Date: 2017-08-29
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Roaring Brook Campsite
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: broken clouds

5 am rolls around. We start to budge. By 5:30 we are rolling up sleeping pads. Trying to get an early start. Make it on trail by 7:30 after a nice oatmeal starter special. We ditch a lot of our belongings and go for a lighter pack today. I'm going to film so the GoPro is with me and rain gear. Rations for the day. The basics. We hit the trail. After a few minutes I go into rage mode. I'm so excited to see what this is all about, I race up the first 2,000 feet or so. Must pass 16 people on the way up. Finally break tree line and the camera comes out. Izzy and I start the real meat of the climb. It's pretty wild at times but nothing ridiculously challenging. A lot of actual climbing though, like they said there would be. Once above the climb, you can see the summit from a mile out as you head along the ridge. At the summit, a lot is flashing before me. Over 1100 miles to get here. So far. Such a dream. And so far to go but for now we celebrate and the view is magnificent. The best view in Maine they say and I would believe it. But in the background, lurks the real challenge. The Knife Edge stretches on in front of us in all its glory. We sit for 40 minutes or so having some snacks and prepping for the next part of the show. Emram gives me some final pointers. She's done it before and says most of its not too wild but mentions Pamola and the Chimney. They are two peaks in the distance we can barely see. She says that might get us a little. She says the whole thing is exhilarating. Well, we shall see. We finally set off, make it maybe 30 feet and JD yells for us. He asks if it's ok to come along. We say sure! The more the merrier. And we set off together. Well, at first the ridge is rather wide. It looked crazy at points but so far it's just beautiful. Every now and then you get rather close to the edge and you realize you are walking next to shear cliffs on both sides. Like almost straight down for 3,000 miles. It's awesome. Then, it starts getting narrow. I walk with confidence. For the last four months I have been envisioning this moment. Been prepping and I am ready. It is glorious. Then we start climbing. Before we know it, we are at the peaks. We ascend the first one and as the second climb comes into view, so does the current one. Across the way I can see blazes going up a cliff. As I look forward, I have to look down because that is where the trail goes. I think JD and I go a little white as Izzy bravely climbs out before us. I've been climbing for sections but this is like 100 feet. When you realize there is no where else to go but forward, you go. One foot after the next. One hand hold to the next. We make our way down. I was terrified but confident. I hit the ground and JD motions for a break. Izzy climbs back down (she had already started the next section) and the three of us munch on GORP. I'm shaking. But not just with fear. My adrenaline is pumping. Now it's a climb up. Up is easier. You don't look down as much. You just go up and forward. We nail it and we're all on the peak. A moment of bliss. Then we realize we have to walk down the mountain. We're tired but we push onward. A couple hours later we're in a car and heading home for the week. Cat and Tyler found us. Ty couldn't believe how ridiculous my beard is. It's long now. We've been at this a while.