Katahdin is the highest point in Maine at 5268' in elevation.

It is a climb of about 4200 feet to reach the top, the northern terminus of the AT. It is hard to put into words how it feels to reach the top and know you've just completed a hike of 2165 miles.  Taken day by day, it doesn't seem like such an impossibly large number any longer, so summit day was just another day in some ways, but what a day!

The first couple miles is nice trail and then you begin the boulder climb. This was truly easier than it looks but some of those blazes did give you pause as you wondered just how you were going to go up that rock!

 

                                             

The last 1-1/2 miles was flat and you could easily see many early summiters on the top. Yes, the top looks rather flat, but the people in the top center of the second picture are at the summit.

And finally, the grande finale of AT thru-hike 2013

                                                   

                                              Silver & Calamity summit, Aug. 18, 2013

 

       

         


And then there's the trip back down those boulders! It was actually easier going down than up.

                                          The Knife's Edge, a summit route we did not take!

And that's it folks! It was an unforgettable summer and an experience I am pretty certain I'll never have again but would not have missed for anything. I am headed back to Flagstaff soon and Tom is currently beginning his next adventure crewing in a 34' sailboat from Rhode Island south to Florida for the next few months.  Thank you all again for the support along the way.