Day 31

I woke around 5:00 a.m., started packing up and was hiking by 6:00.  It was cold and I put on every piece of clothing I had, which wasn’t much, gym shorts under my hiking pants, short sleeve shirt over the long sleeve shirt, the lightweight wind jacket that blocks wind but not the cold, and a wool stocking cap.  I signed in on the trail register at 6:05.  People climbing Mount Katahdin are required to sign in and log the time when they start up the mountain and then record their time when they return so the rangers can make sure everyone is accounted for.  The climb started immediately.  After about a half a mile I had warmed up and stopped by the side of the trail to remove all of the extra clothing, down to a short sleeve shirt and shorts.  The sky was clear and there was no wind.  As I climbed the rocks became more abundant, larger, and more challenging to get over.  Rebar steps and handholds started appearing.  The rock and boulder scramble was hard even with the rebar.  While the trail was marked with white blazes, at points the blazes were hard to find.  A couple of times I went the wrong way through the rocks only to backtrack until I could figure out where the trail went.  At one point the trail left the large boulder field and continued up a steep ridgeline covered with smaller boulders.  It was like a maze going around the larger ones and over the smaller ones, trying to find and follow the white blazes.  Up, up, up the trail went.  The climbing was slow.  I didn’t bother looking up to the top to check my progress, but only looked far enough ahead to find the next blaze. I knew Mount Katahdin was a difficult mountain to climb, but didn’t expect anything like this.

I finally made it to the top of the ridgeline and still had a mile and a half to go, over and around smaller rocks on a fairly flat stretch.  Each step had to be carefully placed to avoid tripping.  After about a mile the there was one last major climb.  At the top the trail continued to climb but this time not as steeply  Off in the distance, on the peak, I could see a sign, with a few people huddled around it.  Could that really be it?  I couldn’t believe it.  Just before I reached the sign I heard two hikers running up behind me, yelling curses as they ran to the sign and placed there hands on it.  They were a part of the party of 6 that I’ve mentioned in prior posts.  While I didn’t like their language, their excitement at reaching the end of their journey did give me joy.

I finally reached the sign and placed both hands on it, shocked that I was here.  Truthfully, at the moment I was more concerned about the trip back down the mountain.  Not only am I prone to wander, I’m also prone to worry.  Another hiker came and volunteered to take my picture at the sign.  I placed my pack and hiking poles in front of the sign and then climbed up on the back of it still in shock.  After he took a couple of pictures the reality of the moment hit.  I raised one hand, and with tears in my eyes thanked and praised God for giving me the strength to finish the trail and for keeping me safe along the way.

After a few minutes I stepped down from the sign, got my pack and hiking poles and found a place to sit for a few minutes to gather my thoughts.  Next I found a spot where I had cell phone coverage and texted Karen to let her know I made it.  I also sent her the picture of me with my hand raised.  I also sent texts to other family members and friends who had been following my progress and who had prayed or hoped for a successful completion of the journey.

It had taken me 3 hours and 45 minutes to climb up but I suspected the climb down would be slower and more difficult.  When I had scheduled the shuttle, I had been advised to take the Abol Trail down the mountain instead of the AT/Hunt trail that I took going up.  Another person at the top who had done both numerous times made the same suggestion.  The Abol Trail was described as being steeper, but the steepest section was only 3/4 of a mile long.  It was also supposed to be a faster way off the mountain.  There was one catch, once you made it to the bottom there was a 2 mile flat gravel road walk back to the ranger’s station where the shuttle would pick me up at 3:00.  I had no desire to go back down the way I came up so the decision was made to take the Abol Trail down.

Before leaving I went back to the sign and placed my hand on it again, knowing the journey was complete and wondering if I would ever return.  I walked back down the trail and at the junction took the Abol Trail.  The Abol Trail goes to the edge of the mountain and then down a rock slide.  I took a brief look down and saw that it was indeed steep and rocky, but the decision was made.  Again, I focused only on each step down, not wanting to get overwhelmed by the task at hand.  My hiking poles were no use so I collapsed them and put them away.  Most of the way down I held on to rocks as I went.  Sometimes I could step down while others times I’d have to face the mountain and crawl down backwards.  While it was steep and difficult, the rocks were smaller and more manageable.  It took a long time to get down the steepest section.  After that trail was still steep but the footing was covered with small rocks, bigger than sand but smaller than peas.  I used the hiking poles to go down this section to avoid sliding on the trail.  The Abol Trail was fully exposed, meaning I was in the sun the whole way down.  I knew I’d be sunburned by the time I got down.  Also, I finished the last of the 2 liters of water I had started with this morning.  Both of these would cause discomfort, but I wasn’t concerned.  The trail seemed longer than expected, and I was concerned I may have gotten off on a side trail.  My only choice was to continue down.  I finally met a day hiker who confirmed I was on the Abol Trail and close to the parking lot.  What a relief it was to finally see cars parked in the lot.  I made my way to the gravel road and was able to hitch a ride in the back of a pickup truck to the ranger’s station where the shuttle would pick me up.  The trip down had taken 3 and a half hours and I was truly glad it was over.  I walked back to the sign in station and posted my return time.  After that I found the parents of Trippin, a flip-flopper (she hiked north from Harpers Ferry, WV here and will return there to hike south to Springer Mountain, GA to complete her hike), who had drinks and snacks for thru and section hikers.  Another hiker, Catapult, was already there.  I stopped for a bottle of Powerade and ate my lunch, a Cliff Builder bar and a small package of Fig Newtons, the last food in my pack.  I sat for a while and then saw the shuttle van so I thanked the trail angels and said goodbye.

This is a long post so I’ll wrap it up quickly.  I made it to the hostel in Millinocket where I did the usual things, laundry, shower, eat and make arrangements to get home.  I also called and talked to Karen, who took care of my travel plans since I had problems with the phone app accepting my credit card.  Once again she bailed me out.  It was a long and busy day, too many distractions to really spend time enjoying the completion of a journey that started in 2013.  I know that will come at some point.  Well, that’s enough for now.

I hiked 5.2 miles today, not counting the trip down the mountain.  And it was a very good day.

Prone to Wander