Date: 2015-08-27
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Lean-tos
Miles today: 9.9

Marvelous.This morning was beautiful. I woke up around 4 and hobbled out of the shed I shared with the Aussie Legs to the bathroom. The REAL BATHROOM.Then I rolled back into bed and tugged my sleeping bag back over myself a and enjoyed the comfort of a real mattress for a couple more hours.Eventually we got up and packed. I headed out first, as usual. Redback is the only one who cooks breakfast at this point. Almost every morning, she makes hot oatmeal, and Muddy Duckling and Firebear wait for her.Iso walked with me back to the road, and we talked about the emotional journey of the trail. I admitted that I have cried a few times. I have made some emotional progress. It has been a very emotional journey indeed.Firebear and I have been reading American Gods, swapping it back and forth at night. The book is about the gods that were brought to America by immigrants, and how as belief in these gods faded, the gods themselves lost power and became like ordinary people.The other day, Firebear told me that, according to the book, the AT gods exist because we believe in them. And I do. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail has been the most spiritual experience of my life. As I hiked today, I wondered inside of myself at the majesty of those unseen gods of the trail, who have brought me countless measures of magic. They have given me friends, snacks, rides, and words of encouragement. They have given me beautiful days and bad ones (which made me appreciate the good ones even more). They have given me everything I needed and more, overflowing my heart with hope and wonder and love and gratitude.Anyway, it has been a spiritual and emotional journey.After walking up with Iso, I stopped at the store to fill up my water bottles, and to purchase more snacks. Last-minute snacks. I don't know why. I just need snacks. ALL THE TIME.Mufasa was already there, enjoying donuts for breakfast. I talked to him and Iso briefly before getting back onto the road, the trail. And the morning was beautiful. There was the promise of blue skies and sunshine. The puddles didn't seem so threatening. The trail was flat and luxurious. The hike was uplifting. My appreciation for and love of the forest was rekindled.Having endured a week or so of rain and mud and puddles, I have been READY for wonderful weather. It has been worth the slogging and slipping and tripping and falling to have amazing weather for the last two days of the hike.Past Abol Bridge, the trail veered off down a dirt road. And that was when I started to get a little emotional. And then I entered Baxter State Park. And every step sent a needle through my sad heart and a throb of pain through my tailbone.I edged around puddles and carefully stepped over footbridges. I made it to the information board and signed up for a spot in The Birches, which is where thru-hikers can stay in the park at the base of Katahdin. Actually, anyone who hikes through the hundred mile wilderness can stay there, so section hikers are eligible, too. Space is limited to 12 people at The Birches, and we were a little anxious, as a group, that there wouldn't be enough room. It all worked out, though. The seven of us plus the late arrival Apple Cider filled the two shelters. (Okay, after writing that, Bud and Bud Light also arrived).As I was signing up, Iso and Silent Force caught up and signed the board. I was going to continue on, but then circled back to take pictures. I need more pictures. I wish my phone camera was not so terrible.I hiked on, and I went slow. The trail was flat. It was nice. It was easy. And it was wonderful and amazing and beautiful and it KILLED me. Katahdin tomorrow. The end is so close.I decided that it was a day to go slow. A day to experience the trail. A day to relax and enjoy. I let Iso and Silent Force, who I usually keep ahead of in the morning, go past me so that I could enjoy my emotional bonding with the trail by my lonesome.It was very nice. I enjoyed it, ambling next to the river and through the woods. I stopped by some waterfalls and enjoyed some snacks as I pondered how terrifying it would be to get caught up in them. I considered how remote and wonderful this place is, and how Katahdin was constantly growing closer with every damp step of my sore feet.I walked and strolled and enjoyed. I caught up to Iso and Silent Force a little ways before the lower fork of the Nesowadnehunk stream. We walked up and down the bank, attempting to discern a safe rock-hopping route.Nope. It required fording.Off came my Merrells! Off came my socks! Into the water I leapt, splashing through like an ocean goddess, cruising across to the opposite bank!HA! YEAH RIGHT. The current was STRONG, the rocks were slippery, and there was no good way across. I stepped on a rock, and tap, tap, tapped my poles to test the steadiness of the next rock, and the log laying across the stream. I inched my way down said log, trying to find a place to put my feet where I wouldn't topple over into the water. I stuck out a foot and tried to reach the next rock. Nope. I wiggled one foot over a little closer and tried again. I got down into the water, up past my knees. I braced myself with my poles as I tried to find good footing, and clung to rocks as my toes slipped and slid in the refreshingly brisk water. I made it across that stream very, very slowly. Extremely slowly.I put my shoes back on and then realized we had to cross the OTHER fork of the stream. Luckily, it was a mile north. The shoes would have had to go back on anyway.The Aussies arrived after we had crossed. We watched them start to navigate across and then continued on. I followed Iso and Silent Force.The next crossing was even WORSE. So slippery! Kind of fun. Kind of dangerous. I ended up with a wet butt because I am a bad planner and my route was terrible. Woo hoo!Anyway, I got my shorts wet fording the river, but I didn't fall in. It was the last ford of the AT. Sad.It is better, in my opinion, to be up to my knees in the river than wobbling along on slippery rocks falling into the water. Seriously. If I fell, it would suck.Speaking of falling, I FELL TODAY. IT WAS LIKE THE EASIEST SECTION OF TRAIL EVER. It was flat! I don't even know what happened. I tripped or slipped on a rock.OF COURSE, Silent Force came up behind me as I was laying on the ground, trying to decide the best way to get my butt back up. "Are you okay?" he asked. This was kind. A more reasonable reaction would have been, "How the heck did you fall HERE?!""Yes, just... dirty." I moved aside to let him pass as I brushed the pine needles and dirt off of my legs.My tailbone hurt SO BADLY for the next mile. I hadn't even landed on it! But it ached and ached with every step. I will have to remember to swallow some ibuprofen with my breakfast tomorrow morning. It really hurt. That last mile wasn't fun. It was pretty. But not fun.But then we arrived at the campground, where we met Ranger Dave, who signed us up, took our money, gave us freeze pops, and drove us (plus Iso) to The Birches (it was only 1/4 of a mile and not on the trail, so this is not cheating).I was the 355th northbound thru-hiker to sign up to summit Katahdin. Silent Force let me sign in first, saying, "You would have gotten here first if you hadn't have fallen."A great reminder of my spectacular clumsiness. WHY DO I ALWAYS FALL?!So we got to The Birches (which has a privy with TP, yay!). The Aussies and Mufasa arrived. And we all hung up clotheslines and sat down to cook lunch, since we had what felt like an afternoon of unlimited free time.HA AGAIN. RIGHT. FREE TIME.The afternoon was way too busy! Way too social! It was actually verging on the annoying quite a few times.Just after a brief sprinkle started and I rushed to take down my clothesline, Iso's wonderful mother arrived with trail magic. We all crowded into Redback's shelter, out of the rain, and pigged out on cookies and juice and cheese and grapes. It was amazing. Surprise trail magic! Hooray!We sat and talked and talked, but I was itching to leave, to go sit on my Thermarest and read my book and stare out into the woods and contemplate my life and the implications of the last climb that is going to happen TOMORROW.I NEED TIME AND SPACE TO PROCESS THESE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES.I tried to excuse myself but did not have much luck. Instead, I heard stories that I have already heard three times repeated again for momma Iso.Then, Bad Hiker, Count, Lavender, and another hiker whose name I missed appeared. They had just climbed back down Katahdin. We congratulated them and they chatted for a long time, until it started to rain a little again, and they headed out.Finally, I got to read. For a very short amount of time.Because more trail magic arrived. Two hikers who thru'ed in 2004, and whose names I did not catch (I believe the wife of the couple was J-bird, maybe?) dropped by with chips, delicious hummus, crackers, cookies, and more FRUIT. I had an amazingly delicious orange and a million crackers and cookies and I ate SO MUCH TODAY. UGH.But they stayed and talked a lot, too. I just wanted to sit by myself for a while and read and reflect. Why is that so much to ask? Sad Red Panda just wants SOLITUDE. But I am not complaining. Having an amazing trail family and amazing trail angels is just... amazing.I will have alone time to process the ending in a few days. I hope. If I will not be too busy. Which I probably will be.I didn't even eat dinner because of SO MANY SNACKS.We have all taken some unnecessary items out of our packs. The campground has day packs that can borrow, but we are all attached to our packs and want to carry them with us. Thus, we have pulled out our pack liners and filled them with things we will leave at the ranger station when we make our ascent tomorrow.Hopefully mom and Dan will be waiting (with CAKE, and, more importantly, HUGS) for us when we return.I have SO MANY FEELINGS. BUT I JUST WANT TO SLEEP.So much for a nice relaxing afternoon. It never happens, does it?!I am thankful for magic and cookies and snacks. Soon the days of disgusting cookie snacks will be over. So sad.I am thankful for amazing people, for an amazing weather forecast for Summit Day, and an AWESOME group to climb with.I am thankful for the journey, as I am for the destination. I am thankful that I still have a day left. Sometimes I wish there was more. Lately, though, I have been so tired. I think that the end has come at a good time. I think that I am just about ready.