Date: 2010-09-16
From: Baxter State Park

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

At long last, it is over!! I summitted Mount Katahdin at 11am today, six months and one day after setting off from Springer Mountain, GA, on March 15, and 2,179.1 miles away. I woke up during the night last night and had a hard time going back to sleep. I was thinking about all the "lasts" today; last time sleeping in a shelter, last time cooking oatmeal for breakfast over my alcohol stove, last time putting stinky hiking clothes back on, and last time walking in the woods. When dawn finally came, Abel, MJ Fox and I did all that in preparation for our summit. Then, I walked over to the ranger station to drop off the contents of my pack that I would not carry today and to check the weather report. The forecast was for sun changing to cloudy weather, with temperatures in the 60's. There was no rain in the forecast fortunately. The forecast was for Baxter State Park at an elevation of 1070 feet, not Katahdin at an elevation of 5268 feet, though, and it seems that Katahdin has its own weather pattern. Anyway, the forecast was better than yesterday and better than tomorrow; a Class II day by Baxter SP standards. I signed in for the climb at 8am. The rangers want to know who is going up the mountain, and when they get back down, for safety reasons, so you have to sign in and sign out when you return. Then, I started climbing. At first, the climb was easy but gradually, the grade steepened. Then, it became a rock scramble and, at times, kind of unnerving. There were steep drop offs on both sides of the trails. There were times I had to pause and figure out how I was going to manage to climb from one boulder up onto the next. At some places, there were metal rods or rebar fused into the rock for hand and foot holds. It was not an easy climb. As I reached the tableland, a flat section leading to the summit, the clouds rolled in, the wind was whipping, but nothing could have kept me from continuing at that point. And, it wasn't raining! I can't imagine adding the slippery rocks factor into the climb and descent. Finally, I made out the sign in the distance; the terminus, in the clouds, surrounded by other thru hikers, section hikers, and day hikers. I finally made it to the summit and MJ Fox shared a drink of the champagne he carried there. It was wonderful. Believe it or not, just as I got to the summit, the clouds dissipated and the sun came out. All the thru hikers and section hikers congratulated each other and we took turns taking pictures of ourselves at the sign. I spent only about 30 minutes there, thinking about what this meant, and then headed back down because of the cold. Just as I was leaving, the clouds moved back in. Perfect! It seemed to take forever for me to get back down and I slid down several drops on my butt. It was the only way I could figure to get down. Finally, I reached the campground where all the other thru hikers were celebrating. Joann had gotten a cake, sandwich fixings, chips, drinks, and all kinds of other food for us. We spent about two hours taking group pictures and congratulating ourselves. It was a nice way to end the day. So, tomorrow Joann and I will head to my cousin's house along the southern coast of Maine, and on Saturday, we fly home. It'll be the first day that I'll set foot in my house in six long months. I'll fill in some missing journal entries, and I intend to do an entry on my gear and how it performed. I know there are several readers who are planning thru hikes in the next few years, so I think the comments on my gear may prove helpful. Then, I may finish with an entry on final thoughts about this hike. My thanks go out to everyone who has supported and encouraged me along the way, and there were many that I'll mention in my closing journal entry. Right here, though, I'd like to mention my wife, Joann, who has done so much to make this venture a success. From encouragement, ordering replacement gear, apparel and shoes, and making sure I have what I need to hike; running the household while I've been gone; and, visiting and helping me along the way. I love you!