Date: 2003-10-07
From: Mt. Katahdin

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Class IV...Class III....Class III..Class III....Class IV.....Well, this is what Katahdin looks like this week. My parents flew in on the 4th, along with Jerry, and we made plans to summit the 5th or 6th.Bumpkin, Jerry and I all agreed that we would not attempt a Class III day, even if the park allowed it, cause it was just too dangerous. Myself speaking, once the weather pattern started playing itself out, I knew that a summit opportunity wasn't likely, so mentally and emotionally I was fully prepared. The picture of this journey is so much larger than one day on one mountain. I have come so far, and learned so much, but as I already wrote, it has just been the beginning. Katahdin is not going anywhere, and I know that there will come a time when climbing that mountain will be more important and monumental. When that time comes, I will be there! For now, however, I am content to stay at the bottom! This week, the whole top of the mountain was covered in layers of ice, and more than half of the five-mile climb is over boulders...some of them completely vertical. Hikers on Class III days are staggering down the mountain looking like Everest survivors! Summit pictures show men with ice-encrusted beards, and women whose hair is completely covered in frozen precipitation. When you ask them about their hike, they mutter things like, " Horrible....the scariest thing I have ever done....if I had known, I would have never gone up....".Most of them just say, "Oh man..." and shake their heads. It is quite comical to watch, once everyone is of the mountain safely! As for the Class III days......for a week I have watched AT hikers brave the mountain in an attempt to summit. Some of them turned around half way up when things got hairy. These people have my undying respect! I have noticed three kinds of people at Katahdin this week.   There are those that see their hike as being successful and complete without the mountain....they just took a "summit picture" at the botom of the mountain, hugged their friends and went on to the next part of their life. Then there were those that felt the mountain was important enough to attempt. Some of these made it all the way up, and some didn't, but they all seemed to approach it with a certain degree of respect for the mountain, and for their own safety. Last, there were the ones that hold the mountain as the most important thing about their journey. These hikers would be devestated if they didn't make it to the top, and most of them are willing to put their personal safety and the safety of !their companions on the line for this one mountain. In the next couple of weeks, Katahdin will see a lot of these people. In fact, many of them will attempt to sneak into the Park after it closes to get a chance at this mountain! After I watched so many people attempt it, I came to this conclusion....which ever catagory a hiker falls in, I hope they are able to finish their trip in the method that they wish, and that they walk away from Katahdin full of a sense of accomplishment. As for our own summit day.......Jerry, Bumpkin and I headed for Katahdin bright and early. They call the day, (in terms of class), early and we wanted to be able to hit the trail very early if we were going to hike. We got to the ranger station and learned it was a Class III day. Jerry and I heaved a sigh of relief. Neither of us were looking forward to hiking in ice and snow! However, after hemming and hawing for a bit, Bumpkin announced that she was hiking. This mountain was very important to her. She said that she wouldn't hike in the rain, but that she didn't mind the ice. As we drove to the trail head, it started to rain, but with single-mindedness, she looked between the raindrops. I hugged them both at the trailhead, and shaking my finger in their faces, told them to hike safe! In a quiet moment, I pulled Jerry aside and made him promise me that he wouldn't let them do anything dangerous. With that, off they went, and I headed back to the car to wait for mom and dad.   When they got to the park, the three of us hiked a short way up the mountain. We took a bunch of "summit pictures" next to the trail sign, and then walked up toward the falls. We found a nice place off of the trail and proceeded to cap off my journey with a little ceremony. I took the rock I carried from Springer Mountain in Georgia and left it on Katahdin. It has come a long way, and I felt proud to deposit it on the mountain. Along with the rock, I had a bulb. One of my students, Hamilton, had given me three bulbs to plant along the way. One of them is planted on top of Springer, one is in the White Mountains, and the third is now planted on Katahdin. For me, those bulbs were symbolic of the support my students have given me along the way, and I hope that each one of them knows that I have carried them in my heart for the last six months. Last, with the bulb, I buried a picture of my mom, I and my Meemaw. Meemaw was with me the entire way, so it just semed right! that she finish this journey at Katahdin with me. The fact that my parents were with me for this final part of the trip made everything perfect. I walked back down the mountain full of peace, a sense of accomplishment, and a knowlege of just how lucky and blessed I am.   The three of us spent the rest of the day enjoying Baxter State park and Maine. Once we left the park, where it was grey, cold and rainy, we were treated to sunny, bright blue skies. We had our first freeze last night and it gave the trees that little extra oomph they needed. The colors were spectacular!   Around 5:00, we went back to the trailhead to wait for Bumpkin and Jerry. Mom and Dad had brought champagne to celebrate the end of our journey, and we thought this was a perfect time and place. Well, we waited....and waited....and waited. It got dark, everyone was off the mountain but Bumpkin and Jerry, and everyone started to get worried. Several people went to find the rangers, and the rest of us paced back and forth. It was after 7:30 when we finally saw them coming out of the woods. They both loked like the survivors of a PBS special, and we were really glad to see them! Jerry walked up to me and said, "I am sorry Anna...I lied to you.....When it got dangerous, I couldn't tell her to turn back". We all just hugged them, happy to see them safe and whole! As they walked towards the car, I could hear Jerry shaking his head and muttering to himself, "Horrible....the scariest thing I have ever done....if I had known, I would have never gone up....".    With everyone safely ensconsed in our cars, we scooped up Pushing Up Daisies and Flatlander, who had joined the rescue effort, and headed in to town. Dad had made reservations at a really nice restaurant for all of us, and being an hour late, we rushed there with hopes that they would still seat us. To our relief, they did! And the seven of us sat down to a wonderful meal. Jerry and Bumpkin regaled us with stories of their climb. Mostly they revolve around Bumpkin shrugging her shoulders and saying, "It wasn't that bad...", and Jerry lookin at her with his mouth hanging open with disbelief. It wasn't long before the patrons at the surrounding tables were leaning over asking us about our hikes and looking at the pictures.    As the evening came to a close, we all found ourselves outside clustered around the trunk of mom and dads rental car. As we raised our glasses in a toast, Bumpkin and I broke into the Dance of the Real Women. After adding in a bit of James Brown in the form of "I Feel Good", we brought the evening, and ultimately, our journey, to a close. With hugs and cheers all around we said good-bye. The day ended up being too exhausting for me to really be aware that it is all ending. Right now, the whole thing is already starting to resemble a large, magical dream. Also, since I am not quite through journeying, I don't think it has hit me that my thru hike is over. Bumpkin and I are going to spend the week traveling around before going to the Gathering in New Hampshire. For me, the Gathering is the true end...the coming round in full circle, if you will. So, keep your eyes open for my final journal entry. It will becoming from Dartmouth College! Love, Anna aka Mud Buttwww.trailjournals.com