Date: 2015-08-19
From: Hurd Brook Shelter

To: The Birches Shelter
Miles today: 14.4

I can't believe today was my next-to-last day. Where did the time go? Just over 4 and a half months ago, I stepped out of a vehicle on a cold, dark March morning, saying goodbye to my friend, Eli, as he drove way. "Shit," I remember thinking to myself, "it's finally real." Now, on the 20th day of August, I find myself camping in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin, the summit only 5.2 miles and ~4,100ft above me. One last day. One last climb.The USS Bennington and I awoke at 7:00am to the sounds of our group songs being played by Rabbit. In no hurry for what would be a short, leisurely day to our destination, we'd hit the trail at 8:00am and slowly make our way towards Abol Bridge, ~3.5 miles away. We arrived at 9:30am to a simple convenience store with attached restaurant and campground along a dusty gravel road. Having just completed the 100-mile wilderness with too little food, leading to several hungry days and hungrier nights, the place was an oasis to us. We entered the store, sifted through its limited supply, and made out with enough snacks to get us to Katahdin, as well as snack away the next couple of hours as we waited for the restaurant to open. I enjoyed a couple of cold Coke's after a stretch of 4 days without - much too long, if you ask me.As we waited we treated ourselves to showers in a small wooden building in the nearby campground. For 50 cents we were treated to 6 minutes of hot flowing deliciousness. Feeling wealthy, I inserted a dollar and enjoyed the following 12 minutes of pure bliss. I was able to shower, do laundry, shave, and use the bathroom at the same time. Just kidding - only 2 of those are accurate. After 5 days of nonstop sweat, I can literally say I know what it's like to feel like a million bucks. I then retired to a nice spot in the sun and would be entirely dry within half an hour which was prefect timing as the restaurant opened soon after.Although the restaurant was a tad pricey, seeing that it was located in the middle of nowhere and catered to tourists, the servings were surprisingly large and left me feeling stuffed. After an appetizer of large fried mozzarella sticks followed by a Reuben with fries, the thought of nearly starving the day before was but a mere afterthought. I was able to get just enough charge to hopefully land a few pictures as I summit tomorrow as well. After lunch we retired to outside where we ran into Doc, Forward, Clank, and Magellan who plan to summit on Saturday. We'll hopefully see them again in Millinocket, ME on Saturday night and maybe enjoy a congratulatory dinner together. Yoohoo, Huey, Rabbit, and I then returned to the trail at 1:30pm to cover the final ~10 miles to the Hurd Brook Shelter, the final shelter for NoBo's.The final 10-mile stretch, aside from sections of stubborn roots, would prove to be one of the nicest of the trail. Close to as flat as it gets, meandering along several rivers, streams, and ponds, it even widens in some parts so that hikers can share in a rare side-by-side walk should they choose. As the cloudy morning continued giving way to a clear, sunny afternoon, I felt blessed to be entering Baxter State Park on such a wonderful day. The weather isn't looking too hot for my summit, a 50% chance of rain at the moment, bit you can't win them all. A clear view would be the icing on the cake to an amazing adventure, but by no means would it ruin it if not. I retreated into my music as we hiked along Katahdin Stream, Nesowadehunk Stream, Daicey Pond, and Grassy Pond. Maybe it was just me over thinking things or maybe it was the trail treating me to one last glimpse of perfection, but I could've sworn the blue sky was a little bit bluer, the green leaves of trees a little bit greener, and the crunchy pinecones under foot a little bit...well, you get the point. The past couple days on trail was even a treat for spotting mushrooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Ranging from dull blacks, whites, grays, and browns to neon-like yellows, oranges, reds, greens, and purprles, I'd never seen such a variety. I even began naming some by appearance: pancakes, lampshades, chocolate chip cookies, nipples, inverted nipples, saucers, bells, cornbread, and Mario-lovers, just to name a few.We eventually rounded a corner where a small clearing in the trees offered a grand view of Katahdin in all her majesty. Surrounded by blue skies, she hid shyly behind a veil of clouds, possibly telling me that I'd have to climb her to witness her true beauty. Challenge accepted if so. I attempted to call my mother to inform her that I was still alive and would be summiting tomorrow, but signal was lost within 30 seconds and I'm not positive how much info she actually received. Soon after we rolled into Katahdin Stream campground where we met a park ranger who would sign us up for our stay in the park. I would officially become hiker #305 of 2015 to reach Baxter State Park. We then received a Gatorade and bag of beef jerky from a day hiker, followed by a Pepsi from a thru-hiker who had already summited, and then both a popsicle and quick ride to our campsite in the bed of the truck of the ranger that signed us in. Not a bad welcoming to Baxter State Park.The shelter sets a limit of 12 hikers each night, but luckily we signed up earlier in the day as numbers 7-10. We reached camp, set up our last tents of the journey, and enjoyed our last night together as we ate dinner and chatted with 2 cute section hikers, Yogi and Steam. It's now nearing 9:00pm and the camp is quiet as everyone prepares themselves for the final climb tomorrow. Standing at 5,268ft, Mt. Katahdin is by no means a cakewalk to end the trail. Like every other summit, she must be earned to be most appreciated. Something I plan to do starting around 7:00-8:00am tomorrow morning. I would expect to be standing atop her rocky summit sometime around midday. I can't yet say what feelings might come, but I'm open to anything. I'm ready. It's been a long time coming. I hope you all will enjoy it with me.Here's to the untouched aspect of the 100-mile wilderness, finishing with a great group of guys like Yoohoo, Huey, and Rabbit, and 1 final climb.