Date: 2008-09-30
From:  Katahdin Steam Campground

To: Summit of Mtn. Katahdin!
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The last day of September and Ravonette and I are going to climb Mtn. Katahdin... the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. We were having to skip 9.9 miles from Abol Bridge to Katahdin Stream Campground. We saw many of our friends and some had waited for several days because of the rainy weather. Wednesday's weather was supposed to be turning colder and rainy so Tuesday was looking like the only good day for a mountain climb. We¢ll make up the 9.9 the next day. We were up at 5:30 am to organize our gear. Most of it was damp or wet from the last several days.  For this hike we were going to take raingear, hat, gloves, food for the trek, water, and the usual personal items. It is at least a half hour drive from Big Moose Lodge through the Baxter State Park to the ranger station.  It cost $13.00 for a daily pass into the park.  Bruce, the ranger who keeps track of thru-hikers, has a cabin across the bridge over the Katahdin Stream.  It is here that you register for the climb and sign in as a thru-hiker.  I was the 367th person to finish the trail. You could leave your full backpack and take a daypack for the climb. We used our stripped down packs instead. In retrospect that was probably too much weight.    In the parking lot, we saw Hoot and Sundance, Brahma Bull and Sweet Potato, Blaze and Chainsaw. All of us were feeling jubilant, but with some reservations about the big mountain. Billy, Ravonette's husband, drove us here and we made plans to meet my grand children, Uri and Sophia, and Mando on the way down after our climb.The first mile was a pleasant gentle uphill with only a few rocks and a wide path. The trail was parallel to the Katahdin Stream...a fast moving medium sized stream. At the katahdin Stream Falls, there was a wooden bridge. The falls were very impressive at eighty feet high. I found it interesting that they had a privy at the trailhead and then again at the falls...one last time to deal with nervous stomachs. Once we passed the falls, the climb began in earnest. At first it was some roots with small to medium rocks. Then there were a few muddy spots. At three different sections, water was flowing down the trail making for a wet walk.  The higher we climbed the narrower and bigger the rocks became.  I'd heard the middle section was large boulders. We thought wrongly that we were at that point.  Now, we are really having to pull ourselves up rock faces. The Cave is marked on the map, but I'm not sure that I actually saw a cave. When we emerged above treeline and looked up at this steep rock face with rocks the size of houses and cars, I realized that we were just starting the real climb.   At one point, we came upon an older couple having a snack and I asked how the climbing was going. They replied, that they were turning back after they encountered iron hand-hold bars.  She must have thought that I was no spring chicken and suggested that I turn around.  I said I had no choice. After hiking for over 2170 miles, there was no way I could turn around now..so. up we went.  Let me say, it was scary and extremely difficult for a short-legged person. There were two very challenging boulder sections with a short rock climb in between. Four steel bars helped but if you had fallen, it was going to be a long fall. We did have some amazing views of Katahdin which looked like a sharp ridgeline shaped like a crescent.  At The Gateway, we were on the ridge and through the boulder ascent. The path leveled out, but was still rocky with some water. Here the way was marked by cairns and curved around for over a mile before rising to the summit. I began to see some of the earlier hikers, Hoot, Sundance, Brahma Bull and Blaze coming down with huge smiles on their faces. They would yell my name and we all congratulated each other. It seemed forever to hike that last half mile. The top was in the fog and occasionally I would hear laughter and yelling drifting down the slopes. Out of the mist I finally saw the sign!! Chainsaw was applauding, Serene, his son David, and Brushstrokes were yelling ¢Ravon.¢  They had passed me in the steep boulder climb.  I just broke out in tears. At that moment it was all about seeing friends and realizing this adventure was the greatest challenge of my life. We each had our way of celebrating this momentous occasion.  David had a specially made banner honoring Serene and Brushstrokes.  They each had brought up cakes complete with candles. We lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday to them. Brushstrokes had a bottle of champagne. I didn't think I could have any alcohol and be able to do the descent. As we were in the midst of our party, up the path came Bogey and Bacall. Now the party was really on.  After a quick change, Bogey was decked out in a white coat and dapper chapeau. Bacall was very elegant in a knee length satin purple spaghetti strapped gown made complete with her purple feather boa. When I saw the sign, I had to sit down and claim a senior moment. Ravonette and I chose for our sign photo to toast each other with a wine glass of tang. There were two other thru-hikers, Hike Along and Free Spirit.  I did not see their celebration, but was sure they were proud of their accomplishment.  The top of the mountain was mainly enclosed in fog, but there were brief moments of clearing. It was a special moment when a solo raven flew over. What was also amazing was that none of us planned to climb Mt. Katahdin this day, but some of the people I hiked with the most had come together. I did miss Peregrine, Bigglesworth, Long We True, Willow and Slow Go'en. They were close behind and I hope to hear their stories. After lots of hugs, we all set off. There are several other trails, the knife edge and a scree field you could get down, but we chose to come back down the Hunt Trail. As it turned out, it was easier going down than the climb up. I did a lot of the butt scoot boogie. It was thrilling when we met Uri and Mando coming to meet us on the trail. His sister Sophia was very mad she could not climb higher to meet us.  Billy, Chicken Little, and Sophia helped make the hike up Mt. Katahdin complete.  We gave Bogie and a Bacall a ride into Millinocket. It was a very crowded minivan filled with jokes, stories, and lots of memories of our completed Appalachian Thru-Hike.  We decided to dine in Millinocket and ended up at the same restaurant that Serene and Brushstrokes were celebrating with their families.  As a surprise, a group of friends drove all the way down from Prince Edwards Island making for a real special party. I won't try to put this all in perspective now, but know it was something I will never forget. Fly Right,Ravon