Happy Birthday to You … – The walk

To be honest, I have been very anxious to write about this day. When I started, most of the publications were written from the bed, after the relatively cruise land, only using my phone keyboard. A lot of mental energy available. Over time, getting a keyboard was a play to try to make blogs faster, so I could go to bed before when I was out of mental energy. If you cannot see from the cadence of New Hampshire publications to Maine, I have been writing most of these out of trace, which makes it really difficult. I don’t remember everything exactly. Trying about my emotions is difficult when the fragments of my emotions are 5 -minute videos that I took in the morning as an effort to complement my diary.

But, anyway. Let’s limit this trip.

Late Start knew that he only had about 8 miles to do today, so he let himself be sleep very Anxious and ready to start. It is not that I woke me up on my own. Just around 6:15, a member of the Birch camp came through the Icaro store and Wozzy’s store and he really said out loud: «See you on the mountain, I hope I don’t catch the other type.» Rude. Meanwhile, Icarus and Woozy were very considered and calm in cleanliness, and Woozy was even like «we didn’t wake you up, right?» later. Nah.

I couldn’t sleep again, so I got up and made my final breakfast. Throughout the path, I have been snorting oatmeal or protein packages with my coffee in the morning, but I gave a backpack breakfast for today. It’s the last day! And it could be my last day through those who accumulate. I had coffee and a scrambled egg meal. While I cleaned my store last time, I immediately started sobbing. There is a purpose in it.

Going from birch to the top of Mount Katahdin is quite simple. The AT follows the Hunt path, which is approximately a mile and a half of relatively soft ascent, followed by three and a half miles about extremely difficult climbing. I said goodbye to Ranger, I went through everyone’s slack and met some of the car campers while using the bathroom for the last time. Back in Laurel Falls in Tennessee, I remembered having heard an episode of Backpacker Radio where Pyro mentioned how he had a bathroom emergency that approached the upper part and how he had to deal with that. Yo In fact I wanted to avoid that.

Some campers offered me snacks and trail magic, but I was extremely full and I didn’t want to wear anything. I only had some fries, bars and nuts at this time, but I brought my full package. After all, I brought it here. I’m going to walk for the last time.

I was the last hiker that climbed the mountain, and I didn’t go through anyone. Most of the people of what they could say were starting their promotions around 5 or 6, last night they had pushed the fear of the ranger listening to others that took more than 12 hours to invent and lower it. While I certainly didn’t want to push my luck, I also knew that I would have the adrenaline legs and hikers who would boost me on the mountain.

I made another conscious decision so as not to play music in my ears while walking. Only me, myself and my thoughts. Appreciating the forest, appreciating the mountain, appreciating the huge rocks that surround me and the opportunity to finish the path of the Apalaches in this beauty of a mountain. Just when the tree line went down? I was stunned. All mountains, all these peaks and peaks, this endless section of green. I walked for that. Myself. My two small legs. As?

The second mile of the AT was an absolutely terrifying rock escalation. There were reinforcement bars at the eye level for me, and finally I met the hikers of one day who needed to rescue the walk, having been stopped by the rock escalation that followed. While blazing was not perfect, I found my way in the steep section … and the steep section after some false summits. However, the good thing about Katahdin was that I can’t be deceived by a false summit. I know how it looks. We all know what it puts on that summit.

Right in the «Tierra de la Mesa», the walk is flattened during the last mile to Baxter Peak. I met the Ghee wizard and only John headed down. They seemed stunned … and I hoped to be stunned too. It is strange to know that my trip is coming to an end … and these two that were on the same trip ended it. Through hikers, the two are. I’m still in my attempt.

The last person I found before the summit was someone I really didn’t like. I was like «Did I head to smoking?» And he said: «We all did what we wanted there,» while clinging to his can of beer. Well, both for being respectful of the natives and to clean the summit for others. Oh good. It is not as if everyone is perfect. Me neither.

When I got to the top, I sat waiting for hikers from the days to remove from the sign. The Amish has just arrived there, so they were taking their photos, and then a series of day hikers. I got up and walked, with Amish’s hikers cleaning … probably because of how mislead I see myself. Or sad. Or lost. Who knows?

I started sobbing a little when I took advantage of the sign and hugged it. Someone by my side asked me if I needed helping … I guess they didn’t meet because I wasn’t crying for pain. I just said «a moment» and went to the Mojón that marks Baxter Peak in Katahdin. And … while I hit it? Catering. I sat there and cried. I started listening to people to applaud around. I really didn’t record what they were saying. Far from the moment of silence I wanted/I was imagining. But well, it’s fine. They belong here too. I would like to listen to Ranger and the summit is a peaceful place, instead of spilling chips crumbs everywhere. But … one -day hikers are going to walk one day. At least it did not have a couple of initials carved in the registry here.

When I finally moved away from the Mojón, Woozy was there, waiting for Icarus to return through the edge of Knife. He found that the heights were discouraging, and simply did not want to bother. Fair. We both cried again and others applauded, before making my celebrations at the top of the summit. I asked for a minute of silence of the people and I did not understand it. Hey. I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t see Salami fall into the Alpine area. After about 20 minutes of looking at the views and talking to Wozy about how surreal he felt, I began to get on my phone so that people knew where I was. And then I have my photos. I had to ask some people not to sit directly to the front/behind the sign, but still obtained some excellent photos thanks to Wozy.

I always felt that my walk was a Syzygy walk. Some have called me «tryard» or asked me where the fun is on my walk. I have nothing more than the essential, covering huge miles. But at the same time, when rest, hard rest. The double zeros, the abundant of Hostal stops. But do you want to know why? Honestly, I didn’t think I had succeeded. So I thought, the lighter my package, the more likely to do so. Or something. Well, I guess I did.

In addition to the sign, I put on a party hat and held a recorder that I have been clinging from the beginning. Probably an ounce, but it is worth it, and I played happy birthday, and the orchestral piece that inspired all this. Aaron Copand «Ballet for Martha«Also known as» Spring of the Apalaches «has been my favorite orchestral work … never.

Then … happy birthday, late start. Congratulations. I finished the path of the Apalaches.

I will write more tomorrow about the rest of this day! I have wandered enough to go up. There is the funky part on going down, leave and the rest of the day. So maybe. Who knows?

(Title lyrics by: Happy Birthday, Patty Hill & Mildred J. Hill (disputed))