Day 189: Katahdin

A perfect day.

We Left our packs at the ranger station and went up slack pack style. Our first off road slackpacked of the whole journey . It felt weird slacking. But by the time we.started up the long rocky scramble we were glad. Super long super steep super.fun. easily.my new favorite section of trail.

We saw the mooners.on the  way up. They had lots of trouble with getting into the 100 mile wilderness and had to skip it. It sounds like that may be the case for a lot of people behind us.

We also saw lumberjack and cheeks at tje trail head.

The climb up.katahdin is amazing. First a nice cruise through the woods past waterfalls. Then the real. Climbing comes up. All of a sudden you find yourself above treeline. The mouthing surrounding katahdin are sharp and even more dramatic in their profile amd ruggedness than the whites. Sharp peaks and steep rock slides everywhere. Good thing the sadist who.made.the trail didn't have us come from the west over all those other peaks. One katahdin is just fine with me.

Above treeline the climbing gets even more technical and exposed. But there are only a few sections with rebar. Weirdly some of the rebar are not handles.but instead hooks. Looks like.you could snag a scrotum on some. It'll make.for a.scary descent.

The climb is Soo steep and then you just suddenyl.top out and boom you are.on the table lands. A flat.treeles rocky alpine zone for the next 2 miles as you reach the summit at Baxter peak. The katahdin sign is clearly.visible but still.so small.

And then we were there. Without any fanfare or final.physical.challenge you just get to walk up amd.touch the sign. Becca amd I held.hands and finished together.

Magic.

We ate lunch with lumberjack and cheeks. They prepared to descend the knife's edge. We just went back down the at. Maybe next time we are here well do the knife's edge. Ha.

On the way down, at the aforementioned scrotal hook, there was a pile of blood. Wtf?

We made the descent celebrating our lightnesd md dancing practically die to the lack of giant backpacks making every step and painful knee jarring crash. Becca was sliding down rocks like a kid in a playground. It was the best down yet.

As Becca predicted, don't ask me how she did this TMI was at the ranger station sig ING up for the birches. Holy hell I can't believe she knew.tmi.would be right behind.us.

We.got a ride into millinocket with a very nice couple who we had traded photographer duties with at the summit.

Dropped.off at the katahdin inn, we made.our way to the room, showered, got beer and pizza, then spent some time relaxing in the hot tub. Like I said, a perfect day.