Woke up at 4:30am to break camp. Only slept about three hours last night. Probably due to the anticipation of summiting this magnificent mountain.
There are many trails that lead up to the summit but the AT uses the Hunt Trail, which is a very difficult, strenuous and challenging trail. We began at 5:17am.
After hiking in the dark for about 45 minutes, the sun finally broke over the mountains, providing rays of light glistening through the trees.
The climb was pretty steep, rocky and full of surprises.
Of course, we had to take a quick pee break on our way up.
At about 7:45am we reached the sign.
Summiting Katahdin was, as every has always said, outstanding, phenomenal, breath-taking, awe-inspiring and the like. Honestly though, it was a little sign, on the top of a barren, quiet mountain, in a misty grey cloud. With that being said, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Since we got up as early as we did, we took some time to enjoy ourselves, soak it all in, and drink a beer.
The temperature at 5,270 ft was not ideal for shorts and a t-shirt so we bundled up in our warm bags.
To all of my LOTR followers: yes I did attempt to melt the One Ring. Unfortunately, my alcohol stove was not able to reach a high enough temperature to incinerate metal, but it did turn green/blue when it was burning.
Left to right: Frodo, Sweet Tea, Happy Feet, Samwise, Stretch
Congratulations!!! Love your sense of adventure and sense of humour. It was great meeting you on the trail and following the rest of your adventure on-line. I joined up with Jedi at Baxter and summited with him on Sept. 19. It was a glorious and exciting day. Best of luck to all of you.
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