Date: 2003-08-29
From: Katahdin Springs Campground

To: Baxter Peak
Miles today: 10.4

I remembered standing on the summit of some forgotten mountain in the 100-mile wilderness and staring at Katahdin. The monolith soared above the surrounding landscape and even though I had hiked to higher ground, this mountain had the effect of intimidating me with each passing step I took north.We spent a wonderful night at Katahdin Stream campground where we simply soaked up the atmosphere. The stream murmured just past our campsite and everything in the world seemed right as we built a campfire, opened a bottle of wine and talked about our future together. It still amazes me that when you are consumed in the moment how fleeting that time really is. The hours passed far too quickly and before either of us knew it the time for getting some much needed sleep arrived.Penny and I awoke as the first rays of the sun descended down on our small two-person lean-to. I think the adrenaline was kicking in for both of us as we each moved twice as fast but still took twice as long to break down camp. We finally completed the task, ate a very quick breakfast and took our first steps towards the summit of Baxter Peak. We had grabbed day packs from the Ranger station the night before so it felt wonderful to have a small pack on my back instead of the heavy Arteryx bag that had become part of my body for the past couple of months.The forecast called for a class II day with patches of clouds and a 60% chance of thunderstorms. I have to admit that the high chance for thunder and lighting weighed on my mind from the very start of the hike. We decided to go ahead with the hike, as there were plenty of other people that had signed in to journey up the same mountain. We signed the sheet at 7:20 a.m. and started our ascent. The first mile of the hike was extremely nice and scenic. We passed Katahdin Stream Falls on a nicely groomed trail that had only a moderate rise in the grade. Shortly afterwards we started to climb but the trail still remained nice. I started to believe that the intimidation I had felt when I had stared at Katahdin earlier on my trek north had been unfounded. Penny and I were both doing well and we actually started to pass other hikers. The day had turned humid and I think it was taking a toll on the individuals that were just out for a day hike. We saw plenty of families who were very hot and very tired before they hit the halfway mark. Just after going a couple of miles we started to see plenty of people coming back down the mountain. It was at this point where the trail started to change. The terrain became much steeper and the rocks larger. We made it to the point of where the rebarb is hammered into the side of the boulders. For some reason I just did not like the looks of climbing up that metal ladder. One of the things the trail does for you, be it good or bad, is that it makes you push yourself beyond what you believe you can physically accomplish. I honestly had to dig deep to make myself climb over that rock. I slowly climbed up and looked back as Penny scampered up with no problem at all. It was kind of strange, that was the only place that bothered me and it stayed on my mind for the remainder of the hike up. I was totally dreading having to face that ladder on the way back down.As the two of us continued onward the trail became increasingly difficult. Actually it stopped being a hike and turned into a climb as we put away our hiking poles and started to use our two feet and our two hands to traverse the trail. This was not what I expected and I started to get concerned about Penny. We had started to climb up some super steep rocks and I tried to keep an upbeat attitude and say words of encouragement. We wrestled to make it to the summit only to see another one straight ahead to challenge us. The ever present clouds started to roll quickly by, one right after another, and bring with them a cold wind that never relinquished its strength. The steepness of the terrain along with the strong wind caused us to start moving much slower than we had earlier in our hike. We managed to continue upward, each of us helping the other on the more difficult areas of the trail. There were places where I had to shimmy my way up between two rocks and then lay on my stomach, reach back down and help Penny scramble up the side of the granite.   We hit three major sections where each one felt as if we were rock climbing up the side of an Egyptian pyramid. Finally we crested the summit of the last obelisk and reached the tableland. This plateau was a welcome site since the wind had grown in strength and it had been very slow going for us as we navigated up and over the rocks. We were way above tree line now and a layer of clouds had started to roll in.   We passed Thoreau¢s Spring where the story is that this is the highest point that Henry Thoreau climbed during his journey up the mountain. We started to move slightly faster and finally made the final push up to the top of Baxter peak and to the famous Katahdin sign that signals the end of the Appalachian Trail. It was now cold and the wind was strong enough to push both of us around. There was a father and son who were also at the summit and the Dad took a couple of pictures for us. The taking of the pictures were interrupted more than once due to this large raven that had a high level of curiosity concerning my day pack. We actually thought that given half a chance the bird would grab the pack and take flight. I thought I would have a more tangible outpouring of emotion as I stood on the summit of Katahdin. That my sense of accomplishment of finally reaching this point or the fulfillment of a dream that I had thought about for years would stir in me a nirvana like feeling but this was not forthcoming. I thought about why I was not more excited about this moment in time and I realized that for me it has never been about the destination but more about the experiences along the way. Slowly my mind shifted and thoughts of all the different people that I had met along the trail begin to surface. The close friendship that I had forged last year with a wonderful couple from Georgia and how the sharing of not only joyous happenings but also the low points in our lives helped make parts of the trail much more bearable. Of opening my eyes and seeing a majestic sunrise take shape on a remote lake in the heart of Maine.   Sleeping on top of a bald in Tennessee and being able to see the faint lights of some small mountain town and how those town lights paled in comparison to the incredible array of stars that filled the clear night sky. Deep down, as I stood in the coolness of Katahdin, a slight warmth emerged inside. It is a wonderful occurrence that when you break out of your dream like thoughts you realize that the entire time there has been a smile on your face. That often the subtle reflection of memories contains the greatest continued source of joy over one¢s lifetime.It was soon time for us to start the descent back down this grueling mountain. It is different when you hike with someone you love and how your focus of concern is trained on him or her. I knew that the climb up had been difficult on Penny and that her stamina and level of energy would be tested on the way back down. We took our time and when we found a group of rocks that shielded us from the wind we stopped to eat some food and to hydrate.   Monstrous clouds continue to race by us, some puffy and white and others dark and threatening.   I sat there and quietly prayed for the rain not to fall during our journey back down this mountain. We marched back through the tablelands and then hit the first of the three sheer masses of jumbled rocks. Both of us spent more time on our butts than we did on our feet. There were moments when we both had to contemplate how we were going to continue getting down off of this area. At one point, Penny had to place her foot on my shoulder and then climb down my body. Once again I wondered about the intelligence of hiking this trail and felt the weight of being responsible for safely getting the woman I loved back down to the base. We continue to carefully navigate the rocks, taking our time and stopping for breaks when we felt the need. We had no trouble climbing back down the rebarb ladder and I wondered why I had been so distinctly uncomfortable with this area on the way up. Still, I was very glad when we got off the rock climbing portion of the hike and got back to where we could use our feet once again. Maybe it is just my age but this section of rocks had been one of the most difficult I had experienced on the entire trail. I had the advantage of hiking for the past two months, allowing my body and my mind to get use to scaling demonic slopes and irrational trail routes. Penny on the other hand was experiencing this type of environment for the first time and while she was holding up I could tell the sooner we got back to the pleasant portion of the trail the better. As our energy started to fade, we continue to help each other make our way down. One of the many great aspects of our relationship is that even when we are tired or miserable we still stay positive towards one another. For me it is simply a matter of the high level of respect I have for this woman. To watch her negotiate the climb up and push herself when most others would have turned back only continued to heighten the admiration that I have for her. Together, encouraging and helping one another, we accomplished the feat of climbing one of the harder mountains in the northeast. Ultimately, we reached the end of our hike. I looked at the time on my watch and wrote down 6:51 p.m. on the sign out sheet. We had spent 11 and a half-hours on Katahdin and in the end we had conquered our fears, our exhaustion and any self doubt we may have had along the way. In some way the day had been a microcosm of our lives. We experienced pain, trepidation, anxiety but also exhilaration, delight and a deep sense of accomplishment. I also felt very lucky since I was able to share all this with my partner, the good the bad and best of all, the conclusion of my Appalachian Trail odyssey.