Day 167 - Final: 9/14/12

"Ain't no mountain high enough,
Ain't no valley low enough,
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you..."
- Marvin Gaye

Miles today: 5.2
Total miles: 2,184.2
Miles remaining: 0.0

Today was one of the greatest days of my life. Started at 2:00am to head up the mountain for sunrise. It was a 4000-ft climb up to 5,267 ft, so we needed an early start. Night hiked up some demanding hand-over-hand climbs, then took a short break at about 4:00 for an above-treeline stargazing session. Then hiked up to Baxter Peak, the highest point on Mt. Katahdin, where the trail meets its northern terminus.
Coming up the final ridge just before sunrise was surreal. You could start to make out the surrounding views very faintly.
Then, the summit. What a feeling. Such joy, such relief, such satisfaction. We had that mountaintop to ourselves, having gotten there at dawn, long before any day hikers showed up. So it was our private celebration up there. Champagne, whiskey, beer, cigars. My breakfast was two pop tarts, two candy bars, and two tall boys of PBR. We partied and took lots of photos, then called it and went back down. A very sad moment, coming down from the summit. Not because my thru-hike is over, but because those hours at the top were some of the most meaningful of my life.
Made it back down to the base of the mountain and hitched a ride into Millinocket, where the Trail's End festival is happening this weekend. Perfect timing.
I've just completed an epic journey. 2,184 miles through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I'm sure in time the gravity of what I've accomplished will occur to me, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the moment. And once that's done, I'm coming home. After brief stops in New York and Michigan I'm headed back to my CITY BY THE BAY!

It's an incredible feeling. I've done it. I hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Day 166: 9/13/12

Miles today: 9.9
Total miles: 2,179.0
Miles remaining: 5.2

My final full day on the trail. Woke up late and had a quick breakfast at the camp store, then waited for the restaurant to open and had lunch with everyone. Hiked the easy 10 miles through Baxter state park up to the Birches campground at the base of Katahdin. Most of us here are going to leave for the mountain at 2am for a sunrise summit.
Tonight at camp was the first campfire I've had in awhile. We had a time of reflection and reminisced over the last 5+ months of our thru-hike on the AT.
It's been a long journey. I feel fulfilled and satisfied. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's challenge - the final challenge - to climb Mt. Katahdin.

Staying at the Birches shelter.

Day 165: 9/12/12

Miles today: 7.8
Total miles: 2,169.1
Miles remaining: 15.1

A great day on the trail. Finished the 100-mile wilderness with Sanhican then entered Baxter state park on the Golden Road. Crossed over Abol Bridge to see a stunning view of Mt. Katahdin. Then stopped at a camp store and had a long afternoon with a whole ton of northbound thru-hikers coming in. Beer, pizza, etc.
Then we set up camp nearby and hung out some more. It's a great crew to spend my last days on the trail with: Voice, Detour, PJs, Wiffle Chicken, Deep, Noodles. We all plan to hike the remaining ten miles before Katahdin tomorrow then summit on Friday. Should be a fitting end to a journey.

Camping just outside the Baxter state park boundary.

Day 164: 9/11/12

Miles today: 20.1
Total miles: 2,161.3
Miles remaining: 22.9

Kind of a repeat of yesterday: slow miles, tough terrain, stopped for dinner, then night hiked.
In the middle of the day was a great view of Katahdin from Nesuntabunt Mountain. Such an impressive sight. It's hard to believe I'm actually here, but I'm ready. Ready to finish, to celebrate, to move on to whatever comes next. But for now I'm going to enjoy the trail for a few more days.

Camping near Rainbow Lake.

Day 163: 9/10/12

Miles today: 19.0
Total miles: 2,141.2
Miles remaining: 43.0

Hiked with Sanhican again today. Slow miles through tough terrain so we decided we'd night hike tonight. Had dinner at a shelter with Detour, PJs, and Voice, then Sanhican and I headed off with headlamps blazing. My batteries started dying and I was getting punchy so we quit around midnight.

Camping near the AT about a mile north of Nahmakanta Stream campsite.

Day 162: 9/9/12

Miles today: 16.6
Total miles: 2,122.2
Miles remaining: 62.0

A good day. Broke camp with Deep, Jaybird, Noodles, and Pancake. Told them about this funny dream I had last night that I was on a city bus full of people singing Harry Belafonte tunes.
Had to climb four mountains today which was to be difficult by all accounts but they turned out to be pretty easy. From the top of Whitecap Mountain I caught my first glimpse of Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT. It was covered in clouds so didn't make for much of a photo, but there it was nonetheless. The one singular goal of mine for the past five months, there before my eyes. The end was literally in sight.
From Whitecap the rest of the trail before Katahdin is child's play. No more mountains, no more crazy rock climbs, just trail. It's a huge relief to have all the hardest parts of Maine behind me.
I spent the rest of the day hiking with an older guy Sandhican, whom I'd met a few days back in Monson. We stopped for the day near a lake with a sandy beach and made camp. I had dinner on the beach after dark under the clearest night sky that I have ever seen. Countless brilliant stars, planets, the Milky Way, all of it.
Only a few more days left before I summit Katahdin. The trail has been such hard work lately that I haven't even stopped to realize how close I am. But now I can feel it. The end is literally in sight.

Camping by Crawford Pond.

Day 161: 9/8/12

"I'd like a shower, a shave, and the feel of a suit."
- Sean Connery in 'The Rock'

Miles today: 16.8
Total miles: 2,105.6
Miles remaining: 78.6

More of the same from the 100-mile wilderness: mountain climbing, river fording, rain, etc. put in some decent miles. Tomorrow will be difficult. Heavy rain, then one big climb up Whitecap Mountain. I'm told the elevation and terrain is easier after that but I learned long ago that reports of easy terrain are all LIES. I try telling myself that I've only got a few more days to go but that just makes it harder. I'm ready to be done with this. I miss being clean, being well-fed, being clothed in something other than the same dirty shirt day after day, month after month. But there's only one way to be done, and that's to finish. So let's finish this thing, once and for all. Give me your best shot, nature, I'm hiking this trail tomorrow rain or shine.

Camping near Carl A. Newhall lean-to.