Week 21, Katahdin!

8/30 Last zero at Shaws Hostel  2078

8/31 Cloud Pond Lean-to 2098, left early, passed some college groups, heavy pack, tower on Barren Mtn had an amazing view, 

9/1 Sidney Tappan campsite 2116, first glimpse of katahdin, bog with carnivorous plants, 2100 mile mark, dry camped without my bug net, some boulders coming down from the chairbacks, 

9/2 Antlers Campsite 2141, rainy morning and night, no view from whitecap but it was a nice climb. Afterwards I got to the flat section of the hundred mile wilderness. Took a break at a shelter to dry my feet and had a nice chat with a late SoBo. 

9/3 Camped near Doughnut Stream 2168. Didn't get much sleep due to staying up a little late, and section hikers next to me getting up early. Saw some amazing lakes today, and once again a mostly cloud-covered view of Katahdin. Drizzly, but not too bad. Mostly flat along lakes and streams. Loons sang me to sleep.

9/4 The Birches  2188, this is it. Pulled into Abol bridge around 10-11 expecting to have to wait a day before getting a spot at the Birches. There was a group of 8 just ahead of me that I assumed would clean out the thru-hiker campsite's 12 spaces. As I approached the camp store marking the end to the 'hundred mile wilderness' I was just thinking about the food I was about to get. The group met me at the store and told me there was still space available because they decided that they all wanted to go together, and there were only 5 spots for them. I was excited, but knew that the spots could go at any time. I franticly rushed through a quick 1 day resupply at the store, dropped my trash, and hurried over to the check-in. I made it, and even though I had the rest of the day to get 10 more miles to camp, I continued at a fast pace. I took a break at Daicey pond to take a dip, cool down, and rinse my shirt. Amazing park, even if seeing a bunch of cars and the people that came in them was a little jarring. 

9/5 Katahdin 2193.1, the end. Amazing climb up 4000 feet of gradually increasing slope. Boulder clambering for the last climb before a mile of flat alpine approach. Impossible to describe how it felt. Incredible views in all directions, and I couldn't have imagined a better way for the trail to end. I stayed at the top for a while, reflecting. The climb down was challenging, and I felt emotionally and physically drained. I had finally accomplished what I had been inspired to do as a young kid on family trips, and had started actually planning four years ago. I had put things on hold, and after two different cancellations (2019 for a broken knee, and 2020 for COVID), and needing to re-affirm my choice multiple times It had finally happened.

Thanks for following along here, NH and ME pics to come in a little bit.