Day 70. Katahdin

Mile 2186 – Millinocket To Mile 2191 – Katahdin

We were up early to catch a 6:30 am shuttle from our hostel into Baxter. There were three other hikers going as well and we all had breakfast together. The conversation was mainly about how none of us could sleep the night before because of the anticipation.

Early morning climb

Slightly technical ascent

Ridge walk with the peak in the distance

The climb up in the morning was beautiful and really fun. It took us just over three hours with light backpacks so we had plenty of time to hang out at the top before heading back down.

Reaching the summit

Woo hoo!

View from the top

While we were there, about a dozen thru hikers reached the top to complete their hikes. Their celebrations were both exciting and moving. We knew all of them and it felt special to be able to witness those moments of emotion.

Walking along the ridge

After about an hour at the top we started the walk back down. We chose to descend on the blue-blazed Abol trail for variety. It is a little shorter than the AT route, but steeper. Rocket noted several times how strange it felt not to be walking north past white blazes. It slowly started to sink in as we progressed back to the trailhead. When we wake up tomorrow morning, we won’t be walking north!