Maine

Ka-Tah-Din, Kat-Har-Din, Ka-Tard-Din... Getting the pronunciation the same as the locals on this one is taking a while. Strange, since at a glance the word appears uncomplicated.

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes...

I awoke several hours later at the Katahdin Inn & Suites, located in the inauspicious building in the photos. To build on the theme, it is located behind a dollar store. But it was the first hotel I saw that had a 24 hour front desk and decent reviews, so there I went. It has a giant indoor area that is currently being renovated. Being inside, they hope to have the pool fully operational so as to attract the winter tourists who come here for snowmobiling and such. Breakfast provided and was decent, I added an orange as I expect a dearth of fresh fruit and veg over the next 6 months. Also there is scurvy to consider. The sign on the coffee machine gave me a good chuckle.

Set out after breaky with Maine Quest Adventures driven by Braint to Mt Katahdin in Baxter State Park. Don't know how long the drive was, felt about 45 minutes. Had many long convos about hiking, life in Maine, the hunting of bears, the pronunciation of Katahdin, and his company (which sounds like a perfect lifestyle occupation).

(The way the Northern trailhead works is this. The trailhead is at the top of a mountain only accessible by hiking. You start at the bottom, already on the AT, and walk to the top. Once at the summit you reach the trailhead and "officially" start your hike. You then move along the AT, down the same path you just came up and camp at the bottom. When you start you can leave your pack at the ranger station and just take a day bag that they lend you. Then return the bag and collect your pack when you get back. Relevant later.)

After a bit of confusion at the gate (couldn't find my name as I'd booked the campsite last minute), we arrived at Katahdin Stream Campground. I was a bit anxious as there are several things that need to happen to make the climb and I was getting increasingly concerned that something would go wrong and I wouldn't be able to climb that day.

You need:
1) a campsite booking
2) a permit to climb the mountain
3) to start the climb before the cut-off time
4) a day pack

I had #1. But when I showed up, the ranger was not at the station. Briant said he would often be gone for hours. After searching around for a bit I did find the stash of day bags, solving problem #4. It was 10am, I didn't know what the cut-off time was and was worried it had past. Also no permit.

Considering my options, I decided it was one of those times that ignorance is more powerful than knowledge. If I didn't know what the cut-off time was, then I couldn't knowingly leave after it had past.

Having had this thought, a plan began to form in my mind. The ranger could potentially deny my climb due to the time cut-off or no more permits for climbers that day. So I decided, like, ehh, I'll just..... climb the mountain regardless of all that.

Frantically I shoved what I needed into the day pack and took off up the mountain. My head on a swivel looking out for the ranger. The Man wasn't going to keep me down today!

Permitless, I proceeded up the mountain. Everything I'd read said Mt Katahdin was no joke, a difficult and technical climb. The first half is easy enough, just forest track that that gets increasingly steep.

Once past the treeline, the difficulty increases. There is a field of huge boulders, large as houses. You need to rock climb from one to another. A lot of scraping, shuffling and hanging on tight, slowly moving along tight rock ledges while being exposed to the wind and steep drops. Some places are impassable, so a few metal rods have been driven into the rock to act as handholds. At one place two large boulders met, you have to shimmy up between them by bracing your hands and feet on either side and crab climb.

All that I found manageable but what took it out of my was the sheer amount of verticality. We just don't have these mountains in Australia.

After a lot, I mean a lot of climbing, I arrived at the near top. There it flattens and there is actually a fair bit of easy horizontal hiking, followed by a small hill to the summit. Success!

After all this time, I had finally started my AT hike. But first, there is a tradition to observe. At either end of the trail there is a large pile of rocks. Thru-hikers traditionally select one of these rocks and carry it with them. Once completing the trail they place it on the other pile. Thus these rocks get carried back and forth along the trail by various hikers over the years. I selected my rock, and in a bold stroke of unoriginality I named it Wilson.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Wilson and I proceeded back down the way I came. I returned my day bag and reclaimed my pack (still no ranger around). Made camp for the night with my brand new tent, and prepared for tomorrow - the first day of proper AT hiking!Read more