Date: 2009-09-30
From: The Birches

To: Mt Katahdin, Baxter Peak
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

September 30 --It was difficult to sleep or lazy around past first light and I quickly prepared breakfast and packed up in the misty, damp morning air. I carried my prepared day pack and wore my very light pack to the ranger station where the exchange would be made. A few others were there before me and I stacked my pack next in line, putting on the super light day pack I felt a sense of freedom and reward for reaching this point, I was ready for it. Walking across the picnic table area I spotted Ox, who called me over to enjoy some trail magic snacks provided by a thru-hiker who had just summited days earlier. I politely declined, declaring that I was charged up on breakfast and ready to go, and I shortly found the daily sign-in sheet for hiking Mt Katahdin, in at 8:00 on the Hunt Trail, aka AT, confirmed by my map. Way points on the map were Katahdin Stream Falls, The Cave, Tree Line, Hunt Spur, The Gateway, Thoreau Spring and Table Land, names that evoked images from all sources of fiction, from Sinbad the Sailor movies, Hobbit stories, to Disney where Table Land reminded me of Toon Town in the Roger Rabbit movie, maybe tables stacked forever, endless. The early going was easy to the falls and beyond that, the trail became a rocky gully with some water and big rocks to climb over and around. I didn't notice the cave, but the tree line was clearly defined with large boulders and flat exposed rock. Misty clouds moved slowly in the nearly breezeless air, and views were obscured as I made my way up slowly, trying to identify Hunt Spur and The Gateway. It was now all hands, with the poles mostly as obstacles, tossed up ahead at times, until The Gateway was crossed, and I entered Table Land, unmistakable, a flat, moonscape contrast, with an easy path of comfortable rocks, sometimes of gravel. My altimeter indicated that I was close to the 5267' summit, but I could only see a rise ahead of me in and out of the blowing, foggy mountain mist at a distance that I couldn't perceive. As I approached, the top came into view and I stopped to determine what I saw. The large rocks at the top were moving, they were people, this is it! I moved ahead the final minutes as the "KATAHDIN" sign came into view and at 20 yds away, I dropped my poles and ran to it, grabbing it with both hands. I was finished. Others before me were sitting around smiling congratulating each other, Ox, Rookie, Dioko, several others. I handed Ox my camera and recorded the event, and I could now take photos of the landscape still under cloud cover, but occasional views of the splotchy sunlit valley far below, with orange, bright yellow, dark yellow and deep green foliage visible as the clouds briefly opened up. I donned my cold weather gear as I cooled down quickly in the summit breeze, and shortly Firecracker, Bigfish, Many Names, Natty Bump and others arrived, all of us subjects for photos with the big sign. I spoke with Many Names, who had changed into a sleek, green sequin dress that she had found at Trail Days, and recalled the day we had met, and how she had stopped at the Apple Tree B&B and said hello to Debbie and Les for me while at Trail Days back in May, as I had asked to do. I told her that I received a nice email from Debbie of her visit, and that a few days later, I left a message in a shelter register for Many Names, thanking her and that "I owe you a Snickers Bar for that one", and I then presented her with a Snickers Bar, my last one, that had been with me longer than I cared to admit, evidenced by the disfigured package, saying I was true to my word. It was a happy time, but I was chilling and I knew that it would be a tricky climb down, and I went off. Not far along, 2 hikers were approaching, 10 yds spaced, and I called to the first, "I know that you've heard this many times before, but you really are almost there", turned around, pointing at the summit, and now face to face I said, "Hey, I know you, don't tell me you name". He said, "I know you too". "Shameless", I blurted. "You're Featherfoot!" I had cheated, I had seen his name in the shelter registers lately so I knew he was in the area, but it had been nearly six months since we had met and last seen each other. It was at the NOC, Nantahala Outdoor Center, in NC, mile 134.9, where we both were doing laundry and cleaning up, we only talked for about an hour. Amazing. After a very breif chat, I continued along across Table Land at one point shouting, "I'M ALIVE!", then more than once again, as the joy began to sink in. While stopping for photos I met Geoff and Danna on their way up, he had a real nice camera and was documenting thru-hikers, and we chatted and exchanged photos. As I reached the big rocks at The Gateway I noticed them wet from the light drizzle which slowed my descent all the way to the falls where the path became more walkable. Nearing the bottom a steady rain began and I soon signed "returned" at 16:17 and found Many Names' dad, Ray, wearing his custom Many Names AT tee shirt, waiting at the picnic tables where Bark and Berry were videoing us as we came off the mountain. Back at the Ranger Station I discarded the day pack and waited with others for AT Paul, who runs the Appalachian Trail Lodge in Millinocket, to arrive and shuttle us away. We were soon ready, and said goodbye to Ranger Rachel before starting the long, windy drive out of BSP to town, where we cleaned up and made it to the AT Cafe, also owned by Paul and his wife, Jaime, super nice hosts, for a big dinner at a table with Cloudwalker, Dioko, and Rookie and me, a table way too little for our many plates and beer bottles. Many Names, et al, were there as the celebration continued past the 20:00 cafe closing, Rookie and I stopped in at the Blue Ox for beers where Debbie kept drawing me Black & Tans and our local friend Mike kept us entertained as we all kept buying rounds. Back to the lodge where I shed my town clothes, provided by the lodge, and slept very well.