Date: 2008-10-02
From: Monson, ME

To: Katahdin to home
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: light rain

Katahdin means 'greatest mountain' and it is well named. Katahdin is the tallest point in Maine at 5,267 feet. It is a 4,000 foot climb up to the peak, the biggest single climb on the whole trail. I didn't struggle up the mountain. I LOVED it. Katahdin was an amazing mountain from afar and just an incredible climb. When I woke up at the Birches on September 23rd it was quite chilly- around 29 or 30 degrees. I rolled over and proceeded to tell Briar how I dreamt about summiting. In my dream, the summit was a zoo of people. First it was just Hot Tang, Longshot, Briar and I but then all sorts of random people arrived at the summit, including a woman with a stroller and how strange and out of place I felt. Back to reality- Then I ate my final PopTart breakfast (good riddance!) and packed my gear for the last time. The four of us headed to the ranger station where we left our gear and headed up the mountain with daypacks. I decided to wear my fleece pants up the mountain (which I never do) because it was freezing and I ended up not taking them off the whole time. Katahdin ended up being my favorite climb of the trip. Once above treeline, there was a lot of rock climbing and hoisting myself up onto the next rock. The views were incredible as I had perfect weather. The last mile before the summit is called the table land because it is a pretty flat area on top of the mountain that gradually rises to the summit. That is when I first heard the screams of a happy thru-hiker, Longshot, who reached the summit. Hot Tang and I climbed the final stretch together, ending as we had started. Seeing that weathered Katahdin sign was surreal. While I expected I'd have some sort of emotional outburst, excitement or tears perhaps, I was surprised that I felt more empty than anything. I let out a whoop for the hell of it, but my heart wasn't in it. The truth is that I was depressed to be done. The trail became my home and thru-hikers my friends. All the sudden on top of this beautiful mountain it was all over. It really was very bittersweet for me. I wasn't completely sad to see the Katahdin sign in all its faded glory. My knees hurt, my body wanted to be done, I was hungry, I don't like the rain or cold or heat, and I didn't have to smell like a wet dog anymore. I hiked through 2175 miles of all sorts of stuff to make it to this sign. I made it and that is a real accomplishment. I think the emptiness I felt was just a profound acceptance that my journey was over, neither a good or bad thing.I spent a considerable amount of time on the summit enjoying the moment, the views, and the company. I did my thru-hiker duty of taking various summit photos and will eventually mail them to the people I met along the way as is thru-hiker tradition. Then I came to the end of my hike- the moment where I turned my back on Katahdin's sign that I had been envisioning the whole way and began to walk back down the mountain. Back at the ranger station, I picked up my gear and hitchhiked to Millinocket with Hot Tang. The four of us stayed at the AT Lodge for 2 nights together and then Briar left to go home. Hot Tang, Longshot, and I stayed for another night and then got on a bus to Boston with Raccoon. We said goodbye to Longshot in Boston and then Hot Tang and I visited a college friend for the night. Then I got on a plane and flew home. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, not knowing when I might see any of them again. Arriving home, I had a dinner with my family, grandparents, aunts, and uncle. It was really nice to see them again. Now I'm in the middle of finding a job and completely back into the 'other' world. I don't see it as the real world. I just can't. I felt more alive on the trail than I do searching for work in a messed up economy. ohh well. So, people have asked what I learned or if I had any major epiphany along the way. The truth is that I didn't learn anything new, I just reaffirmed convictions I already had. Do what you love. Live in the moment. See the positive in all things and all people. Limitations are self-imposed not inherent. Protect the environment.