Day 127 – Katahdin

Start Milepost: 2184.6 Time: 07:21
End Milepost: 2189.8 Time: 10:38
Miles hiked: 5.2
Miles to go: 00:0
Weather: chilly
Temps: low 40s to high 70s, windy
Blue Side trails: Abol Trail (4.2 miles)
Resupply:
Overnight:
Map: Click on map pin

The temperature of my final night on the AT was warmer than I expected so Jack and I had to strip to our base layers in order to get a good night’s sleep. Scamper slept just fine in her heavy winter sleeping bag. At BMNT all three of us woke and began efforts to break camp. With sleeping gear stowed and day packs retrieved from the Ford Edge, each of us ate our breakfast of choice. Mine was a pair of breakfast Quaker Squares and a Cliff protein bar.

Shortly after seven o’clock we asked a hiker in an adjacent lean-to to take our family photo and with it taken, we were ready for our hikes. As we left the campsite, a group of nearby hikers, to include Baggins, Imagine, Hyde and Lazy Boy, were in the final stages of their hike preparations. We continued a hundred yards past them to a kiosk where we entered our names, departure time and hiking trails. We three then started up Hunt Trail where in a matter of minutes Jack and I found we had left Scamper well behind. We waited for her only to be told to “Hike your own hike”; so we did (and were told later that she did not mean for us to leave her!)

The first mile and a half proved to be standard Maine trail surface: rocks and roots. Thereafter rocks became the dominant obstacle. Baggins, Imagine and  Hyde caught up to us quickly – and effortlessly passed us. In turn Jack and I caught up to Camel and several other “aged” hikers and left them behind. About a half hour later we passed above the tree line where rocks were the exclusive surface. Unlike the early part of the day’s trail that left us breathing heavily, rock climbing did not. We were essentially taking a break every ten feet as we assessed the best path up jumbled rocks since the white blazes only offered a general direction along which we should proceed.

Jack occasionally stopped to look over his shoulders and expressed amazement and delight at the marvelous views of forests and mountain peaks as far as the horizon. Above us we occasionally caught glimpses of hikers on the Trail and frequently heard Baggins let out a squeal of presumed delight and enthusiasm as she passed challenging rock formation after rock formation. Regretfully the picturesque views above and below us ceased as did the sight of other hikers – clouds had moved in and visibility was reduced to less than 100 yards.

Climbing in the clouds was a new experience for Jack. And so was the wind! At times our clothing was making enough noise flapping in the wind that we had a hard time hearing each other’s voice. The wind (which at times left me fighting for balance), clouds, rocks and Jack’s company made my final climb unique. Great stuff!

At about 4500 feet of elevation the terrain leveled off somewhat with the trail being bordered by a string fence to keep hikers from wandering off-trail and damaging fragile plant-life – basically moss and ferns. After a mile of beaten trail the slope once more increased and the exact selection of the trail upwards over rock formations was left to each hiker. And eventually, with little notice due to visibility limits, the climb was over. There before me, affixed to a rugged A-frame, was the sign beside which every thru, section or day-hiker wants to be photographed – Baxter Peak – elevation 5,267′.

Just yards short of the sign, I sat down and listened to the excitement in the voices of fellow hikers who had achieved their goal and had wonderful stories to tell those within earshot. Meanwhile, I waited for Jack who was somewhere behind me – well hidden by the clouds. When he became barely visible, I began to video his final few yards and caught his expression as he too glimpsed the sign. Together we walked up to the sign – smiling broadly. Jack and I held to tradition and had our pictures taken – while holding containers of a tasty, amber liquid that authorities at the park HQ had cautioned us was one of the liquids that was against the rules to to carry (single servings of single-barrel Bourbon for those wondering). I then stood alone beside the sign with my current favorite drink (Gatorade) in a favorite container (Propel bottle). I’d completed my hike of 2,189.8 miles in 127 hike-days, having averaged 17.25 miles per hike-day. Mercifully I had survived those miles without a major injury.

Jack and I then descended from the peak along Abol trail to a point about a mile north of the Abol campground where Scamper met us. Including the descent miles (4.2) and the approach miles (8.8) from Amicalola Falls in Georgia I had hiked 2,202.8 miles with scores of blue blaze miles as bonus.