Date: 2004-08-12
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The day dawned cool and overcast. Of course, by the time the day dawned, Skyline and Sundance had already left-- they're meeting some friends of theirs, Kelly and Janelle, at the ranger station at 5:30 this morning. Kelly and Janelle have come out to hike Katahdin with them, and because they have to be at the park gate by the time it opens to be assured of getting in (Baxter has a limit on how many vehicles can enter each day), they have to be here at 5:30.I get up not much later, and meet them all at the parking lot. By quarter 'til 7, we're walking down the trail toward Katahdin.Katahdin is the single greatest ascent of the entire trail-- by the time you reach the top, you have climbed over 4,000 vertical feet in a space of about five miles. The climb is actually much harder than that, though, because near the top there is a plateau-like expanse called The Tableland which is over a mile of flat walking, and the first mile of the trail near the bottom is also almost completely flat. This means that really we're talking about a 4,000-foot climb over three miles, and it is absolutely hellacious.I have heard Katahdin called The Final Exam of the A.T., and that title is very appropriate. On Katahdin, we see a little bit of everything we've seen on the trail so far-- it's like a cumulative summary of the trail's most difficult moments. There are rock scrambles, hand-over-hand climbs, narrow squeezes between massive boulders, and sheer rock faces that I must make my way up by clinging precariously to the vegetation along the edge. There are areas that are so impassable that metal rungs have been fixed to the rock so hikers have something to hold onto. There are areas where a single slip or misstep could result in a broken leg-- or worse.(Quick sidenote: this is a good example of why having medical insurance is a must on the A.T. If you break your leg on Katahdin, rescue teams will find you and airlift you to a hospital-- to the tune of 250,000 dollars.)The worst of the climb is a one-mile stretch called The Hunt Spur, which takes about two hours to get through. It is totally rocky, and the rocks are wet, thanks to the mist and fog. Further complicating the issue is my shoes-- they've been with me since Pennsylvania, which is about 900 miles of walking. They're beginning to come apart, and there's not much tread left, so as a result I cannot trust my footing at all. Virtually every step must be tested gradually before I put my full weight on it, which also slows me down.But it's not all bad. I have left most of my gear on the porch of the Baxter State Park ranger station at the base of the mountain. There are so many tight squeezes and treacherous area up here that it is strongly recommended that hikers do this-- a full pack is an unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, burden.So today, all I'm carrying in my pack is food, water, and clothes. Everything else-- tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad, stove, extra food, toiletries, etc., is all left behind.Despite that, it is still without question the most difficult climb of the entire trail. If it weren't for the fog, I think it might also be the most beautiful climb of the trail. Because the trail is along the top of a ridge, and because most of it is above treeline, the views up here would be astounding. But not for us-- nope, we get no views and wet rocks.The worst moment of the climb came when I followed a series of false white blazes (maybe it was an old section of trail) through a particularly difficult area of boulder squeezes, only to find that I had looped back to a previous part of the A.T. So I had to retrace my steps to find the trail again-- it probably cost me twenty or thirty minutes, and a lot of wasted effort.You might expect that on my final day, my final mountain of the trail, I would be thinking a lot about what it means to finally finish the trail and that sort of thing. But nope-- instead, all my concentration had to be focused on my next step, at least, until I got through the Hunt Spur. When I finally reached the easier walking of The Tableland, I was able to reflect and daydream as I walked, mostly on what I would do when I got to the top. Would I cry? Yell with happiness? Or maybe just collapse?There were, surprisingly, quite a few section hikers and a group of dayhikers there when I finally reached the summit. But to see that sign materialize out of the fog, and to finally, after five long months, to reach out and touch it-- it was great. I smiled, and not caring who saw me, just collapsed against the sign for a couple of minutes. I got a section hikers to take a couple pictures, then put on some extra clothes (it's darn windy up here), and sat down to have lunch and wait for Skyline, Sundance and their friends.Once they got up to the top, it was time for more celebration, and more pictures. Lots of congratulations from the non-thru-hiker folks up here, too-- it's nice.Unfortunately, this isn't really the end of my hike-- because now, we have to get down. And as any experienced mountain hiker wil tell you, going down can be far more treacherous and difficult than going up. Going down over the Hunt Spur is a very slow but nevertheless steady provess, made slightly more difficult by the fact that the wind seems to have picked up. But nevertheless, we make it through all the obstacles again, and finally, when I'm back on mostly level ground again and hiking the last mile back to the ranger station, I feel like I'm done with my hike.One more surprise at the bottom-- Tiger Lily, a thru-hiker from 2002 who has been corresponding with Skyline and Sundance throughout their hike, is waiting for us. She gives me a ride to the nearby town of Millinocket, and Skyline, Sundance, Kelly and Janelle follow behind us. Together, the six of us have dinner at a local pizza joint, then head to a nearby motel to crash.Tomorrow, I begin the journey to Massachusetts, and after a few days there, I begin the journey home. My hike is over, but this won't be my last journal entry-- I hope to do one or two more and really try to wrap everything up. It's been quite an adventure, and I still have a lot of thoughts to sort through. It sure does feel good to be done, though. YEE-HA!