Day 164, Monday-9/14/09
Bird, 10.4 miles hiked, 2178.2 miles from Springer
Up for breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe and then on to Baxter State Park. It looked like a decent day until we drove towards the mountain. There were a lot of clouds and it was pretty cool, but some blue skies filtered into the mix as well. No matter the weather, up we went….. Limbo, my Dad (Dave), and I.
About two and a half miles of the beginning of the hike is below treeline, and then you get above the trees and do a mile or so of intense rock scrambling. When we reached the top of the treeline, we left the warmer air behind us. The wind was pretty lively, too.
About half way up the mountain, my Dad decided it would be best to turn around rather than be tortured by his fear of heights. The climb was a lot more serious than he (or us) expected so he headed back down. After we said our goodbyes we had an intense session of bouldering straight up the mountain and then about 1 mile from the summit we reached the tablelands which was much easier walking.
The excitement was very much there as we neared the infamous sign at the top of Mount Katahdin. With hoots of joy we posed for our pictures and cracked a beer open to celebrate. There was no view from the top, but the sign looked glorious and it was enough for us! We didn’t stay for long because it was so very cold and we were under dressed.
So….. we’re thru-hikers now! Pretty Awesome!
On the way down the mountain we met up with my Dad and on the way to car we saw some of our thru-hiker friends. Lisa, Wolfpack, Simpleman, Ice, and Desert Fox. It was a nice way to wrap it all up.
We drove back to the cabins and went out for another wonderful pizza dinner. I will definitely miss things about this great adventure, but for now I’m happy to be going home. I do thank you for being a part of my journey….. you each had a big part to play in our motivation.
BIRD ——— 2009 A.T. THRU-HIKER
September 28, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Congratulations!!! It’s been great following your hike. I’m sure it will be a long time before you say “I wish it would rain” Will see you in just a few days now. Trunk.
September 29, 2009 at 8:50 am
Hooray, congrats!! We’ve really enjoyed reading along. Can’t wait to see you and hear more about the adventure.
-Michelle & Tom
September 29, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Congratulations to both of you! What an awesome accomplishment to complete something so grand. Can’t wait to celebrate with you next week.
October 6, 2009 at 10:27 am
inspiring….the whole journey THANKS for sharing it!! what next huh??
October 13, 2009 at 7:31 am
Hey Bird and Limbo (and Mama Bear (a roo-roo-roooworwwr)).. Congratulations on your completion!! Glad to see another group of friends make the summit and finish their thru… very freakin’ sweet!! I wish you both the best and hope the next year is full of adventure and wonder.
All the best,
Snarky Snarkerson
October 14, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Congrats to the Northbound All-Stars! I missed seeing you on the trail after Port Clinton, but I’m glad our paths crossed so many times before that. You guys were great company!
Turns out I got Lyme from a tick in PA, but didn’t realize it until Mass. It slowed me down a bit, but after the antibiotics I eventually returned to my natural stride and made Katahdin on 9/23. What a journey!
Cheers,
Spiceman