Date: 2007-08-26
From: The Birches campsite

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

It rained heavily with thunder and lightning last night around 8 or 9. We got up early and got to the ranger station around 7 a.m. The forecast was for scattered showers in the afternoon so we wanted to get an early start. In addition to Walking Cowboy, Pressure D and myself, we summited with Fred, the section hiker from Virginia we met a few days ago and Flaxseed. Flaxseed is a thruhiker from Houston, TX. We carried either daypacks or our normal packs with just what we needed for the day in them. Flaxseed and I led the way. When we left the campground at about 1000 feet elevation, it was about 60 degrees and partly cloudy with no wind. The climb was steep but gradual with some rocks and roots on the footpath until we reached treeline at about 3,500 feet. Then it turned into a difficult rock scramble over some large boulders. At The Gateway, around 4,500 ft., the trail leveled out for about a mile. The wind had picked up to at least 40 mph. The final climb was fairly gradual over smaller rocks to the famous sign at the summit. I finally got to touch the fabled wooden monument that has been in so many pictures. It was around 50 degrees with winds close to 50 mph in pea soup fog when we arrived about 11:40. Flaxseed and I took each other's pictures while we waited for the others. They got there in about fifteen minutes and we took more individual and group pictures. They won't be too clear due to the fog, but we sure will cherish them.We were surprised how many people were on Katahdin. There had to be between 50 and 100. As we hiked down, it seemed to take a lot longer because we were no longer on an adrenalene high. When we got back to the ranger station we were back in a normal environment totally different from the big K. It was about 75, partly cloudy with a gentle breeze. We looked back up fondly at the other world from which we had just come.After we finished, we got a ride to the Appalachian Trail Lodge in Millinocket. The Lodge is under new ownership and they are doing a great job. We washed clothes and then ate at the A T Cafe, a sister facility to the Lodge. The food was great time and we had a great time socializing with the owners and patrons. There were a few other folks there who had just completed thru or section hikes.How to sum up the consummation of a dream of many years. Walking Cowboy and I had many of the same thoughts as we shared a ride back home through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Both of us have been planning our adventures for many years. Most of it turned out as we had expected. Some sections were much tougher than we expected, particularly New Hampshire and southern Maine. We met lots of people, the vast majority of whom are great folks. We are really glad to have done this adventure, yet at the same time we are also glad to be done. We both plan to do more extended hikes at some point, but we doubt that we will thru-hike the AT again or another longer trail like the PCT or CDT. There is such a long time commitment needed to do these and we each have other interests that would make that difficult. But we're not ruling it out at some point. Cowboy is active in the Georgia AT Club and I am with two clubs in Pennsylvania. We hope to continue and even expand those activities. We'll miss the wonderful views and the splendid isolation that is so much a part of the thru-hiking experience. Most of all we will miss the countless wonderful people that made the last several months so memorable.