A root under my therma-rest made sleep difficult during the night. That was probably a good thing. Even though I didn't want to get up, the discomfort made it easier when others in camp started stirring. It seemed strange to push on the last day considering that we'd hike mostly without packs. Still a lot of us were climbing, and the earlier the better.

We packed our gear and gathered around the picnic table to cook our last meal on the trail. With no flavored oatmeal at Abol Bridge we were forced to eat plain oatmeal. A half pack of hot chocolate helped to flavor the bland taste. With breakfast over, I gave the rest of my fuel to Minty Fresh. Airlines take a dim view of fuel bottles on planes.

The last two miles to Katahdin Stream Campground are on level ground. There we would all gather with the rest of the Pine family for the trip to the top. Brandon and I packed all of the items we would need into my pack (the lighter one) and left his with the excess gear at the Ranger Station. (We discovered later that we had not unloaded the stove and cook set.)

Brandon would have the pleasure of carrying the pack to the summit. Throughout the trip Brandon has been carrying a pack equal in weight to mine. Yet at the end of each day upon arriving in camp, I'd be looking for some place to crash and he'd be running around looking for something more to do. For the most part he's hiked the whole trail as if it was just a "Walk in the Park". Clearly he's a stronger hiker than I. We've had several discussions about him returning to complete the trail someday. He said that if he returns it will be to hike the whole trail.

A mass of us left Katahdin Stream Campground for the assault on the summit. It was soon clear that any expectations of views would not be forth coming. Clouds obscured the mountain and by the time we reached the timberline our views were limited to less than a hundred feet. There was a backup when we hit the boulders as people searched for ways around the obstacles. A cold wind was blowing, but the effort of the climb kept me reasonably warm for awhile. Finally we hit a flat spot and my sweat-drenched Coolmax shirt couldn't keep me warm. We stopped to put on our rain jackets and I put on a thermal shirt. (Unfortunately I didn't remove the wet Coolmax shirt.)

Once on the Tableland, the hike got easier. With the pack thinning, Brandon and I found ourselves in our own world. No one else could be seen through the thick clouds. As we proceeded along the hike we could hear the cheers of others that had already summited. Soon the top appeared in the fog, and we completed our journey to the sign amidst the cheers of those hikers present. Slowly, one by one, others emerged from the fog to claim victory.

Honey Bear and Rareback, the young couple we'd been hiking on and off with for the last few weeks, stopped short of the top for an embrace. After a couple of minutes they hiked the final few feet and touched the sign together with tears running down their cheeks. They reminded me of Linda and my hike 20 years ago, and the struggles we went through.

Completing their thru-hike of the AT atop Katahdin today were: Whispering Pine, Shadow, Chief, Optimist, Scooter, Wild Boar, Pepie, Three Piece, Kicks, Daddy Long Legs, Honey Bear and Rareback. Others in our group that were completing long section hikes included, Joplin, Seeker Street, Moe, Lucky 13 and myself. Two others, Minty Fresh and Jay Bird were completing the Northern section of their hikes and would be heading to Harpers Ferry to hike the Southern section of the AT.

After all the pictures, snacks, and Champagne was done, Brandon and I headed back down. As we started down Hunt's Spur, it started to rain. This made the rocks slick and the descent slower. Fortunately, a little ways down, we passed through the clouds and the rain cleared and the views opened up. From there we were able to get excellent views of the area south of Katahdin. By the time we reached the campground, it was warm and sunny, and all but the top of the mountain was in view.

Soon the parade of hikers started leaving for home with family and friends. It's hard to say good-bye, especially to people you've shared so much with. In our case it was difficult, because living on the West Coast, I knew it was unlikely we'd ever see them again. Those of us remaining soon left with the Pine family to return to the camp at Abol Bridge. After another dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs, we packed up and went through another round of good-byes. It was getting on to dusk when Brandon and I left with Mama and Papa Pine for Bangor. I'll long remember the image of Katahdin in the rear window as we started our journey home.

It was sad to drive away, but after a couple of months on the trail, I'll be glad to get back to a normal life.

Today is our last day! We woke up at our usual time 5:30 and had Swiss Miss in our oatmeal. It wasn't that bad. We packed up the tarp and started on the 2.4 miles from Daicey Pond to Katahdin Stream Campground. Those 2.4 miles went by fast because it was all flat.

When we got to Katahdin Stream Campground we went over to the Ranger Station and ditched our packs because you don't have to carry them up with you. We put some snacks and clothes inside Dad's pack, and took everything else out. When we were done arranging everything we went outside and over to the trailhead. We took pictures with all the other thru-hikers and the Pine family. Then we all lined up and headed up the mountain. The first half-mile was flat, but then it started getting steep. Soon we started having to pull ourselves over boulders and up over rocks. When we got above treeline we looked around and could see nothing, it was so fogged in. We continued climbing to the top over, under and through rocks until we got to the Tableland about 30 minutes later. Then we hiked the last mile or so to the top. We got to the top and partied with all the thru-hikers who were finished with their 2160-mile hike. We had candy bars and lots of snacks, but no views -- just fog. We finally decided to head back down when no views ever came.

On the way back down it started to rain, and I started to worry about slipping. Then suddenly it cleared and were able to see the whole Katahdin range and the area around. We got some pictures then continued down. We got to the bottom before everyone else and waited for the Pine family to come and give us a ride. When they arrived we all went back to Abol Bridge and had hamburgers and drinks before we all said our last good-byes. Then Mama and Papa Pine drove us to Bangor.  We'll fly home from there tomorrow.