Blog No 45 Triumphal Ascent of Mt Katahdin

In September 2017, Garner and I scheduled over 3 weeks to hike the final section of the Appalachian Trail.  Mt Katahdin, an ominous, granite rock formation protruding from forest floor is the final obstacle to reach the end of the trail, when you hike from south to north.  However, we were in good spirits and our prospects for completing the trail were favorable (even if we did not see an eagle flying to the right that the Romans considered a good omen).  The much-feared 100 Mile Wilderness of Maine with no road access had long been the most arduous portion of the trail. But recently a new road access made it possible to arrange for a food and supply drop-off at about the half-way mark. We made the arrangements at Monson, the beginning of the 100 Mile Wilderness.

In spite of this windfall, the first half of the 100 Mile Wilderness wore us down, our backpacks loaded to the gills, and long days of constant hiking.  I was rewarded by spotting a moose feeding quietly by the spring where I had walked down to fetch water for camping.  When we finally reached our re-supplies (Garner had been fretting about running out of food), we camped at an exquisite campsite at the edge of a lake and celebrated by having pasta and wine for dinner.

We had been hiking for over two weeks and we were nearing our best physical condition.  Mt Katahdin was beckoning and everything was in order. About this time we received word that our older brother, Ervin, had sustained a head injury from a bicycle accident; how serious we didn’t know.  Hurricane Irma was headed straight toward Ft Lauderdale, where my wife Michele, was staying at our home by herself. For the next few days, I was overwhelmed with anxiety, since I didn’t know if completing the trail was feasible. Thankfully, I did not have to get off the trail because of Ervin’s injury, and Hurricane Irma made a last-minute course change toward Marco Island. (Coming home for this hurricane hardly made sense any way, since people were already leaving south Florida.)

The last night before our ascent of Mt Katahdin, we camped at Katahdin Stream Campground at the base of the mountain.  We were off before daybreak hiking past a waterfall and then entered the alpine forest. We climbed steadily (over 4,000 ft elevation to the peak from the campground) and after reaching timberline, we were faced with vertical cliffs, requiring us to us metal rungs mounted into the rock. I climbed up over a fearsome ledge, and then crawled along a narrow passage way, happy that I could follow Garner.  We toiled up a steep rocky slope, and finally emerged on the top, called the Tablelands, an alpine tundra covered with small plants. Baxter Peak was clearly visible but was still two miles away. We made a honorary stop at Thoreau Springs, and now energized, we scrambled up the rocky promontory and took our turn to climb the trestle to have our photo taken. We had reached the summit and the terminus of the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail!  We were beaming with elation and the emotional high lingered for days.

When we arrived back off the mountain in the afternoon, our friend who had the trail name of Powerless (See Blog No 13), was nowhere in evidence. We had met Powerless some days earlier and he appeared to be no stranger to hard times. Powerless had announced he would hike over the peak of Mt Katahdin and hike along the Knife Edge and down the mountain off the backside, which meant he would have to climb the mountain with a full pack.  Garner and I had been skeptical of his plan, and Powerless at some point changed his mind and decided to hike back down the same way as we had gone up. We felt guilty about leaving before Powerless arrived at the base camp, but we were anxious to get back to our motel in Millinocket.  Our guilt was assuaged by giving a couple from Germany (through hikers who had just completed the trail) a ride into town.  They told us how exhausted they had become, and were overjoyed to have completed their hike. A long-standing traditional involves hikers who finish the trail at Mt Katahdin to consume a huge meal at the Appalachian Cafe in Millinocket followed by signing your trail name and year hike was completed on the ceiling panel of the restaurant. Garner and I signed our names but omitted eating in the restaurant.

All photos by author