Date: 2003-09-22
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin summit
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

Slept in: Hotel, with visions of sleeping in my own bed very soonSleep was not a problem for me last night even though I was excited about climbing Katahdin today.The plan was for Team Baby Steps to meet me, Sparky and Hamlet at the shelter by 6am just as it was getting light. I awakened at 5:10am, awakened Sparky and Hamlet and began packing up my gear for the last time.Sonic and Guana, and Fly and Smoothie were stirring in their tents and Constant Motion, Crazy Jim, and Commander in Chief were packing up in the other shelter reserved for thru-hikers a short distance away.At 6:15 we signed in and said our good-byes to Ann and Mark, Baby Step¢s Mom and Step-dad, then off we went.The trail was fairly flat and easy for the first mile or so. We stopped at the bridge over Katahdin Stream for pictures to help us remember these last hours on the trail. I thought about Denise, Journey 02, and wished that she had her chance to climb Katahdin before losing her life.After Katahdin Stream Falls the trail started to climb, then climb, then really, really climb.As Sparky and I hiked, I called back to her, ¢I¢m going to miss all this¢, as my voice cracked the tears started to flow. I had been ready to go home for the past several weeks, but boy did I enjoy the simple pleasure of being in the woods.When I started to use my hands for climbing my hiking pole took a position on the back of my pack. There are places where it took all of my strength to lift myself and my pack up onto the rocky ledges. In some places, rebar had been placed in the rock to assist in climbing.Upon reaching the table land, Fly and Smoothie, Sonic and Guana, and I stopped for a rest and to eat a snack. Down below in what seemed like another world, the Maine woods and numerous lakes lay before us. The sun peeked in and out of the clouds sending the paradise below into beams of illumination.We climbed 5,000 feet in 5 miles this morning, and had a blast doing it. I reached the summit at 10:30am after 4.25 hours. I didn¢t know what to expect from myself emotionally. As I walked toward the sign, I could feel a lump forming in my throat. When I reached the sign I leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on the K while Constant Motion took a picture.After patting the sign I moved on to give someone else a turn. There would be time for pictures later.My summit was bittersweet. Because I had skipped several sections when having foot problems, my hike was not yet finished. Next year when I have covered the remaining miles, I will again hike the 100 Mile Wilderness and climb Katahdin to celebrate the end of my Appalachian Trail hike.For 2 hours we took pictures, ate, laughed and played on the top of the mountain. The stone that I had carried from Springer Mountain in GA was dropped into a crevice between rocks under the sign. I had purchased a map of Katahdin and all her trails at the Abol Bridge Campground store and carried it with me to the top where I had all the thru-hikers sign it and it will be hung in the cottage as a remembrance of this fantastic adventure.The high point of the morning was when Fly proposed to Smoothie. They are a wonderful couple, so in love and so beautiful together. I feel honored to have been a part of it all. Of course, she said yes.The hike down took 3.5 hours. I went down with Baby Steps, her step-brother Keith and his two friends, Frank and Adam. We had a good time and got down safely. About a mile from the campground we were met by Ann and Mark, eager to congratulate Baby Steps on her accomplishment. After congratulating Baby Steps, her mom turned to me and gave me a big hug too. I can¢t begin to describe how wonderful that felt. My mom had passed away 2 years before and as Ann hugged me I thought of my own mom and dad and how much they meant to me. I had been carrying ashes of my parents and had intended to scatter them at the summit, but because my hike has not yet been completed, I decided to carry them again next year when I hike and then scatter them when I return to Katahdin.