Date: 2018-08-28
From: The Birches lean to and campsite 

To: Katahdin >the end
Miles today: 5.2

Had a very hard time sleeping last night.Too excited and there was a crazy owl making horrifying screaming sounds!Was able to drift off here and there so I should be good to go. We packed up in the dark and set out around 2:30 am.Sky is all lit up with beautiful bright stars so that¢s a great sign.Rain is forecast for this afternoon.We headed down to the ranger station to drop all of the stuff from our packs we won¢t need.My pack is so light it feels like it¢s not even on.Just food,water,raincoat,and my good camera.  Started up the Hunt trail which is the same as the AT.Passes by campsites so I tried to be really quiet at this early hour.Katahdin stream falls was really pretty lit up by the almost full moon.Its a big and powerful waterfall.The mist coming off of it kind of looked like crystally snowflakes in the moonlight.After the falls the trail gets steep,steeper,and holy shit steep!Starts off climbing in between and over little boulders.Then the boulders get bigger and steeper with rock faces you have to climb .Then it gets really cool.Once you are out and above the tree line it¢s really fun.There are iron rungs and bars in the rock faces you need to pull yourself up with.Its real climbing.I really love climbing more than hiking so I was really loving al of it!And the stars above and moon lighting up all the mountains around me was spectacular.I will never forget how beautiful this morning was.One of my favorite moments on the trail.The steepness starts to ease off a little and you can see a ridge line you have to climb up still steeply.It was so cool looking in all directions and looking at the really rough looking mountains close by with their scars and massive rock faces.Way out in the distance were rows and rows of more gently sloped mountains.Hard to explain how beautiful it was under the moonlight. Once at th top of the ridge you come to the Table lands.Its a wide and flat area that has beautiful alpine vegetation and boulders.From here I could see the top ofKatahdin and the knife edge.Was a little bummed they were clouded in .The clouds were moving fast though so maybe they will blow over?Lenticular clouds mostly.Really cool to look at .Something really strange happened then.I noticed a really huge and thin ring of clouds circling the summit.It was slowly being pulled into the summit .I couldn¢t believe what I was seeing so I pointed it out to Numb.He saw it!Never seen anything like it.The ring just got sucked right into the summit.So glad I saw it!Sun was also rising now and it turned all the clouds to a deep red and purple.The clouds on the summit lifted and separated and I saw the Katahdin sign.During all of this I was listening to my iPod.A very meaningful song came on that made me cry.I had it on shuffle so it was like it was meant to happen.  Made it to the sign and three thru hikers we met the day before were celebrating and happy for us.They were all older guys like me so I am really happy for them.Took a bunch of pics for them.While that was going on Numb and I went to the summit cairn.Back in NY hiking friends of ours Rocky and Jumping Moose from Sweden gave me a rock they had from the Camino trail.They were having issues losing too much weight and had to leave.Asked me if I would bring it the rest of the way.I did!Ws my pleasure doing it for these great people.We made them a little video to show them.They were so happy!After that we got our summit pics.Was great timing because the sun and clouds in the background were stunning.Hard to explain how I felt at the sign.Extremely proud,so happy,so sad that it¢s over,wondering what it will be like back in society,excited to see my wife,kids and friends.Kind of blocking it out of my mind that it¢s finished for now.  We had the whole mountain to ourselves so decided to stay a while.Numb sat by the summit cairn and I was itching to get back out on the knife edge I did some years back.It was windy and scary but that¢s my favorite thing!Was amazing to see the sun sending rays all over far away mountains and lakes.Went about halfway and watched thin clouds come up from underneath the knife edge,blow over top,and straight down the other side.One of the coolest things I¢ve ever seen!Slowly made my way back to the summit enjoying every minute.Made it back and Numb asked me to get more pics of him by the sign.I thought it would be cool to get one of me at the very top standing.Made my way there.Bad idea because there isn¢t much to balance on.A gust of wind knocked me off balance and I knew I was in trouble.Then a bigger gust blew me off and backwards a ways.Falling....felt like I was never gonna land.I did.On my back and right arm on jagged rocks.Numb runs around to find me in shock I think.His eyes were huge.From where he was talking the picture it looked like there was a huge drop off.It probably is about 10 feet.I jumped up in no pain.Just some scrapes on my legs and back.After a few minutes my right forearm really started hurting.Cant move it or put pressure on it without severe pain.Think it¢s broken.  Started raining a cold rain then.We had to go down super steep Abol slide trail.I was panicking inside because I knew it was going to be hard without using my right arm .Had to go at a snails pace and take deep breaths all the way.Was agony.Stopped raining and I concentrated on the beautiful views on the way down.And I made it!!??Back at the ranger station waiting for Beth and Leah to get us.None of this seems real.I thru hiked the AT and it¢s over