Katahdin - Aug 24

I'm the first out of The Birches camp, at about 6:40 am, and after some logistics start the ascent with Fatty up the Hunt Trail at 7:20 am.

Eleven thru hikers will ascend today, finishing their epic journeys:  Spanky, Warbler, Crush, ET, Running Shoe, Pyrogie, Molly, Finder, Red Rocket, Fatty, and Steady (top row, center). Also ascending are Fatty's Uncle Dwight, Luke and Sam.

The official AT ends at Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin, and most hikers just then retrace their steps down on the same trail. I'll be going over the mountain and down the other side as I continue on to Canada, and three others plan to join me down. Then we'll all shuttle into town to meet and celebrate.

Spirit overcame some daunting logistics (RVs are not allowed in the park) to shuttle us and our gear around, and to get to see the park herself. She borrowed a personal car from a background employee!

I've heard many stories that Katahdin is tough. But it is not so much a physical challenge. Sure, the 4,000 foot climb has me breathing hard, but the challenge is really the technical rock climbing. There are some pretty good moves required to get up and over some rock faces. 

It is huge fun. I have finally accepted AT for what it is, a mountaineering trail rather than a hiking trail. And today it is a fun mountaineering trail.

As I progress I can feel excitement build in my chest. I spontaneously pump my fists in the air, and hear other hikers hoot and shout.

As I approach top I hear calls of "Steady Steady Steady". All of the other thru hikers have passed me and are assembled at the peak, cheering me on. This completes the Triple Crown for me, and for many of these hikers I am the only Triple Crowner they know. They are pretty excited, some probably even more so than me. Fatty presents me with a crown, a makeshift cedar wreath that fits perfectly over my ball cap.

(There are only around 180 Triple Crowners in the world, but I know 40-50 of them and most are much more accomplished than me. I feel more like the rookie in the club of Triple Crowners, so the moniker is more humbling than the inflating.)

The day is amazing. Usually the top of the mountain is 25F cooler and 25 mph windier than at the base.  Today the temperature at the top is 70F and there is no wind. 

Fatty pops open the champagne, and we all celebrate with chocolate, cheeses, and crackers. In no hurry for the moment to end, we loiter for quite a while, taking pictures and swapping stories. 

We had considered a side hike on the Knife Edge, but it turns out to be all boulders which doesn't look like much fun, so we head on down Saddle Trail. At Chimney Pond, deep within the cirque, we are surrounded by 270 degrees of granite walls and the three peaks of Mount Katahdin.

Everybody meets at a restaurant for a final celebration and ultimately a farewell. Bittersweet, but great. The younger hikers continue to party after I've gone to bed.

Only I will hike on tomorrow. 

11.2 miles to Roaring Brook Campground