Date: 2005-08-13
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin Terminus
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

I DID IT. I came to the end of my journey, the place where I would stop my daily walks in the woods. I stood next to and touched the Katahdin Northern Terminus sign the end to the AT. I yelled, high fived, shook hands, took pictures, cheered and did it all over again. I had walked 2,174.9 miles from GA to ME, 161 days since I had started at Springer Mtn, GA. What a feeling, I was on top of the world; it was just trying to blow me off this day. I still had to earn every step even the last day. I was now truly an AT Thru Hiker.The climb up Katahdin is billed as the toughest climb on the trail. I was ready to find out. The forecasted rain started about midnight and it was still sprinkling when we woke. By the time we were all up and packed it had stopped raining. Ray and Cotton Joe were still eating breakfast when I left. I knew they would both pass me on the way up. The rain wasn't done either. As I walked from the lean-to to the trailhead it was sprinkling again. I started down the trail and was soon in my rain jacket. I knew if it was windy and cold at the top when I got there I did not want to be wet. The first mile is easy and I was there in 25 minutes. It would take three plus hours to climb the next four miles. The rain had stopped by now. It was just all socked in clouds. You could not see much more the 50 feet in front of you. By this point both Ray and Cotton Joe had passed me. It was also out of the tree line at this point and the wind was blowing very hard. As I continued the climb it got steeper with more and bigger rocks, soon the poles were away and it was hand over hand. I would climb and look up and see nothing but rocks with white blazes every couple of rocks, every few feet. The trail was well marked. It needed to be. About the only way up was the white blazes where they were leading you. It wasn't until I came down that I was able to see how steep, long and rocky it was. I was even a little glad I didn't have to keep seeing it on the way up like I would have on a clear day. Once you get through that section you get to what they call the Tableland, which is a ridge, until just before a short rock climb that¢s takes you to the terminus. Here you could really feel the wind. There was no longer anything to block the wind. I walked the whole way leaning into the wind. Once I got to the final climb I knew I really had done it. Eventually I could see Cotton Joe just ahead of me. I was there. I had made it. It was so windy it was hard to keep your balance as we moved around. There we were the two of us cold and wet, and couldn't be happier we had done it. We celebrated, took pictures, and then found a big rock to get behind and block the wind and ate a snack. With the wind, clouds and cold I was ready to come down. There was no view and no reason to stay at that point. I headed back down. I was a bit surprised. As I did there was a small group of people coming up with 3 kids with them. I couldn't image them hiking up the way I did. I should have asked how they came up but didn't and went down the same way I came up. I should have asked. I found the Abol Trial had half the distance to climb up with no big rock climbs. On my climb down it cleared enough that I got a glimpse of some of the views I would of had. It was enough that I did take some pictures. What did it all mean to me? I plan on thinking about it a day or two to put my thoughts together before writing my last days journal.I DID IT; I still can¢t believe it. The adventure of a life time. I had walked from GA to ME.