Date: 2008-09-15
From: Katahdin

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Here I Am! The summit of Kathadin. This is it, this is the end. 6months of fun, and rain, and hard work, and smiles, and tears, and hunger, and lipton meals and here I am at the summit of Kathadin. I was waiting for the boys to join me so we could share this moment, as we had shared so much of our journey. I looked forward to that moment but I was pleased to have some time to think and reflect on just what was happening at this moment. This hike I started solo, but I never felt alone; so now here I was, at the summit, at the Northern Terminus alone. What did this all mean to me, what did the bring me, how did this hike change me? How would I feel tomorrow, and next week? Why did I do this, and what does it mean next? Reflect.Reflectreflect.I was looking deep, and looking for something deeper... Remember when everyone was doing self analysis and I was doing long division. Well now I wanted that mental probing. Sometimes nothing changes. A light went on- There was a Nutty Buddy Bar in my bag and I should eat up all of its chocolate peanut butter awesomeness before I once again have to strip my diet of such wicked things. Pathetic epiphany, but yummy! I took one solo picture, myspace style.It was getting very cold. Teeth chattering cold. Had on pants, windbreaker and down jacket cold but still so cold cold. It had been about an hour since I had summited and now it was raining, and I was getting nervous. I gave the guys 15more minutes or I was headed down before I could not manage it on my own. Soon enough though, they cut through the fog and I could hear the whooping and cheering. Hugs abounded, photos surrounded and Butters would not let go of the sign.Busdriver chugged his milk in his town shirt, and we all thought of Sampson. And then we headed down. This was the hardest down in some time... It started to hail, the wind was pushing us sideways and forward and the ground was slick. With numb hands touching on wet granite we all wanted to cry out. It felt like a hundred tiny needles stabbing. Rocksteady fell, blood flooded down his leg, I think we were all cursing. It was a long slow process to get back to tree line. Everything was slick and Kathadin wanted one last piece of us.Below tree line the wind was more tolerable and the going a little easier. Before we knew it we where back to the base and were greeted like heros from away! Rocksteady' s family and the other thru hikers were there. There was stew, and sandwiches and a champagne toast!It was over, this was the end. I tear up now, but not at the time. The Phairs had rented a 14 passenger van- the white blaze express. Mouse, Bondi, Superchunck, Butters, Rocksteady, BusDriver and I all piled in along with some family members and we headed out for home.What happens when you mix 7 wet, cold, smelly, (really smelly) hikers in a van with dry showered town folk? Thermostat wars!!! The dry people were roasting, and marinating in our stink and they wanted windows open. Open windows meant wind and cold and we had had our share of that and it was freezing us!! Rocksteady's brother said he was going to hurl and superchunk looked like a popsicle... It all worked out in the end, we were soothed by talk of food and celebration, and distracted by filling bladders.The Phairs took us in, fed us, bathed us, dressed us and loved us and we felt home. I went upstairs to call home to friends and it hit me, and I cried, but I am not sure why. Maybe I was afraid of the unknown. A day with out miles, a week without resupply, returning to the old known what seemed so unknown now... Maybe I was just tired. I slept that night, Bondi and I stayed up and chatted like school girls about what was next. Superchunk rested by the glow of the tv. All was right in the world. The next day my mom and dad picked me up and I said farewell and the hike was over. AT complete.