Date: 2003-09-11
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin (Baxter Peak, the last blaze)
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today is the day... I am nervous, but excited as I pack up my gear for the days adventure. I sit around eating breakfast, watching Wench pack up her gear (Tom & Thirsty boots sneak a little stuffed bear onto her pack & she grins from ear to ear when she sees it). Papa wench just drove up, he¢s hiking up Katahdin with us today. Wench loads up her gear & I walk to the ranger station to go through my gear & bag up what I don¢t need for todays climb. Today it¢s only food, water, clothes & camera gear¢¦ What a bunch of slackers we are.. LOL!!! My stomach still felt like it was full of butterflies (we¢re climbing Katahdin!!!), but nothing a Little Debbie granola bar won¢t fix. There is NOTHING a little Debbie bar won¢t fix¢¦ Most of the group had already started up the mountain, when Thirsty Boots, Tom, Wench, Papa Wench & I finally signed in & started our climb. I still had the butterflies in my stomach, but so did everyone else, so it was OK. My pack only weighed about 10 pounds, so todays hike was awesome. No pressure on my shoulders, no back pain, just fatigue (a faithful friend I have carried with me for 6 months). I could really get into this day hike thing¢¦. Peak Bagging anyone? The climb up to Katahdin Streams waterfall was fairly easy, a gentle up through sweet pines & nice view sheds, but then reality set in. The next 2 miles started out with a steeper climb up rocks and steep trail, then we were above tree line and doing rock scrambles (I LOVE ROCK SCRAMBLES!!). There is nothing better than being above tree line, it¢s a place I want to spend much of my free time from now on. It takes your breath away, it makes you fall in love with the outdoors every time you are there. No pictures will ever do it justice, you just have to be there¢¦ Awesome!!!! Anyway, we went up the mountain at an easy pace, Papa Wench took breaks along the way to catch his breath. He wasn¢t in the same shape as the rest of us (but I appreciated them too¢¦.). I really enjoyed hiking with Papa Wench, he¢s a fun guy & gives everything his best. He¢s a 100% awesome guy! The hike above tree line was really cool, I love rock scrambles & rebar climbs, it¢s like solving a puzzle (how the hell do we get through this section with the least effort?). The person leading the scramble sets the route, and the others behind follow that route (or use an easier one I missed¢¦ sigh¢¦). After a long scramble, we hit a flatter section & looked up at the next pitch through the boulders to the ¢table lands¢ (a flatter section on top). It was a really steep pitch, and had drop offs close to the route on both sides¢¦ Papa Wench took a look & said, sorry this is as far as I go, I¢ll see you when you get back here. We tried to talk him into going, but heights aren¢t his bag & he didn¢t want to slow us down (I wasn¢t concerned about going slow, I enjoyed hiking with him & knew how much it meant to Wench to have him there). There was no reason to push him to go on, it really was steep & had big drop offs (he made the right decision). So wench & I continued on & he sat and talked to everyone going up and coming down (bragging on his little girl¢¦ A proud papa). I really enjoyed this section of trail, the steepness and dropoffs made it the best climb I had done on the AT (the views were awesome and adrenaline shot us up the mountain like rockets). Wench & I seemed to fly up the mountain and across the table lands. The table lands are a huge flat section of the mountain, flat like a table top. We walked about 1 mile over this then up a steepish pitch with rock steps up to the top & along a ridge to Baxter Peak. We saw people gathered around the Peak sign as we were climbing to the top. So many people realizing a dream, others enjoying a day hike, all caught up in the excitement of the moment, alone in their thoughts. The end was in sight for us (I started to tear up a little, wishing my father was alive to see this), we walked up to touch the sign, then join the others and complete this stage of our journey. This won¢t be the last crazy thing I do¢¦ I found that the being a little ¢out there¢ is where I belong¢¦ I don¢t fit in a normal world, and it¢s nice to have friends that understand that & share my dreams. We watched the people at the peak, posing on the Katahdin sign, taking pictures, some watching, some cheering each other on , then finally it was our turn. We walked up & had our own time at the sign, Wench & I alone in our own thoughts for a moment before doing our celebrating. Cameras were clicking away, as we celebrated our moment with each other and then with all the friends around us. Laughter, Tears, Champagne, snacks, the party went on around us for about an hour. Many touching moments took place. Teds flag flew on Katahdin, proud & true¢¦ A celebration of Teds life and a fulfillment of his dream (to take the flag from Springer to Katahdin, and have it fly there on September 11th). Ted had made it in spirit from Georgia to Maine, in the hearts of all of us. Many people on the mountain that day were celebrating life, others were remembering lost loved ones in personal moments. The rest of our time on Katahdin was playing the camera game. Lots of pictures were taken. Group pics were taken with one person snapping shots with 10-15 cameras. Personal poses with Teds flag, with my Greenville, SC Appalachian Outfitter bandana, more with my stuffed dog ¢Ted¢ who did the whole trail with me. Wench & I posed for more shots, I did the classic ¢fake naked¢ shot behind the sign (naked above, clothed behind the sign), some solitary sign shots, foggy shots, clear shots, scenic shots, then it was time to go. We did not want to leave, but there were people waiting below for us. Wench & I were the last of our group to leave the peak (reluctantly), we headed down to meet Papa Wench, and retraced our steps down the mountain to friends, family, and the best damn party ever!We flew down from Baxter Peak and across the table lands, but slowed at the steep pitch down to where Papa Wench was waiting¢¦ Hmm¢¦. Was it really this steep on the way up? Papa wench said it took us 12 hour to reach him once we started down this section (it¢s harder to go down steep scramble sections & more dangerous too). We met up with Spiderman & Pez on this descent. A couple times on the way down, people stopped to talk to Wench (papa had been bragging about her to everyone, he seemed to be enjoying himself). I don¢t blame him, she¢s a great hiker/backpacker, but she¢ll never admit it. Like Thirsty Boots said, ¢How good does she have to be before she realizes she¢s good?¢ LOL!!! She¢ll figure it out one of these days, I hope she has a great future working & hiking in the great outdoors. We finally got to Papa Wench & the three of us continued down the mountain together (eventually catching up with Don Quixote). The 4 of us hiked together to Katahdin Stream Falls, where Mama Wench & Mrs Hotdog were waiting (they had hiked up a mile or so to meet us). After some cheers, hugs, and pictures we all continued down towards Katahdin stream Campground where we were told there was food, beer & other people already celebrating! It took us 4 hours to climb Katahdin (Up the Hunt Trail, at a relaxed pace), and less to come back down (this took forever, since the hike was over, and we were repeating a piece of trail to get down). We signed out at the trail head & headed to the party¢¦ But what we didn¢t expect was a giant sign congratulating Russell ¢Hotdog¢ Dade & Teresa French ¢Wench¢ with 2 American flags on it. It had start & end dates, miles, and Teds name in the corner. Mrs Hotdog had made the sign, what a great job! Everyone was standing around eating, drinking beer, laughing and smiling. Now that¢s what hiking is all about. The people! We all partied in Baxter state Park for a while, then headed back into Millinocket to party some more at a local restaurant.Damn, I've been off the trail 12 days & still haven't finished writing this day up> Anyway, we all went to the Scotia Inn in Millinocket & ate dinner, talked, took pictures, drank & ate a fancy cake the Wenches bought. The cake was made special with a Post card picture of Katahdin printed on the icing. Good food and good company, we just didn't want the day to end. Party attendees: Mr & Mrs Hotdog, Mama, Papa & Baby Wench, Vermont Pete, Tom & his wife Pat, Thirsty Boots, Heather, Pez, Aloha Anne, Coffey, Matthew (Coffeys son), Old Corpus and Don Quixote. Finally, it was back to the hotel for 1 last beer with the Wenches in the lobby & Mrs Hotdog gave out some small presents to Wench and I (AT Hats, Shirts, & other AT logo items). Finally, the day was over & it was off to dream land. Tomorrow, breakfast at the AT cafe with a few hikers. WE DID IT!!!!! Life is Freakin¢ Fan-damn-tastic!!!