Date: 2014-08-13
To: Headin' Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 154-August 13, Abbot, ME to New York. I am writing this update from the luxury of Larry and Pam's motor home. After a good night's sleep, Larry and Pam hitched up the jeep to the motorhome and we drove a couple of miles to the Abbot Village Bakery for breakfast. We did some map research last night and Larry and Pam's route back to Georgia took them through the Albany area and they agreed to give us a ride there. We will then rent a car, drive to our Adirondack camp to see my parents and spend the night. We will be home on Thursday! We appreciate Larry and Pam's willingness to shuttle us towards our home and we count them as our newest friends!Yesterday's hike to the summit of Katahdin was epic! The climb was over 4,000 feet in 5.2 miles, with the first and last 1.5 miles were gently uphill. The middle 2+ miles pretty much went straight up boulder fields. There were scary sections where one misplaced step would send a hiker tumbling hundreds of feet down the rocky slope or where a shorter person (like a 5'6" hiker named Flossie) needed to step/leap across a wide chasm or up a huge step, using tiny hand and foot holds for support or balance. The last 1.5 miles is called the Tableland because of it's gentle grade to the peak. Coming around a bend in the final half mile gave us our first view of the iconic sign that sits atop the peak and that's when my tears started to flow! There was one other hiker, Alpine Pirate, at the top when we arrived and he took our photos and we reciprocated with him. That's a good story, but not to be shared in the journal. Ask me about it in person some time! I think I mentioned that we could not have had a more perfect day weather wise - blue skies, mild temps (60), and reasonable winds. The views back on where we had been went on for miles! It was a day perfect for sitting on top of the mountain which is what we did for a couple of hours, celebrating as each thru-hiker completed his/her journey. It was an emotional time for all. Larry summited about an hour after us completing his 15 year odyssey of the trail. Pam was meeting us in the Katahdin Stream Campground day use parking area at 2 PM so Larry, Gray Squirrel and I were the first to start back down. We said good bye to all of our young hiking friends and they gave us a round of applause as we walked away-again, a very emotional time. The climb down took longer than the climb up. I wore off the top five or six layers of skin on my palms from using my hands to support myself as I descended the steep rocks. Fortunately my shorts are made of a very durable material because I did not wear a hole in them in spite of butt-sliding my way down some rock slopes! We met up with Pam shortly after 2 and then the fun began of squeezing 4 people and 3 packs into a jeep with seats for 2 people! Pam drove and I sat in front with her. Jim and Larry contorted themselves and the packs into the back of the jeep and we slammed the door shut before they could fall out or protest. As we were pulling out of the parking area a guy who had been watching all this came over and handed 2 cold beers "for those two guys in the back!" The last Trail Magic!We want to give our most sincere thanks to everyone who has supported us on this grand adventure. Our family and friends were supportive in so many ways. We missed you while on the trail and look forward to our reunions with you all. To our Trail Jeannie, we would not have wanted to do this without you-your visits and packages were always a bright spot in our day! To the many readers of this journal, your support came in many ways and it was inspirational to us! To the many hikers who came in and out of our journey, we are better people for having met you and shared this experience with you. Thank you seems so inadequate, but it is the best I have. I may do a reflective journal entry in a few days. The reality that the hike is over has not truly set in for either of us. All is well.