Date: 2016-08-25
From: B&B

To: Katahdin Peak
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: mist

Wow. The final day. I stalled writing this final entry because I had difficulty attempting to capture and make sense of all the complex emotions. But I will try.The day began after a long night of restlessness, as I was tossing and turning the entire evening. I don't think I'm alone in the "Can't sleep before summiting Katahdin" group. Jamie didn't get a lot of sleep either, as the air conditioner in our room was cutting on and off very inconsistently and noisily.Jamie and I had been trying to remember the lead singer's name of Fleetwood Mac for some reason. We vowed not to use Google and just try to recall it. That night, at one point, Jamie woke up and turned to me and whispered "Stevie Nicks". We both busted out laughing.So after getting little sleep, we dragged ourselves up and out of the B&B and drove down to McDonald's to pick up some biscuits. I knew it would blow Radar's mind and give him a happy start to the day.Jamie and I arrived near the entrance of Baxter State Park a few minutes before 6:30, and found ourselves in a long, long line of cars. Jamie had use the website to reserve a parking spot, but that becomes null if you aren't at the park gate by 7:05 a.m. We waited and waited and waited in line as cars edged closer by a few feet per minute. It's odd to have hiked so far and so long and to end up in traffic on your final day, barely moving, trying not to panic, well, it's an unpleasant sensation. Baxter State Park wants to keep the road (only one) primitive, so it isn't paved and it is very narrow. For charging $14 for entry (more than many National Parks), maybe they could go ahead and make it easier for people to come and go. I wasn't super impressed by how the park is run, if I'm honest.Eventually we get into the park and have trouble finding parking regardless of having a "reserved" spot. The parking lot was very small, with no clear lines marking each spot. We asked a man who had just parked a van if he could scoot over and make enough room so we could park in our rental VW bug (yeah, weird rental car) next to him. He gladly did so and we ended up chatting with him and his family for awhile. He and his wife used to live around Raleigh, so we chatted about the area for awhile. It's funny how many people on the trail seem to be from North Carolina. I've met so many.Jamie and I geared up and met Radar at the picnic tables. I introduced them and Radar's joy was palpable when I presented him with two breakfast biscuits. It would be a good day today.The hike up Katahdin has a few different phases. The first is wooded, only moderately steep and pretty relaxed. You don't feel like you're at the base of an epic mountain. Not yet anyway. We kept a strong pace, even as the day warmed up and began to get muggy. But, with luck on our sides, the sky was blue and relatively clear.We passed some beautiful waterfalls on the way up, as the trail parallels a creek for a while.After some time, we came out of treeline and the trail changes. It becomes very very rocky. Bouldery, even. You climb, squeeze, pull, hop, bust shins, push and haul yourself up and over these boulder puzzles. It was a blast. We had so much fun working out the best route and at this point the views were already incredible. The white blazes are kind of all over the rocks. I'm not sure if it is so you can have viable alternate routes or if they are older blazes that were left behind, but there were times where we all went our own ways and met farther up.There's rebar in some spots and more or less no other way to get up.At one point, Jamie was snacking on some fruit snacks and dropped one on the ground. Radar, walking behind her, immediately snatched it up, dusted it off, and ate it eagerly. No hesitation at all.Looking up the spine of the mountain is daunting, because the trail is all boulders all the way to the false summit. This is where the trail flattens out a bit again, but it takes a very long time to reach, and it's focused climbing. You are really concentrating, trying not hurt yourself.Once we were up and over the ridge, we could see another two miles or so, including the summit. The trail downgrades from boulders here and is just rocky. It's beautiful, and to see the peak where people were crowded with my own eyes. The end. The sign.I was excited, but not as excited as I thought I'd be. I honestly felt a bit muted. I think maybe it was just too much. It's very difficult to process - to catalog all the moments that led to this one. All of the people who helped me reach that sign. That beautiful sign.Radar had pushed ahead a little while before, so he was actually sitting at the sign and waiting. It was hard to know what to say or do. When Jamie and I got up to the summit, we waited for other people to take family pics and such and then I approached it. I climbed up the back, finally feeling the emotion, raised my arms in the air and screamed in joy. I didn't care if it drew attention. Let it. This was my moment. This was the realization of five and a half months of blood, sweat & tears. Of toil and tribulation. Of laughter, tears, excitement and boredom. Of hitchhiking, failing to hitchhike, of eating the same unhealthy foods over and over. Of making huge mistakes and learning from them. Of being sick, of being soaked, of being so cold you can barely take your shoes off. Of being so hot you almost passed out. Of seeing such beauty in this world that it did occasionally take your breath away. Of meeting some of the most inspiring people I've ever met. Of the Appalachian Trail.Jamie and I took Radar's photo next, then one with Radar and me, then Jamie and me. All of the combinations. Then we sat around, had a snack and looked out over Knife's Edge. It's a dramatic and rocky dropoff, and it looked like a few people were heading down that way. Not me though. Not Radar. We didn't care. We were done. Our goal was reached and it was time for margaritas. Ha!As soon as we finished eating, the clouds dropped down and started to fill in the sky. We had just beaten them. Heading back down the mountain, I looked back and the summit was already shrouded in fog. How fortunate we were in our timing.The hike back down was the same as the hike up, but the angle from above was much more terrifying. We were also tired and slowing down. So it took a long time to work our way through the boulders.On our hike that day, we ran into Patches, Cheap N Easy, Doc, Verge & her sister Legs, Farmer, Diatom, Soup and Orion. So many familiar faces. So many great folks.It's hard to put into words that final day. There was an amazing amount of relief. The pride of accomplishment. An excitement in regards to the future, and certainly a sadness as the end was here. It was finally actually here. I was a 2016 Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker. I AM an Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker. In the words of my buddy who couldn't be with me on summit day, "How 'bout it?" After 9 hours of hiking (total), we reached the parking lot at the base of Mt Katahdin. We piled into the VW Bug, and put on our Summit day song: S.O.B. by Nathaniel Rateliff. We put it on repeat a few times and belted it out.We dropped Radar off at the hostel in Millinocket, and then headed back to the B&B. I think a portion of the true gravity of the situation hit me in the shower. I started laughing maniacally.Intellectually I know the trail is over, but emotionally I don't. I know it will take me a long time to fully decompress what I've been through.We met up with Radar at a nearby restaurant that evening for one last meal together. It was nice.The next day, we drove him to Bangor Airport and off he went. Suddenly it was over and Jamie and I were on our way to Acadia National Park.So, when all is said and done, what is the main thing I came away with? Probably confidence. I achieved my life goal and it was by no means an easy task. Now I know for certain, if you put your mind to something and really work at it, you can do it. You can do anything. ANYTHING. Not a bad takeaway, since the sky is now the limit. I feel empowered. I feel lucky. And most of all, I feel thankful.The biggest thank you goes out to my wife. People don't realize what a sacrifice for her it was to give me her blessing to go and hike the trail. She supported me, emotionally and financially the entire time without hesitation. She is the hero here. I could not have done it without her. Thank you Jamie! I love you!My parents get the next thank you. They were my biggest fans all along the way and constantly offered to help me in any way they could. This trail is difficult, and nobody gets to the end on their own. We all need help and my parents knew this and helped all along the way. Thank you.Next was my fan club: my brother Chris and his girlfriend Claire, my grandmother, all of my friends who believed in me.And of course, all of the amazing trail angels. It's hard to describe the joy and relief of trail magic on a hard day. And Rob Bird, your kindness is humbling.And of course, thank YOU for reading!At the end, I ended up raising about $2500 for Alex's Lemonade Stand. I couldn't be more proud of my friends and family who helped me reach this goal. How amazing!And that's it, folks! That's the story of my journey. I appreciate your attention. If you have any questions for me, you can send an email to thegoodguylives@gmail.com. If you want to see my photos from this trip, you can find them at https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/thegoodguylives/sets/72157663991808380/ So long and take care! And remember, your life is yours and yours alone. Rise up and live it!