Date: 2018-09-06
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Mt. Katahdin - Baxter Peak
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Mt. Katahdin was named by the Penobscot American Indian Tribe and means ¢The Greatest Mountain¢. It is a sacred place, with most members of the tribe choosing not to summit it. At 5270¢, it is the highest point in Maine, and one of the most difficult hikes in the east. It serves as the northern terminus of Appalachian Trail.  Henry David Thoreau described the north woods of Maine as "stern and savage" and his attempt to summit Mt. Katahdin in 1846 with two companions failed, but inspired him in his writings.The morning began by packing up and eating breakfast, which was interrupted by a downpour. It was 30% chance of rain, so we all hoped the downpour completed the 30% chance for the day. Brian drive us to Katahdin Stream Campground, where we made final preparations for the summit. Galaxy completed some yoga, while facing the mountain, properly respecting, and revering the meaning of the mountain to the tribe who named her. Swarms of gnats and small black bugs surrounded us as we prepared. We all moved down the trail, with a quick stop for a group photo. I went ahead with Galaxy and Songbird, while Puddles and Brian hiked together. The first mile of the trail was a comfortable hike, then became steeper, with a challenging 1 mile, 1,000 foot ascent during the middle of 5.2 mile summit, a technical climb which was aided by the use of rebar handholds and footholds. A mile from the summit, the trail leveled off to a rocky path called the ¢Tablelands¢. Clouds rolled in and enveloped us in the foggy mist. As we got closer to the summit, the sun began to peek through, with glimpses of blue sky through windows formed by the clouds. As I climbed the mountain, I almost felt like a traitor to the Penobscot Tribe. It wasn¢t about ¢conquering¢ the mountain, it was about respecting it and the meaning behind it. It was a mixture of feelings of accomplishment, knowing this marked the end of the northern section of my journey, the most difficult part of the trail, the transition to final part of the journey in the south, and reverence for the mountain. Despite all these thoughts, I felt ¢matter of fact¢ about it all. About 40 yards from the summit, I started thinking about all the times I wanted to quit, all the times I cried, the pain in my feet that woke me up at night, the people who have supported my journey, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable. Emotions overtook me and I stopped, put my forehead on the top of my trekking poles and began to sob. I slowly made my way toward Galaxy and Songbird, who were sitting just before the Katahdin summit sign, tears continuing to fall unexpectedly. I hugged them and the three of us took in the overwhelming moment. Pictures followed. Then we took up a position which sheltered us from the wind that had picked up and ate lunch. A few more minutes at the summit, and we headed down. The wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping as we departed. We crossed paths with Puddles and Brian as we made our way to the Abol Slide Trail, where we would complete our descent. One mile from the peak, at Thoreau Spring, is the Abol Trail, one of many side trails that ascend the mountain. We took the Hunt Trail up, which is the Appalachian Trail. The top of the Abol Trail starts off very steep, a nearly straight up and down large boulder scramble. As we descended, the trail turns into steep switchbacks, then loose pebbles, dirt path, rocky path, gradually becoming less steep, to a more comfortable walking path. It became clear that we would not make it back to catch the shuttle to Millinocket. Kathryn was going to give us a ride to Lewiston from Millinocket. We stopped at Abol Campground to eat a snack and take a relaxing break. We then moved to the road, hoping to get a hitch for the 2 miles back to the campground. One person stopped with room for one, so I jumped in with Judy. She was camping in Baxter Park, and dropped me off at the entrance to Katahdin Stream Campground. Galaxy and Songbird arrived a short time later after getting a hitch. We gathered our packs, hoping to hitch a ride to Millinocket. With no luck in the park, and swarms of gnats around us, we decided to walk to the road at the entrance of the campground. Some campers were packing their car, but had so much gear, there wasn¢t room for anyone. The gnats didn¢t follow us, so we at least had relief from them. I was able to contact Kathryn at some point to let her know we missed the shuttle and didn¢t know when we would be in Millinocket. I also let her know that my friend from Lewiston planned to pick us up in Bangor, but could get us in Millinocket, if needed.We made a couple attempts at a ride with no success. We watched for Puddles and Brian in a car coming to the park, figuring they would be able to catch a ride from someone. After a while, they pulled out of the park. They had caught a ride from a ranger and went into the campground on a backroad and we missed them going in. They looked puzzled when they saw us and not sure if we could ¢all¢ fit in. A hiker popped out of the car. We got all our packs in, and squeezed into the back seat. We stopped at the entry gate where Brian visited with a woman he had served in the navy with, but hadn¢t seen for several years. We had dinner in Millinocket, then went to the hotel where Puddles and Brian were staying. Sara showed up about 10 minutes later, and Galaxy, Songbird, and I piled into her car and drove to Lewiston.  What a great day it was! The north section of the trail is done, and the south awaits...