Date: 2003-08-04
From: The Birches

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

There I stood on the top of Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the A.T. and end of my adventure, hooting and hollering on the cloudy, rain drenched peak with Java by my side. Hmmm, let's start at the beginning of my last day on the trail...Java and I awoke early at 5:30a.m. after a restless sleep due to the vicious mosquitoes. They were so bothersome that Java ended up pitching his tent and I slung mine over the top half of my body in the shelter (not a very comfortable set-up). So up we were, commencing our final morning tasks before meeting Cheddar and his girlfriend, Beth, at the trailhead. Running a bit behind, we said goodbye to the section hikers that shared the camp with us and made our way to the trail with anticipation and excitement racing through us. It was an odd feeling to know I only had 10.4 miles remaining to hike, 5.2 of those leading me to my last northbound blaze.We first stopped at the ranger station to lighten our packs for the climb and to inquire on the weather. Today was the first and only time I slackpacked. I probably had 10 lbs. in my pack after emptying it - I felt as though I was carrying nothing. Cheddar and Beth decided to leave before us since we were late so it was just the two of us starting the climb. Soon we caught and passed the two as well as two other groups of day hikers. It was an amazing climb even though we had no views because of the dense fog. Just knowing that this was my final climb with an end on the summit of "The Big K" made it absolutely fabulous. I wasn't expecting to see the sign when it appeared because I had no concept of its proximity due to the clouds. I was concentrating on my footing and then I heard Java say, "There it is." I immediately let out a yelp and rushed to the sign, bearing a huge grin. We jumped around a bit and then a day hiker popped his head out from behind a boulder, having hiked up another trail, and he joined in our celebration. We were lucky enough to reach the peak with no crowds, allowing us to snap ample pictures. The champagne bottle was quickly popped and we stood there revelling in the moment waiting to share the triumphant finish with Cheddar and Beth. They soon arrived, more pictures were taken, more champagne guzzled, and then the crowds started to arrive so we began to make our way down the mountain.We passed many people on the way down, all of them offering enthusiastic congratulations, further bolstering my sense of accomplishment. We even had a father on the top of the mountain direct his son to stand by us so some of our "greatness" would rub off on him. I think that's stretching it a bit but, hey, I'll take it.I was riding high on the descent, trying to soak up every last bit of the trail. My excitement turned to reuniting with my family. As we got closer to the trail's end our pace became more rapid and as soon as I saw my family I broke out into a run. I hadn't seen my dad, brother, and youngest sister the entire time I was on the trail; the longest separation we have ever had from one another. It was wonderful. Java's parent were there as well, having arrived the night before. We all assembled together for my family's expected "gift presentation" (we're big on these sorts of things). And then it was time to say goodbye to The Trail and to Java. It was abrupt, and I was expecting that, but I can't say that I was all that prepared. One amazing journey is over, with many more to follow. It has been a wonderfully simple life, devoid of frivolous stresses and chock full of eye popping natural beauty and social grace.