Date: 2015-09-26
To: The Summit of Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

9/26/2015 Day 177 - I woke up several times during the night, probably because of the anticipation of climbing Katahdin. I finally got up at about 5 am and got a shock from the cold morning air. Winter will be hitting Maine soon. After breakfast, I stopped by the privy on my way to the ranger station and a Volvo pulled up to the entrance of the Birches campsite. Four young ladies emerged and asked if there were still hikers in camp. They had Oreos and Ice tea for they hikers before our summit. Trail magic at the end of our journey. Gotta love it.Gray Goat and I stopped by the ranger station Gray Goat dropped off his pack and took a day pack for the journey to the top of the mountain. I've never slack packed, but this time I compromised a little by leaving my tent and sleeping bag with Goats gear for the summit. We signed the register at the bottom of the mountain and started our climb. The first third or so was gentle, with a mild incline and minimal rocks and roots. When we hit the middle part it really got challenging, and so beautiful. The exposure and view looking back to where we came from was big and indescribably awesome. There were a lot of day hikers climbing Katahdin, which is pretty common for a nice fall Maine weekend. The climb became challenging, to the point where I needed to put my hiking poles in my pack so I could use my hands to climb. After climbing for a couple of miles the mountain leveled out for a while and the climb to the top was a little easier. About a mile and a half from the top I saw the summit sign and people standing around it. I was starting to get a little misty-eyed and sentimental. It's hard to describe how I felt. A little overwhelmed, excited that I was finishing, yet a little sad that my adventure would soon be over. I reached the top a little before Gray Goat and pressed my hand against the famous weathered Katahdin sign, making the the end of my journey official. Goat was approaching so I took a couple of pictures of him as he stopped to kiss the sign. I could tell it was an emotional moment for him as well. We took a few photos of each other at the sign then sat down for a celebration lunch with the last of our trail food. We didn't stay long because we had to get back down to the ranger station by 4 pm to catch our ride to the AT Lodge in Millinocket. The hike down seemed longer and more introspective. We finished at the ranger station at about 2:30 pm. 7 and a half hours for the round trip. 5.2 miles up, then the same on the way down. Not bad for a couple of middle age men. We saw Hollywood and her group on the way back to the ranger station and exchanged congratulations. We waited at the ranger station with several other hikers to include Regular Goat, Hemingway, English Bob, and others. The shuttle arrive and there were too many for all of us to fit because 5 section hikers had reservations for the lodge and the shuttle could only take 8. Gray Goat, English Bob and I had signed up early, so we got a spot as well.We got to the hostel, cleaned up, then went out to eat a big steak and potato dinner. We toasted with a shot of whiskey to celebrate our successful thru hike of he Appalachian Trail. What a great adventure it was.