Date: 2003-09-17
From: Abol Bridge (Millinocket)

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

After an early breakfast in Millinocket, I figured the only sure way to get an early start would be to break down and call a taxi. Minuteman taxi was there in ten, and a genial driver chauffeured me back to the AT. As I unloaded, I saw Jason loading up on breakfast poptarts from the Abol campground store. As he munched, I walked back to Abol bridge to take in the fabled view of Katahdin. I was not disappointed. Whoah! After walking in clouds all yesterday without a view, I was unprepared for how close the big mountain had crept. I took several photos.Jason and I set off toward Katahdin Stream campground together. The weather was cool and the air scrubbed and sparkling clean. The sun beat down as the breezes blew our "glow" away. An absolutely perfect day for hiking!It was a day of natural wonders.We walked up the Trail as the wonderful west branch of the Penobscott ran past, all slick, polished stone, sluices, cascades and impressive falls. Bet you thought Big Niagara Falls was in NY, on the Canadian border? Well, it's baby twin is here, dropping the Penobscott into a large pool.At Daicey Pond, I knew I would take the side trail and pop in to catch the famous reflection of Katahdin in the pond. Again, on this crystal clear day, I was not disappointed. My friend TJ had warned me to look for an unmarked trail at the intersection, and sure enough, the trees folded back and revealed a real jewel of a pond. Above it, Katahdin loomed like a mothership. Reflected in the water on this clear, blue day, it was a pretty special sight.The Trail wound past grassy ponds, again, Twin Peaks and Katahdin showed their reflections in glassy surface. Just postcard shot after postcard shot. And I was running out of "film!" Hope I get back to the post office before it closed at 4 today; I had 2 CF cards waiting. That's plenty of "film" for the Big Day.I quickly reached the ranger station at Katahdin Stream - was that really a full ten miles? It strolled so quickly.I checked the hike register at the Trailhead - Chief, Finch, 2x4, Cobra, Splash, Tater, Dreamwalker - all were up there on this top shelf climbing day. Sunny. Dry. Unlimited views. Low winds. Man! I wanted to be there! It didn't get much better than this.From sectioners Catch and Release, I'd learned how 2x4 had handled the "no dogs" regulation of Baxter State Park. At Abol Bridge, outside the Park, he'd arranged for a kennel to accept Taiyoo, then the kennel sent a cab service to come and "chaffeur" Taiyoo into town! It's sure a great story. Today, 2x4 summited by going down the infamous Knife Edge to the other side of the mountain, to Roaring Brook campground.As I am waiting for a ride to magically appear to return me to my gear at Millinocket - not exactly sure who that might be yet - who should come down the mountain but old friend Ostrich?! (See pictures of him through Mahoosuc Notch around the end of August).I rise to my feet and give this young man a standing ovation. He tells us, simply, that the top was "stunning! I cried, and then I laughed, and then I started hollering." That pretty much covers all the bases.Not longer after, down come brand new AT thruhikers Pony Boy, Hungry and Dutch. I applaud them too, and pepper them with questions about the top. They report that "The Gateway, a .7 miles long stretch, was steep, hairy and windy." They were all aglow.Ostrich turns up with his grandparents, and the next thing you know, I have a ride to Millinocket in their immaculate Crown Victoria with the creamy leather seats. I joke that they shouldn't let their grandson in the car without a trashbag to sit on.As we are driving out of the park, we all exclaim in unison: "Bear!" An elusive Maine black bear canters across the road right in front of the car. But wait! There is more! A cub skitters out of the bushes behind her! And then a second cub behind him. And a third! Bear triplets! Too much! Four bears in the blink of an eye.Thus ended my Most Excellent Day beneath the shadow of Katahdin. Very soon I shall see her summit, and end this journey. Very soon.In fact, yes, yes, as soon as tomorrow, it looks like.Change of plans: due to Hurricane Isabelle. Tomorrow, Thursday, is forecast to be spectacular and clear, a Class I day. Friday is supposed to cloud up, with showers moving in.I agonized about waiting until friend and mentor Trooper could get here to hike it Friday at the earliest. He had a Class 1 day that he passed up, waiting for his father and brother to join him. He's always spoken of that day with regret.I hate for him to drive all that way from PA without climbing Katahdin. I know he wants to. So, my best solution is to climb Katahdin tomorrow, Thursday, with the spectacular clarity.Then, on Friday, I'll just climb up it again!;-)Ha!It is a mountain like none other.They say it's the first spot in the continental US the sun touches in the morning. Out of the dark green forest, standing alone, rises this grey granite massif.The native Abenaki people held it sacred. They called it Kette-Adene, "the greatest mountain," and they feared it, never approaching for fear of bestirring the wrath of the mountain god, Pamola.It is the highest mountain in the very mountainous state of Maine.To reach the mile-high summit (5,267 feet ) we will climb an astounding 5,000 feet in five miles. Here, treeline occurs at a low 3,000 feet and, due to the harsh weather, the land above it resembles the tundra of Greenland. For over 2,000 feet, a climber is exposed to the wind and the rain, which often becomes sleet.The Appalachian Trail ends at the summit of Baxter Peak. To reach it, we start from the ranger station at Katahdin Stream campground. The first mile or so is easy walking, says the map - then it ascends steeply. To say the least!After passing a "cave" made of two boulders, the Trail enters a rocky area known as "The Gateway." I've heard stories about the hairy nature of this section, confirmed by today's hikers. Although exposed and above treeline, there is easier walking along the next section, "The Tableland." We are advised to turn back here if the weather turns bad, as it often does - Katahdin, like Mount Washington, makes its own weather.If all is well, I'll hike past Thoreau Spring, named after Henry David himself. Then, on to the peak, the summit - and the end of my Appalachian Trail experience. My map lists this hike as "strenuous," the toughest designation.I say: Bring her on! Yeah!