Oct 6

Perfect timing

Up at first light this morning, looking to get an early start.  Old Tomato's parents drove into the park early, and brought us all McDonalds for breakfast.  We headed over to the ranger station to check in before heading up the mountain.  The weather reports in the park change daily.  Bad news from the ranger.  What was a chance of showers yesterday is now a nasty storm is blowing in.  100% chance of rain.  Wind gusts on the summit are expected to be in the 50-60mph range.  It's going to be chilly down here at the base, but up at elevation, colder temperatures means a high probability for sleet and ice.  Not the news I wanted to hear for hiking up the mountain today.  I've been in wind like that back on Mt. Moosilauke, and I got snowed on in the spring back in the highlands of Tennessee.  I've been hiking in 30 degree weather for the past 3 weeks or so in Maine, and I've certainly seen some good rain storms.  But this felt different.  I was tentative about  heading up Katahdin in these conditions.  The route is strenuous, rocky, and above tree line for over 2 miles. Certainly a physical challenge in good conditions, but with the combination of the wind and ice, I didn't feel good about going.  I talked with Slims about it, and he agreed to wait it out one more day too.  Atom Bomb, Old Tomato, Yogi, and BooBoo were going to make an attempt on the summit anyway.  A couple of other thru-hikers were also going up.  Slims and I stayed at the campground watching them head down the trail, as their parents looked on.  Once they were out of sight, I began trying to come up with some sort of plan for today.  I needed to get a cell signal, and the best option would be leaving the park and heading to Millinocket, over 20 miles away.  Slims and I walked down the road, away from Katahdin Stream Campground, trying to hitch a ride out of the park.  There's a good number of people camping in the park, so we expected there to be a lot of traffic leaving this morning.  There was, but no one was picking us up.  We walked about 3 miles to Abol Campground, where we sat on the side of the road and waited, thumbs out.  After about half an hour, an off duty park ranger said he was headed to town and could give us a lift.  He's planning on doing some hiking on his days off, and after grabbing some lunch, he was heading back into the park.  There's our return trip too.  Sweet.  We got to Millinocket and ate lunch at the deli.  I called my brother, and my parents, and found out that they are on their way right now.  They'll be in town tonight, and will meet me in the park in the morning.  When I was in Monson, over a week ago, I had told them that I was hoping to be able to summit on the 7th, and they are right on schedule to be there with me that morning.    If there's one thing I've been on this hike, it's inconsistent.  Despite my constant planning, and pouring over my guidebook each night, I've never been exactly where I thought I would be after two or three days.  To plan eight days out - preposterous.  2100 miles of hiking, over 190 days, and I never got that right.  Not to mention, upon leaving Monson, I had to make it through the Wilderness, with its cold, rain, low milage days, river fords, big milage days, and literally running out of food.  It's a miracle I was here when I told my family I would be, and a day early at that.  Slims and I hopped back in the car and went back to the campground.  The Birches is for one-night use only, which we already used.  Fortunately, we were able to crash at one of the car-camping sites with Tripping Yeti.  His mom had come up for the weekend too, and since Yeti had also decided not to summit today, they were staying at their campsite for another night.  I got my tent set up, just as a cold rain started to fall.  In the middle of the afternoon, Atom Bomb, Old Tomato, Yogi, and BooBoo made it back to the campground.  They were thru-hikers now.  Their eyes were wild with excitement.  They talked about how windy and icy it was at the summit, but it was an epic climb.  It was a beautiful mountain.  They talked about it with reverence and awe.  They felt like conquerors.  Not only was this Katahdin - the great mountain, not only was this the end of the hike, but to do it in such wrathful weather, was spectacularly memorable.  Other thru-hikers were coming down the mountain too, with more harrowing stories.  Everyone was saying how all the day-hikers were turning back at tree line.  They thought the thru-hikers were crazy to keep going up.  Well, that's an accurate assessment, but after this long, and this far, all that's left is 5 miles up and 5 miles down.  Crazy, sure.  But determined, absolutely.  Determined doesn't even begin to describe it.  It was weird seeing them come back down.  They had done it.  And I was just sitting there, offering congratulations.  Shortly after, they hopped in their family's cars.  Just like that, they were gone.  That was a lonely feeling.  As the rain continued to fall, I sat under a picnic pavilion, trying to process everything.  Slims was taking cover in his tent.  Just before dark, I saw a hiker walking toward the ranger station.  I recognized the rain jacket and pack cover.  I ran over to the bridge that crosses the stream and stopped him.  Another hiker came up right behind him.  It was Apache and Rainbow Eyes!  Man, it was great to see them.  They had their own incredible story to tell about making it through the Wilderness.  They had taken a zero day back at Cloud Pond lean-to, to wait out the weather, and reevaluate the situation.  Over the next several days, when the weather improved, they were able to churn out big miles, and catch up.  I ran back to get Slims, and the four of us walked over the the Birches.  Like clockwork, the ridge runners showed up tonight too, and Apache and Rainbow got to have their own candle lighting ceremony.  Shorty after dark, Slims and I headed back to our campsite for the night.  Big day tomorrow.  Early to bed, early to rise.  It's the best of both worlds for me.  The guys are here, and we will be able to end this trip together.  My family will be here in the morning too, and they'll be able to see me finish, just like they saw me start.  I couldn't get to sleep.  I'm too excited and there's too much to think about.  The rain was stopping and starting, off and on all night.  I saw the moon come out.  Occasionally, instead of just merely rolling over, I would get out of my tent and walk around, looking up at it.  Sometimes it was hidden behind blowing clouds.  Over several hours, I watched it as it moved across the sky.

Katahdin Stream Campground.  Mile 2179.1.