Date: 2012-07-10
From: Mount Katahdin

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: scattered clouds

My journey from Virginia to Maine was quite interesting as I relied on the bus system for transportation. It did not start well as Megabus was two hours late at Christiansburg. Then, upon arriving in DC, I found out that Greyhound had their own terminal and did not use Union Station -- major d'oh! Though I ended up having plenty of time and I was fortunate that the Greyhound station wasn't far, it was a mad dash through less than ideal parts of DC to make the New York bus. After that, though, things improved sharply. I was able to get an express bus to New York, which put me there in time to catch an earlier bus to Boston. I arrived in Boston early yesterday morning and treated myself to a self-guided walking tour of central downtown Boston and the Boston Harbor. I must have been a sight walking with my full backpacking gear amongst everyone rushing to get to work. I found that the stereotype about Bostonians being rude was, at least in my case, untrue as several people were more than happy to give me directions when I got a bit turned around on Boston's less-than-user-friendly streets. Even with my tour, I was able to catch an early bus to Bangor using Concord Trailways (they accepted my Greyhound ticket). That bus was involved in a minor traffic accident while leaving the Augusta station, but, fortunately, the time delay was minimal. I arrived in Bangor with plenty of time to kill before making my final bus segment on the Cyr bus from Bangor to Medway.Dave from the AT Lodge met me and another MEGA hiker, Butters, at Medway. The AT Lodge ran a good deal that included a shuttle from Medway to Millinocket, overnight accommodations at their hostel, breakfast at their diner, and a shuttle to Katahdin Stream Campground all for $70. Dave dropped me off at the grocery store a mile from from the lodge so that I could buy my final food supplies and HEET. For the second time of the day, I got turned around, this time trying to walk from the store to the hostel. I was beginning to question my usually good sense of direction -- just the thought I needed the day before heading into the Hundred-Mile Wilderness! At the hostel, I met Amber Cat and husband Hungry Bear, Butters as previously mentioned, and Detroit surprisingly not from Detroit but rather Lexington, Ky. Amber Cat, Hungry Bear, and Detroit are flip-hikers having started at Springer. Four us (all but Hungry Bear who decided to hibernate) went to the Blue Ox for drinks. Definitely some interesting characters including a drunk bartender who kept bringing the wrong drinks.This morning, Holy Man, the owner of the AT Lodge, drove the five of us to Baxter State Park after a ridiculously large breakfast at the AT Cafe. The five of us hiked together up Mount Katahdin. There are few words able to describe Katahdin. The mountain is extremely steep and rugged, though interestingly the summit (Baxter Peak) is relatively flat and the terrace below the peak, the Tablelands, forms a large, highland plateau. The AT up Katahdin starts off as a pleasant, woodland hike. After crossing Katahdin Stream near a waterfall, the trail begins to climb through a piney forest. The rocks become more of a scramble the farther one goes. At the treeline, the "hike" becomes more of a climb. A ridge is reached after some fairly technical climbs. It was with some disbelief that I realized that the trail from there goes directly over a horn as impressive as Gibraltar. Once to the Gateway, the top of the horn, the trail passes through the Tableland. 1.5 miles later, Baxter Peak is reached after a moderate climb from the plateau.The summit has impressive views, especially of the Knife's Edge ridgeline and Crater Lake a few thousand feet directly below. I was surprised at how crowded the summit was with a fair number of MEGA hikers starting, a few GAME hikers finishing, and flocks of day hikers. Our group got caught in some passing showers and wind right when climbing back down the steepest part of the horn. Fortunately, the showers were short-lived and the sun returned in full force to dry the rocks. Tonight, I am camped with Hungry Bear and Amber Cat in Lean-to 5 (I reserved the lean-to and was happy to have it to share). Butters and Detroit came over, but we called it a short evening. The four others are planning to head to Hurd Brook Lean-to tomorrow, but I think I want to do bigger miles. It will be a shame to leave our fledgling group, but I have a feeling it will not be the last time I have to decide between staying with the group and adding miles.