That Was A Great Game

We walked the last 9 miles to the base of Katahdin the morning after our night at Abol Bridge with the whole crew - Chaos, Timex, Whistler, Danno, Steady State, Pumpkin Head and Spacey. At one point we stopped at Little Niagara Falls and my phone almost slid into the river. We had a campfire that night at Katahdin Stream Campground. Red Knees was more excited and chattier than I had ever seen him.

But that's not what this entry is about. This entry is about Katahdin, the Greatest Mountain.

Katahdin was named by the Penobscot Indians with a term meaning "The Greatest Mountain". And as a towering beauty at 5,268 feet tall, formed by underground magma with nearly 360 degree views of nothing but vast wild, it deserves every second of the name. You would think that after so many mountains - so many climbs - that this would be just another mountain. Honestly, so did I. And yet why is it, that Katahdin and not the other mountains that we have summitted, has inspired Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Winthrop and dozens of others? Why is it that we have heard from so many hikers before us that you don't truly understand the Appalachian Trail until you have climbed that final mountain?

I wish I had answers for this but all I can attest to is the fact that Katahdin did in fact change my view of almost everything. The climb up was as challenging as any mountain we have climbed to date with steep hand-over-hand climbing and exposed rocks that lead to death in all directions should you take even one misstep. The views were stunning, though not necessarily more prolific than what we have seen before. All I can presume is that there is something that happens on Katahdin - that perhaps it is able to channel the love and passion of those around you who have pressed for so many months towards this common goal. Or, even better, that the mountain gives you what you have been looking for this entire time. Maybe we all found what we were looking for at the top of Katahdin: adventure, friendship, challenge, beauty, the unknown.

I will never be able to accurately convey just how the Appalachian Trail changed my life. I gained courage, strength and confidence. And though there are still parts of the trail that I have left to complete back in Virginia, I could not be more proud of my strength, perseverance and all that I have learned. I couldn't so much as set up my tent on my first night on the trail but the mountains and people have taught me not only how to backpack but how to survive in the face of the elements, pain and the emotional distress of being alone in the wilderness.

I think they said it best in Hook: "That was a great game."