We woke up early with the anticipation of walking into Baxter State Park! After walking north for months we had finally made it to Katahdin! Hiking into the park is a memory I will hold near and dear to my heart forever. The feeling of excitement was palpable in the air.
It was an easy walk into Katahdin Stream Campsite. We went directly to the ranger station and registered. We got to our campsite and hadn't even set up when Robby said he was going to go look for Poppa Lip and Mikey (a good family friend I’ve known my entire life).
I was surprised to see them so soon after we got to camp and was elated! Dad got out of the car and gave me a giant hug and immediately said he had stuffed peppers and meatloaf sandwiches! He said he grabbed everything in the fridge from home that was going to go bad while he was gone! The food was great. I was so excited for Our Katahdin summit I could barely stand it. I was nervous and giddy all at the same time.
We woke up at 3:30 am to get ready for the hike. Dad woke up (I forgot to mention that dad slept in my hammock until it started sprinkling in the middle of the night and then proceeded to crawl into the back of the van with Mikey) and made us breakfast. As usual it was phenomenal. Hot sausage and eggs with cheese. While we were getting packed up and ready for our hike, it started to rain. I was even more nervous than before. We wanted a safe day on the mountains and having a view doesn't hurt either. When it rains on the mountain everything is slippery and Katahdin has a lot of rocks.
We decided that the weather was good enough to try to summit and were the first people to get on the mountain around 5:00 am. We hiked along side Katahdin Stream for a little bit and then saw Katahdin Stream Waterfall.
After the waterfall the climb quickly began to get rockier and steeper with each step. Smudgy Cheeks waited for us at tree line and we all proceeded together for the next mile or so. It was really scary at some points. Smudgy Cheeks actually fell once and it could have been really bad. He fell hard and would have hit his head on a rock, but luckily for Smudgy, Sprout was there to break his fall! Not so lucky for Sprout though!
We climbed up and up. It was a surreal feeling to be climbing up Katahdin. This mountain symbolizes so many different things to so many different people; strength, closure, durability, overcoming fears, feeling youthful and agile. It's the beginning of a journey for sobos and the end for nobos.
I am hiking this trail for my mom and all I could think about on the way up the mountain was my parents. My mom gives me strength. My dad gives me constant support. Without them I wouldn't be up on this mountain fulfilling my dreams.
When we got to the table top I was so excited I could barely stand it. As we walked the last mile and half I reflected on the last 1300 miles and how much I have grown. We started our hike not knowing much and now I feel like a pro. Maybe a slower paced hiker pro, but a pro nonetheless.
When we got close to the sign, Smudgy Cheeks was waiting for us. He said "Maggie, I want you to go first and touch the sign, you are the reason I'm out here" that meant so much to me. I was about to cry when Robby said "somebody done poisoned the waterhole" in a funny voice and I laughed instead of cried. He always used to say that when we first started our hike and it reminded me of our first day on trail.
We snapped some photos and proceeded down Katahdin. The climb down was much easier. When we got back to the waterfall Dad and Mickey were waiting for us. It was really special to walk down the rest of the mountain with my dad. I feel lucky to have another 860 miles to walk south.
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