Date: 2014-09-24
From: Baxter State Park

To: Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2

Cold night last night but I stayed warm. Up at 5:40 but stayed in my tent to stay warm until Rowdy arrived from town. Had my last cereal on the trail. Packed up. Rowdy arrived at 6:20. Finished packing for the day. Took my extra stuff to Dave's van.On the trail at 7:05 and checked in at 7:10. Rowdy's friend Dave is hiking with us. The trail was flat with some rocks but we maintained a good pace. Got to Katahdin Stream Falls at 8:30. Dave was struggling this early on. The trail was a gradual uphill with some rock scrambles. Rowdy and I went ahead of Dave since we were faster. I stopped to take off my jacket while Rowdy continued up the mountain. Left foot not feeling too bad just a little sorenessAt the "Cave" I missed the trail and started back down the mountain. I quickly corrected myself. After about 2 miles we got to the boulder section of the trail. The weather was cool and occasionally windy. We put away our poles since this was a major rock scramble using our hands and legs. Very slow going with long sections of rocks. We were thinking about the descent down the mountain with these boulders.Could see other hikers above us on the very steep uphill. Kept a steady pace. Reached the Tableland at 10:30. Trail was rocky but just a steady uphill with no rock scrambles. There were quite a few hikers ahead of us with some already at the summit. Should have used my poles on this section since it was flatter. Passed Thoreau Springs.Reached the summit at 11:30 - 4 1/2 hours of hiking on a clear sunny day. Unbelieveable views. There were about 20 hikers at the top. Got in on the group photo then Rowdy made it for the photo.Got my pictures at the sign by myself and with Rowdy. Spread the ashes of thru hiker, David Aldrich, which I had carried from Hot Springs, NC. Visited with Styles, Hobbit and Peter Pan. Offered congrats to every one. Attempted to shave my beard but it was too long even after I trimmed it.Called LouAnn to tell her to meet me at 5 PM. Tried to call the Community Table but without success. Had 2 snickers for lunch. Busy time at the Summit. Did not get as emotional at the top as expected. Maybe because I was busy doing other things to keep me occupied.Headed down at 12:30. At 1 we met Dave on his way up. He was half way across the Tablelands. He decided to continue to the top. We were worried he may not make it down before dark.As we crossed the Tablelands we used our poles going down. The winds had picked up after being mild at the summit. Weather also got warmer. Put away our poles when we got to the boulder section. The climb down the boulders wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We had to use our arms and hands to lower ourselves down but the foot holds were in good locations. Passed SayJack, and Hobbit and Moving on.The last 2 miles went quickly and we arrived at the Campground Parking Lot at 4:30. LouAnn was there to meet me. She was surprised at my partial beard. She had never seen me without a beard which I have had since 1968. Got my stuff from Dave's van then went to the Ranger station to sign the register. Rowdy was going to wait for Dave.Gave Firewalker and Teabag a ride into town. They are probably summiting tomorrow. Checked in to the Katahdin Inn. Showered and went to dinner at 6:45 at the Appalachian Cafe. I was going to try the Summit Sundae challenge but it was too late since they closed at 8. The challenge is 14 scoops of ice cream (one for each state), a snickers bar, donut, M&Ms, whip cream, and cherries. Ending up having the Hiker special of fried fish for the two of us.Got back to the hotel at 8:30. There were about 10 thru hiker in the lobby/hot tub area. Spent sometime visiting with them. This is end of my 177 day journey on the Appalachian Trail. I'm 31 pounds lighter than when I started April 1. I've met and hiked with many fantastic individuals all on the same path that I have been. The trail was hard at times but also awe inspiring also. The weather overall was perfect. Had some cold night as well as some very hot days. But I never had to put up or take down my tent in the rain. Yes it rained at night but by morning it had stopped. Or I stayed in the shelter or hostel when it was predicted to rain.To those who have completed or will be completing the trail, congratulations. To those wanting to hike the trail, just do it. Just remember the commitment to do it. Happy Trails