Date: 2014-08-10
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Baxter Peak, Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2

Britta, my folks, and I were up and on the road before the sun rose. We covered the distance from Millinocket to Baxter State Park quickly, and joined a shorter-then-expected queue at the BSP gate a bit after 6 AM. We met Trail Bunny there and gave her a lift to Katahdin Stream Campground; Long Haul would be reaching BSP later that morning, so Trail Bunny would begin hiking with us in order to meet Long Haul en route to the summit.We started up Hunt Trail at around 6:30 AM and made quick work of the first mile. At that point the trail grew more challenging, with a steep but well-engineered climb up some rock steps en route to the trail's infamous rock scramble. Our pace slowed a bit, and we huddled just short of the treeline to plan our way ahead. My folks were handling the scrambling ably but elected to turn back in light of their pace and desire to save energy for the descent. Smart! Britta and I continued on and made relatively quick work of the above-treeline scrambling, reaching the Tableland about an hour later. Another half-hour brought us to the final climb to Baxter Peak.It may seem strange, but beginning not long after I started the AT I'd tear up whenever I thought about summiting Katahdin. It was intensely emotional for me, given the physical suffering and mental challenges that so frequently accompanied me on the trail. So I was a bit surprised that morning when I found myself climbing with little emotion, as though it were just another peak-bagging venture. That changed when I crested the final rise below Baxter Peak and caught sight of the Katahdin sign. I completely fell apart, crying as hard as I ever have in my life. It was an intense emotional release and it floored me, leaving me propped against a rock momentarily unable to continue. Britta rushed up from behind and threw her arms around me in what ranks among the most heart-warming hugs I've ever received. We stood there together for a moment, before I collected myself and we made the final push to that sign. Haiku and Lunch were standing there when I reached it, and congratulated me. I put my hands on the sign--a moment I'd visualized countless times over the preceding 2,185.3 miles--rested my head on it, and cried some more. Then I stepped away, hugged Britta, and received a delicious Cream Soda courtesy of Lunch and his lady. We spent some time at the summit, chatting and taking the requisite summit photos, and headed down hoping to avoid rain during our descent to treeline.On the descent we ran into Long Haul, who would shortly meet Trail Bunny on the summit, and caught up with Haiku (who was carrying his full pack) and a section hiker named Timber who had just completed the AT in three years of sectioning. We descended together, laughing and joking along the way, and celebrated with our families when we reached KSC. It was a wonderful moment and one I'll always remember. I signed in with the rangers as the 187th NOBO to thru-hike the AT in 2014 before piling back into the car and leaving BSP to start my post-trail life, which I had longed for since before even stepping foot on the AT on 17 March.