Date: 2007-08-18
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Baxter Peak, Katahdin(5267') 
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

Mission Appalachian Trail: Complete. Last night it rained and boomed thunder. The shelter shook from a few of them. It stopped raining sometime during the night but the next morning the clouds were still there. I was up early after a fitfull night sleep. I guess I had too much on my mind.   My parents, my sisters, and Jenn met me at the trailhead around 8:00. Jenn, Broke, and Laura were to try and go up with me. It was a nice start, kind of sunny. However, looking up at the peak was another story. Clouds were everywhere. We took our time getting up the trail. After all there is no way I would expect them to be able to keep my pace. It was a test of my patience to hang around. I just wanted to run up to the top, but I was so glad they wanted to do this with me I didn't care how long it took. When we got up kind of close to treeline you could hear and occasionally feel the blast of a cool strong wind. A lot of people who started ahead of us were coming back down telling us it was imposible to summit. I shrugged it off but was concerned about my fellow companions. They weren't dressed for a constant bludgeoning of wind all the way to the top. We got to treeline and that's where the rock climbing begins. The wind nearly blew me over. I came back down and started putting on the layers. It was around this time that we decided I should just go and get to the top. So I did. At first it was hard going with such a wind constantly battering you. I couldn't tell you how fast it was but it was a chore to stay upright and not get blown over. After a while I started yelling and laughing at the wind. Your not going to stop me. I've come to far to wuss out. I was actually having a good time after I got climbing and warmed up. I entered the cloudy fog near the Gateway. You couldn't see much for the last 2.5 miles. I met Low Branch on his way down and said congrats. It felt good to see someone else who had just completed. I felt weird because this felt so right and it just felt like all the other times I climbed Katahdin. It has always been such a grand moment up there for me that I am always feeling a lot of emotion. As I climbed the final crest I could see a group of people up there. I darted right by them and went to the sign and hugged it and rested against it. I think I was talking to myself. You made it man. Way to go. I got someone to take some photos and yelled triumphantly. I was actually there. I had to pinch myself. Was it really true. Yep it was. I stayed there for awhile until it started to hail or sleet or whatever icy precipitation it was. It pelted me for a while until I got down a ways. I saw Woodstock and Traildog on their way up and stopped to congratulate them. It was awesome. The rest of the way down was a blur. I caught up to my sisters and Jenn about halfway down. They had tried to make it further and probably may have succeeded had it not bee for the hail. That was the last straw for them. My dad had walked up to treeline as well but didn't have the proper clothing for the blasting winds. When it was all said and done at the bottom I was relieved. I had taken a beaten from the constant wind and was tired and hungry. I was just overjoyed to have been able to do this trip.   I drove us home and we gave Low Branch a ride to Bangor. I was glad to help someone out. Things seemed odd but right in a way. It felt nice to where cotton socks and clothes again. I cooked a nice barbeque with corn and then just sat around. Yeah it is going to be a little weird being back but it will be nice to rest, relax, see family and friends, fish, ride bikes. I have a bunch of plans already so I'll be busy having fun. The journey is over for now, but there are other trails and other journeys to be had. For now I will reminisce about the trail and wait the return of MEGA TEX and probably summit with them. I can't wait.