Day 125 Summit Day

Today we finished the Appalachian Trail. 


A quick note before I get into the update for today. In a separate post I will write out an epilogue where I go over my broader thoughts and experiences of the trail. For today, I will write like I have for all the other days, capturing my memories and sharing my initial thoughts. 


I slept well last night between 9PM and 4AM. We woke up early to make the 2 hour drive to Katahdin Stream trailhead. We grabbed left over pancakes from the day before and hopped in the car. The drive to the trailhead went smoothly. We arrived at Baxter and made it to the parking lot with some time to spare. We registered with the park ranger and got our AT Thru Hiker finisher cards. Spencer and I are 40th and 41st people to finish the AT this year. 




Spencer, Brooke, Ashley and I started hiking at around 7:30 with 5 miles to the summit. 




The initial ascent was quite easy. With 10 miles out and back to hike we really weren’t in a rush. Ashley and Brooke hiked at a great pace! In the first couple miles we crossed Katahdin Stream and passed some nice waterfalls. 





The ascent was quite steep for about a mile.  We got above treeline about 3 miles into the day. There was a lot of steep, technical climbing and some good views. 





Above treeline we had fantastic views of the ridge ahead of us, but the steep ascent wasn’t over quite yet. 



We reached the top of the ridge, called The Gateway. On the ridge we passed Thoreau Springs then started having our first glimpses of the sign that marks the northern terminus of the AT. 







As we approached the summit some clouds quickly blew by. They didn’t bother us or stick around for very long, if anything they just reminded us of how fortunate we have been with good weather. 




At 11:25AM we reached Baxter Peak and the end of the AT. Reaching the top, the end of the trail, and accomplishing a decade long goal was unlike any other mountain I’ve hiked. And I had my beautiful fiancée, my lifelong friend Spencer, and his fiancée with me as well.







We spent some time at the summit, taking in the moment. We ate lunch and admired the views. Brooke and Spencer brought some awesome whoopie pies that made lunch especially pleasant. We were on the fence about hiking the Knife’s Edge, a precarious trail that runs along cliffs between the main peak and a few side peaks. 


We began the Knife’s Edge, and made it to one of the side peaks but decided to only do about a third of it since we were getting more tired and still had to descend off the mountain. 




We returned to the main peak and took a few more pictures of the views before beginning the descent.




We continued to have fantastic weather on the descent. We hiked the same trail back down the mountain. It was strange repeating a section of trail, but cool to see it from the other direction. 


We made it to the bottom of the mountain at around 4:30. We had a brief celebration at the car then found a nice spot in Katahdin Stream to go for a swim. The water was freezing but felt amazing and helped our sore muscles. 


On the way back to my parents’ cabin we stopped by Abol Bridge, to see the views we missed on Sunday and retake a picture from 8 years ago. 




In 2016 Spencer, Tyler and I hiked Katahdin on a camping and fishing trip with Tyler’s dad. While we were camping we spoke briefly with a couple grizzly looking guys who were just finishing their thru hike. I remember being amazed at the length of the hike, and thinking that it was something I would love to do someday. This was the first time that I imagined hiking the trail. Today Spencer and I were the grizzly looking guys at the bottom of Katahdin, thinking back on the incredible trail behind us. Hiking the whole trail fulfills that dream.


Until next time,

Walker 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 0 Good Beginnings

Image
Four years ago Tyler and I woke up at Amicalola Falls: at the start of the Appalachian Trail. I nearly froze during the night. I had a fresh buzz cut that didn’t suit me at all. We were excited but in a lot of ways had no idea what was actually ahead of us. Over the following 40 days we had an incredible journey and covered over 600 miles. Ultimately we failed our goal.   I want to apologize for ending my last blog without updating everyone on what happened and why we got off trail. I spent multiple hours agonizing over an entry but couldn’t bring myself to post it. The post was too sad and angry and bitter. I didn’t have the mental energy to revisit our reasons for quitting. It took me months to come to terms with the fact that we had gotten off trail. To be honest the thought still tortures me. The goal of hiking the entire length of the AT stuck with me, strengthened by the fact that we had covered a third of the trail but hadn’t finished.  With that behind us, I am currently sittin
Read more

Day 8 Siler and Wayah

Image
Writing from another shelter, after hiking another 18.5 miles with excellent weather. Listening to barred owls in the distance.   I slept fine last night. Not good, not bad. But to be honest, for as cold as it was I’ll count that as a win.  The only other person in the shelter was a lady who was planning on getting off trail due to an Achilles tendon issue. We hung her food bag for her since she wasn’t planning on hanging it herself. I understand being injured but I still think bear safety is incredibly important. You know what’s worse than an Achilles strain? Being mauled by a bear. Now as I’ve previously said, bears are not a serious danger in the northeast but that doesn’t mean you should increase your chances of a negative bear encounter. Especially not at a shelter where you aren’t the only person staying.  We had a slower start to the day, only really getting on trail at like 8:30. The morning was very cold, and was below freezing until almost noon. However, we really appreciated
Read more

Day 2 Relaxing 14 Miles

Image
Writing from my tent, at a tent site on the side of Blood Mountain, the highest part of the AT in Georgia.   Today was a lot more laid back than yesterday. It rained on and off through the night, which was actually quite soothing. Our campsite was next to a small mountain stream called Justice Creek. Between the sound of the stream, the gentle rain falling on my tent, and the cool but not cold weather I had fantastic sleep. I managed my water consumption better, so I only had to get out of my tent twice. Luckily both times were during gaps in the rain. Apart from that and waking up to distant thunderstorms in the middle of the night, I slept through from 9:30pm to 7am. I needed the rest and very much enjoyed it. Once we got up and moving we packed up and hiked through light rain for about an hour. Soon the rain dissipated into fog. A foggy day makes the woods feel eerie and quiet.  We summited Ramrock Mountain shortly after the skies cleared. We walked on ridges for most of the rest of
Read more