. Then I emerged above tree line and was whipped by sustained winds that I'm guessing were more than 30 mph. The temperature was in the 40's I think, but the wind chill factor made it feel much colder. I had assumed that climbing hard and fast would keep me warm, but I had to stop twice to add more layers. By the time I reached The Tablelands, a high alpine plateau a mile from the summit, I was wearing just about every piece of clothing I had, including insulated pullover, hat, gloves, and rain jacket. It was quite a contrast from my typical weather. Out of more than a hundred days on the trail, I had worn pants only two full days- yesterday, and today. Most of the rest of those days saw me in just shorts and a t-shirt. The locals were calling it September weather. I didn¢t mind at all. It made the climb that much more exciting. If it had been raining, I'm quite sure my sentiments would have been different, but it was clear and sunny.Those five hikers ahead of me? I passed the first four within about twenty minutes, and the fifth another 20 or so after that, still below treeline. From that point on, it was just me and the mountain. The sun was bright, but so was the moon. I could see it clearly in the dark blue sky behind me. I snapped a bunch of pictures on the way up, knowing that it was my last climb, and also that Josh would certainly want them as well. The wind was so strong that a few times it nearly caused me to lose my footing. The 3-4 hours that my guidebook says it takes most thru-hikers to climb the mountain were over in less than 2.5 hrs, and it was a special moment, to say the least, when I saw the summit plaque silhouetted against a blue sky right in front of me. The time was 8:32 am. Using my camera, I took a short video clip of the last few steps, touched the sign, then went a short ways back down the trail to wait for Josh. It was still cold, so I dug out my sleeping bag and pad and got warm while I waited. I celebrated with a bag of peanut M&M's too, a long-time favorite. I wasn't screaming or crying or anything like that. The whole thing seemed a bit surreal. The first figure that came laboring up the trail was the last guy I had passed on the way up, and a couple minutes behind him was Josh. I could tell you all about how we hung out on top and shot pictures; of how Josh was really cold since he didn't have hat or gloves and was ready to go while I could have stayed up there all day relishing the moment; of how hikers started appearing out of nowhere (there are several different routes up) and it got to be pretty crowded up there; of how two other thru-hikers showed up and we exchanged congratulations all around and posed for a group summit picture; and of how shortly after we reached the top the clouds started settling in obscuring the view and making me so glad we'd made it up early. All those things seem anti-climatic, though, and pale in comparison to the importance (to me anyway) of the goal I had finally reached.I suppose that hiking the Knife Edge Trail down Katahdin, hitching a ride out of the park, and eventually, back to Monson and my car, are all part of my AT experience, but I prefer to end it where the white blazes end, at 5,267 feet. Everything after that is just blue and yellow blazing =)The one emotion I took from the mountain (besides the typical euphoria =), was gratefulness. I'm grateful first of all to my Heavenly Father, for creating the beauty I experienced, for keeping me healthy, and for guiding me every step of the way. I'm grateful for the encouragement and support of my family, and also my friends. Thanks guys- it meant the world to me! I'm grateful for the friendship and fellowship offered by other hikers on the trail. And finally, I'm grateful for all the help offered by complete strangers along the way, in the form of meals, rides, trail magic, words of encouragement, and a myriad of other things that I'm sure will pop into my head years from now and bring a smile to my face. This truly was the opportunity of a lifetime, and an adventure I will never forget.