Date: 2006-09-07
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Milinocket
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: light rain

Appalachian Trail Lodge Room #4A Day that I will remember, Always!   Rocky and Swampfox did indeed make it back safely and stayed with me in lean-to #5 last night. They both gave me an excellent description of the climb and what to expect, and I felt realy good about going.   I doubt that I slept for more than 30 minutes at any time during the night - I was so excited. Every time that I awoke, I had an increased sense of expectation and excitement, as the night remained clear and there was no rain. At 4:00AM I was up and cooking breakfast in the dark, reminded once again that this was a simple daily repetitive task that I would not be repeating again for some time. I had to force myself to eat and drink, I was so eager to be on the trail.   Both Rocky and Swampfox, not alone awoke to wish me well, but got up to see me off ¢ such kindness. I unpacked all of my gear at the closed in porch at the Ranger Station, and reloaded my own backpack with the few essentials that I would be taking with me on the climb. Then I was ready to go. I signed the trailhead register at 5:45AM, as I officially started the ascent.   It was a cloudy start to the day. The trail was still dark in the shadow of the trees but I could make out that The Mountain was covered in cloud. The trail starts out level and smooth, as you hike the first mile or so to Katahdin Stream Falls, and I just flew along it, driven by the sudden unleashing of all of my restrained energy and frustration with the delays.   After passing the Falls, the trail begins to ascend ¢ at first well graded, but slowly and surely turning to typical Maine Rock and Root climbing up into the mists. The fog and mists swirled around me as I climbed up through the trees, and I wondered if indeed today was going to be as good as yesterday ¢ it did not seem to be holding up to its ¢Better than Yesterday¢ forecast. Soon it was a regular mountain climb, and I had to force myself to stop and drink and eat a snack as I climbed on up. I was able to refill with a liter of water at a small trailside trickle as I climbed.   The trees began to change as I climbed higher, and the rocks became bigger. Soon I was using all of my appendages to continue to make progress.   Then, quiet suddenly it seemed to me, I was out of the trees and into the boulder field. It was every bit as difficult as I had been told. This was technical climbing, with the poles hanging by their straps from my wrists, I was grabbing, holding, pulling and climbing over rocks that were now the size of cars, and soon the size of small houses, all the while surrounded by the swirling mists of obstructed visibility.   Suddenly, I heard voices from above coming down! Not a visit from the heavens, it was two young SOBO thru-hikers, who had left the campground at 2:20AM to climb, in forlorn hope of seeing the sun rise from the summit. Iceman and Tundra Novice were returning from their night climb. They told me that I was about half way through the boulders.   The climb continued to be difficult ¢ very difficult in places. I was being called upon to use a lot of upper body strength, to pull myself up the rocks and my arms were unaccustomed to the task. Isolated pieces of rebar were rammed into the most difficult sections, but the moves needed to scale some of the smooth vertical rocks were not at all intuitive. On several occasions I had a hand hold for one hand above my head ¢ on one occasion it was a hook of rebar ¢ and the next obvious move seemed to consist of putting my foot on the hold that my hand-above-my-head was holding!   As I struggled on ¢ giving thanks that I had rested my knees the day before and that they were both doing just fine ¢ I felt a breeze on my left side. And suddenly the mists cleared! In less than a minute, a freshening breeze carried the mists away, and I was under a blue sky with small white puffy clouds and the sun was shining. What a scene I saw!   I was standing on an exposed ridge of sheer rocks. The mountains fell away sharply on my right and left. Above me the rocks continued straight up to the blue heavens, and below my feet it was straight down to the distant trees. Mountains surrounded me on all sides ¢ I was already above many of them ¢ with their own exposed gashes of rock and scree on their own sides. The misty valley was filled on all sides with lakes and trees ¢ no human artifact could be seen in any direction, except for the next white blaze directly above me. I was suspended between heaven and earth.   It took me several minutes to regain my composure and ¢still my beating heart¢ and resume my climb. The conditions weather-wise went from good, to better, to perfect ¢ I found out later that it was officially classified as a Class 1 Day ¢ as I climbed even more strongly upward. I felt great! The sun, the clouds, the views, the dry rocks, and I was still moving upwards.   At last above me I saw a small sign. As I climbed closer to it I could make out the words ¢Please stay on the trail to protect the Alpine Vegetation¢ As my head got level with the sign, I was able to look over the last rock of the boulder field and The Tablelands stretched before me.   Such a sudden transition. Suddenly I was off the steep climb of the rocks, using hands and feet, and was once again able to stand upright on my own two feet. The flat Tablelands stretched before me and I strode on upright with my poles back in use. Across the flatlands I could see the small rise up to the final summit and the continuing line of the Knife Edge running on beyond it. It was magical ¢ I was once again back on the stray sod.      I walked on entranced, thanking the Mountain God, Pamola, for smiling on me and granting me permission to have climbed so far and in such ¢ now ¢ perfect conditions. I found a small water filled pool behind a cairn ¢ and thinking that this was Thoreau Spring, drank and refilled yet another liter. As the trail proceeded I found that the real Thoreau Spring is a muddy, wet, oozy confluence of several trails, and that I had done the correct thing to drink from the pool that I had found.   The final slow steady uphill even had a few of the famous Maine stone steps, and then I could see it ¢ The Sign! - and the final cairn next to it. I approached it with a sense of wonderment ¢ could it be? Could I realy have climbed The Mountain? As my hand touched the wood of the sign, I knew that it was done. I was here. I was at the summit. I was at the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail.      It was the strangest of sensations. I did not feel any sense of having conquered The Trail or The Mountain. I felt a strange wonderment that I was here at all. And even more of a sense of privilege that, not alone was I standing on the summit, but that I was surrounded by such pristine beauty and in such perfect conditions.   All of the surrounding peaks stood out in sharp relief, the forests and lakes filled the valley floors in all directions. Residual traces of mist were blowing up from the Katahdin Basin and over the Knife Edge, adding to its already formidable appearance, as it stalked its jagged way across the landscape, falling straight down on both sides for hundreds of feet. It was just me, The Mountain and the terminus of The Trail. I had hiked the entire Appalachian Trail.      As I stood there I had the overwhelming sense that I was not alone. I felt that my wife was with me. It was almost a physical feeling of presence. I also felt that there were many more people standing and watching us from among the surrounding mountains, my children, my parents ¢ now long dead ¢ and the spirits of all of the other hikers who had ¢ and who will ¢ also hiked the entire trail. I was joined in that moment of time to all of the mountains, the lakes, forests, trails, loved ones past and present and future, and we all became one.      On a more prosaic level however, it began to get cold! So I put on my wind jacket, as I crouched down among the rocks to eat lunch, I looked back down the empty AT and contemplated how I was going to get the famous "Summit Photo", standing by "The Sign¢. As I was thinking about this, I looked again at the sign and suddenly, a man was standing there!      My involuntary ¢Holy s**t, how did you get here?" startled him as much as he had startled me. It turns out that there are many trails that lead to the summit and that he had come up by another route. Steve is an architect, and happily we took summit photos of each other. He then calmly told me that he was doing back down along the Knife Edge. No way that I was ever going to walk on hat precarious path.      Then others began to arrive, at first up from the side trails, and then coming up the AT. Professor summited and more photos were taken. I left a garbled cell phone message for my wife, and suddenly realized that I had been on the top for over an hour and that it was time for me to move on, as yet more people began to arrive.   And so began the descent. Just as I started down, Pipesmoke, and the Roman Noodles came up, and joyous hugs and congratulations were exchanged all around. As I crossed back over the Tablelands, Ol¢ Man and NaviGator passed me going up.   Soon I was back in the boulder field going down against what was now a steady stream of summit seeking day-trippers, attracted on this perfect Class 1 day to attempt the summit. I was happy that I had been granted my magical moments alone ¢ and yet not alone ¢ on the summit.   The descent through the boulder field, which I had been dreading, went like a dream with no difficulties and, much quicker than I expected, I was back down into the trees, and soon again hearing the roar of Katahdin Stream Falls. Then I was flashing past them and on the final mile back to the Registration Kiosk. I was safely back down!Started 5:45AMSummit 10:30AMDeparted Summit 11:30AMBack at 3:30AM   The Professor had promised me a ride in his red Toyota truck back to Millinocket, but a returning day-tripper, who had also just summited and who I had spoken with on The Mountain, said that me would give me a ride. I left Professor a note and was soon showering at the AT Lodge in Millinocket.   We all met for dinner and Good Company. The group was:ProfessorOl¢ Man and NaviGatorRocky and SwampfoxPipesmoke and Mrs. PipesmokeThe Roman NoodlesMyself. Shorts, who was waiting for his wife to summit on 9/8, was also with us. I had met him, and he had given me trail magic at Abol Bridge.   The trail today contained elements of all parts of the AT. It starts out flat and even as a ¢foot candy¢ trail. Then comes the ascent through the trees, which is like a climb of a regular AT mountain, mostly upright, but with an occasional scramble. Then the boulder field, - a technical climb over the rocks with the use of hands and feet ¢ seen on a smaller scale on some of the NH mountains. The Tablelands are the ¢Stray Sod¢ ¢ the wonderful, but hard to find, relatively flat Alpine Zone on the very top of the very best of the best of the mountains.      So I have completed the AT. The full impact of that statement hasn¢t realy struck me yet. I think that it is going to take some time for me to get all of my thoughts and emotions and feelings in order, and to try to reduce it to some semblance of thought, so that I can capture it all in words. I know that they will be quiet inadequate.      But for today I am done!Thought for today ¢   No journey realy ends!