Date: 2012-09-21
From: Hurd Brook Lean To

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 183: Our last day on the trail before we summit. We are soooo excited! We are completely out of food this morning, so we rise early to get into Abol Bridge Camp Store, about 3.5 miles north, for breakfast. Our mood is jubilant and victorious as we pack up everything for the last time and walk over to the shelter to see if Sparky, Passionflower, and Voltron are still there. Sparky has already left for Abol Bridge, and Voltron and Passionflower are still packing up so we tell them we will meet them along the way. The weather is cloudy this morning, but rain does not appear to be a threat. We have heard conflicting weather reports for tomorrow - some day hikers we passed on the trail told us the next few days are supposed to be beautiful, while other hikers we talk to mention the threat of rain. Who do you believe? After about a mile, we catch up to Sparky. He wants to get to Abol Bridge early as well, hoping to see his wife, Janet there. By about 8:00, we are crossing Abol Bridge. There is normally a front and center view of Mt Katahdin from the bridge, but morning fog shrouds the mountain and our view of it. Arriving at the campstore on the other side of the bridge, we buy breakfast and sit outside under a covered picnic table. Passionflower and Voltron arrive shortly after us. We are all buzzing with excitement about being so close to finishing. Moving on after breakfast, we have 10 miles to cover before we reach Katahdin Stream Campground. Sparky, Passionflower, Voltron, SilverGirl, and I all hike together, and it feels like a "victory march" as we move closer and closer. At about 11:15, we all pull off the trail for an early lunch on some soft pine needles. Dances With Flies, Jiffy Pop, Johnny Walker Red, and Easy Nomad are already here having their lunch, so we join them. Everyone is in very high spirits. Our post-lunch hike takes us along easy terrain for the most part. Surprisingly, we are forced to ford Nesowadnehunk Stream twice, which our guide book does not mention. Being the well seasoned hikers that we all are now though, we are able to rock hop across both of them without getting our boots wet. About 2-3 miles before Katahdin Stream Campground, we stop at a side trail for Big Niagara Falls. We all take a few minutes to walk down to the falls and enjoy its beauty. We are savoring everything on the trail today. Finally, at about 2:30, we all pull into KSC. The feeling is surreal. We just can't believe we are here. Sparky reunites with his wife, Janet, who is waiting form him there in the parking lot. I can't help but think how lucky I have been to have SilverGirl with me every step of the way. I'm not sure I could have finished this hike without her company. We all walk over to the Ranger Station to register as thru-hikers. SilverGirl and I are numbers 497 and 498 to come through. After registering, we all hop into Janet's rental car and drive about 15 miles down towards Millinocket. We are staying with them for the next two nights in a cabin that they rented. After getting settled into our room at the cabin, I call our kids, Molly and Patrick, who are driving up together to pick us up and summit with us tomorrow. After they arrive, Janet cooks us up a wonderful dinner of macaroni and cheese and lasagna. Easy and Gravity also stop in for dinner with several of their friends. Tomorrow morning, we will rise early to get to our reserved parking spot at Katahdin Stream Campground before 7:00. We will keep our fingers crossed that the weather cooperates.