Date: 2007-09-30
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Baxter Peak, Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

I got up at 3.30 AM and left for Baxter State Park not long after. It took me about 45 minutes to drive to the park entrance gate where I was the 7th car in line. They opened the gate about 5.15 AM and began letting cars into the park. By 6.00 AM I had parked at the Hunt Trail trailhead at Katahdin Stream Campground and was waiting for enough light to hike without a headlamp. At 6.25 I began hiking up the trail toward Baxter Peak, the highest point on Mt Katahdin and the official end point of the Appalachian Trail.The weather was cold and clear, 36°, with a very light breeze; ideal hiking weather. The first 1.5 miles of trail gently climbed along Katahdin Stream to a waterfall then broke away from the stream and became steeper and much more rocky. I passed Tonto, his parents and girlfriend just above the waterfall. I had met Tonto once back in PA but hadn't seen him since. The next 1.5 miles were up a steady steep grade and involved the frequent use of my hands to climb up, over and around large boulders and high steps. Eventually I stashed my poles in my pack to free my habds for climbing. The final mile from treeline to The Gateway at the Tablelands was up the crest of a steep and narrow rocky ridgeline. The trail zig-zagged its way around, over and through large boulders and the crest of upturned rock outcrops as it climbed steeplu up the side of Mt Katahdin. In several places there were iron rods set in the rock faces to provide hand and foot holds for climbing over 4'-6' steps and ledges.Although the temp was in the high 30's there was little wind and I was comfortable hiking in only a long-sleeved shirt. This weather was too good to have hoped for and was highly unusual for the mountain this fall. Because the final mile of climbing was above treeline and along the crest of a prominent ridgeline there were superb views at every step. Visibility was excellent so the higher I climbed the further I could see. I could see 2 other hikers above me on the ridge but otherwise I saw no one as I climbed the exposed ridge.At The Gateway the trail reached The Tablelands and crossed a nearly flat alpine plateau on its way to Baxter Peak. The trail wasn't quite flat but climbed so gradually that I barely noticed the 500' gain over the next 1.5 miles.I arrived at the famous sign on the top of Baxter Peak that marked the northern terminus of the AT at about 10.00 AM. Forrest, Spaceman and Unicycle Pirate were already there, having summited nearly an hour earlier. There were also about a dozen day hikers around the summit as well and they all congratulated us on having completed the AT. We took photos of each other for a while then broke out what ever snacks or celebratory drinks we had brought up with us and shared them all around. I also ate a few celebratory ibuprofin to help the hike down. About 11.30 Kilgore Trout arrived and we all congratulated him and took photos for him. He had hiked about 2/3 of the trail last year but had to leave due to a knee injury. He got back on the trail this year in VT where he left last year and completed the remainder of the trail. I had enjoyed hiking with him in the White Mts and thru the Mahoosuc's.I stayed on the summit until about 12.30 then reluctantly headed back down. Most of the other thru-hikers continued down the knife-edge trail. I thought about joining them but it would have been tough getting back to the car so I turned around and went back down the Hunt Trail.The weather remained clear, cool and very light winds for the test of the day making for a wonderful hike back down the rocky ridgeline. I was certain I could see mts on the Atlantic Ocean coast if I knew which ones were which. Supposedly you can Cadillac Mt in Acadia N.P. From Katahdin but I didn't know which one it was.I finally got back to the trailhead at Katahdin Stream Campground about 5.00 PM. My AT thru-hike was now officially complete and there were no more miles left to walk. It had been a wonderful day and a spectacular way to end my 2,200 mile 6 month walk in the woods. In some ways I was sad to see it end but in other ways I was ready to go home. It was an excellent trip and I'm glad I did it but I'm not terribly ancious to run off and do another one next year. My feet need time to recover first! I've missed Benda and Riley and can't wait to see them both again soon. But, I wouldn't trade this trip for anything, it was more than I had hoped and well worth the time spent planning and hiking it. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime!