Date: 2006-09-18
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin, Maine
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

Well, I just have to start by saying, WE DID IT. It's over. I still don't know whether I'm happy or sad. Right now I'm kind of sad, but I was happy to see that sign and happy to have trudged those miles and had those adventures and made it to the end.We began up Katahdin at 6:00 AM. We had been up since 4AM just trying to pull together the actual thought that we were at the base of the big K. I was nervous, anxious, excited, scared and worried....all at once. The first mile it was still dark and I was still convincing myself that this was really it.As the climb got steeper and the sun brighter I became more confident and happy. We were so lucky. At first it was foggy and the wind was whipping. We climbed with our hands outstretched, looking for finger and foot holds on some of the bigger boulders. The world was falling away further beneath us. And as we navigated our way up the ridgeline, exiting the land of trees, the sun came up to greet us and the clouds were forced away. It was beautiful.When we reached the table lands, the two of us were in awe of the boulder field in front of us and the light that seemed to be making everything sparkle. Usually when Swansons and I climb a mountain we climb at two separate paces, but on this day we made it a point to stick together. Neither one of us wanted to experience it without the other.Then, with about a 100 yards left to go, Swansons stopped and directed my attention forward. We could see the sign. Rock Chalk stood next to it watching us patiently. I screamed, or maybe it was more of a whoop and we sped over the rocks toward it. It did exist. We never thought we'd see it for ourselves, but there it was, and there we were. No words can explain my feelings or happiness at that moment. No words. Even Swansons had tears in his eyes. And of course I did.We hugged it, we kissed it and we took a million pictures with it. It was 8:30 AM in the morning and it was just the three of us up there all alone with our victory. Swansons and I toasted to the sign and drank our celebratory beers we lugged up, then waited for the rest of the crew to show up. The view was incredible, and we were prepared to wait all day for the rest of them. We never wanted to leave the summit of that mountain.Homeward showed up next, Uphill, G-Walk, Mr. Parkay and then Ms. Parkay. Everyone was there, and no tourists in sight. Could we have been more lucky? The champagne was popped and clothes were added as we all huddled behind the rocks out of the wind, staring in awe at the far away world around us, and every once in a while one of us would blurt out "WE DID IT!" or "WHERE IS THE HELICOPTER TO TAKE US DOWN!"After about an hour we all decided we wanted a tourist to show up so we could get a group shot taken. And just as we wished it one showed up. And the poor guy had to take 2 pictures each on 7 cameras. He was very patient with us!Even after our group picture none of us could even think of starting the hike back down. So we returned to our wind protected seats and enjoyed the moment some more. I can't say much went through my head during the time we sat there. I was numb and happy. Content to not think at all, just to sit and know we did it.After a little while longer Uphill finally decide that before he fell asleep up there he better start down. And one by one we all followed. All giving one last glance at our beloved sign.The climb down was a bit techinical, but fast and easy. My gears had switched and I now had one thing on my mind....seeing my parents who were surely by now waiting to greet us at the bottom. We are thru-hikers, no longer thru-hiking, just through hiking. And it felt wonderful.We passed Katahdin Stream and knew we were close to the parking lot when we heard a yell and looked up to see my parents and Swansons' Mom on the side of the trail. They had hiked a 1/2 mile up the trail to greet us, and I was very proud of them for that. It was a great reunion. They made us feel like super stars for a few minutes.We were back at the foot of the mountain, now having conquered it. Our adventure was over. We headed back to our gear at the ranger station as everyone came off the mountain one by one.We all sat around on the lawn of the ranger station looking a little lost. Even with my parents there I did not know what to do next. For six months and 16 days we had had one sole objective, follow the white blaze, follow them north. And now we were out of white blazes. what did we do then? Where were we supposed to go? My guide book didn't have mileage for me anymore. I didn't even need to put on my pack. I speak for myself, but everyone else sat around looking the same. And I'm sure they were thinking something similar.It wasn't until my parents spoke up and figured out how many dirty hikers we could fit in the truck, that I realized what was supposed to happen then. It was time to go home, in a car not driven by a stranger. Time to eat normally and get a job. We had finished our journey....it was time to go home......