Date: 2004-08-25
From: Monson Maine

To: Holy Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

the car arrived... all the day before we had waited for Slips brother and friend to drive up. They had taken longer to get here than expected... We ended up pitching our tarp in the massage ladies backyard... at 3 am Slips woke us up... time to pack up and go. We packed, waited a few more hours then finally they arrived. We packed into their jeep and drove to Abol Bridge. Stopped for coffee and sandwich. Then Dawna and Chris popped out of the woods with the two dreadies we hadn't seen since Hiawassee. It felt great to see old friends. We took pictures of Katahdin from the bridge and drove the remaining miles. Lisa and I started up right away with full packs. We had intended to et daypacks and later were very happy we made that mistake. Slowly we climbed up Katahdin. We did not want to rush our final moments. I was very proud that Lisa had made it roughly 1,600 miles. She had never hiked before and I was proud of her and her determination.... For those who've never had the pleasure of climbing Katahdin, let alone just simply looking at it. There is NO mountain on the AT that even comes close in comparison. It is one of the few mountains that really feels like you are climbing up a mountain. The climb starts out with a gradual incline. By the time you reach the Gateway the climb steepens. You are pulling yourself up holding onto iron rods hammered into the rock. The views looking south are incredible. We saw quite a few people coming down. We finally got to the tablelands. The tablelands are a flatter section with big boulders strewn all over. Almost more a lunar landscape than anything you would commonly see on the AT. We stopped at Thoreau Spring and drank our last high mountain water source. Water at or near the tops of mountains is so sweet so cold... It brought back pleasant memories of the water on top of the Priest, Glastenbury Mountain and Stratton Mountain. So cold so nourishing for my soul. In the last mile I came to the sad realization that this would be the last time, perhaps in my life, that I would stand on Katahdin.The sad realization that this years journey is over. I think if I had unlimited income I would forever live in the freedom of the woods. Anyone who has stood on top of Katahdin knows the feeling in your heart that one feels at the end of an adventure. The happiness of completing a long journey, the happiness of a shared experience with lots of beautiful and wonderful people, the weariness you feel deep in your bones from having walked across the Eastern seaboard, up and down mountains, through rain, snow and debilitating heat; through swarms of insects. Walking days were the simple and honest beauty of the woods revealed itself in a tree, a smell of pines or the feeling of just being there. Throughout your travels you meet wonderful people who make your trip possible; the unnamed old man who gave us a ride into Helen when no one else stopped, Blue Jay handing us a freezing cold heiniken on our way down Mount Everett in Massachusetts, the folks that gave us a pimento sandwich near Charlie's Bunion. It is these people who often appear when your thoughts have darkened due to tiredness... Running into Loon when we were frozen to the bone in a particularily cold and hard rain near Sarvers Cabin. I shall miss the brotherhood of the woods. Pointman once told me, "Everyone you meet on the trail is just another best friend you haven't met yet." So now I say peace be with all that venture onto the trail. Don't worry too much about whether you are hiking a purist hike or not. The point is to find solitude and peace in the woods and mountains of our great troubled republic. To find that there is society in the woods of like minded people who flourish in the simple life that we are so divorced from. Find that beautiful view and sit and watch the sun set. Enjoy your time to reflect on what truly matters in this world. You will come back renewed and rejuvenated. Bring that energy back into the numbers world. We need more of that here.AswahOne love, one heart, one destiny