Stats
7:30 AM - 4:30 PM = 9 hours of hiking
Weight 252 lbs. I couldn't find my HRM but based on Blondie's numbers it was probably something like 3,000 calories.
Approximately 8 mile round trip. Approximately 3,200 foot elevation gain to where I turned back.
Narrative
My friend BlondieME lured me to Maine to climb Mt. Katahdin with the promise of a comfy Yurt to sleep in, video of high altitude excitement like this (the Knife on Mt. Katahdin) and pictures like this:
Obviously, I now have my own picture like that! This is me a good bit closer to Pamola peak than most people get. Here's what I didn't hike:
And I didn't take the Knife over to the higher peak, where the official end of the Appalachian Trail is. I was still strong at this point, but I was starting to feel a little "off." I looked at this and the Voice of Mother that I heard was, "You are the only one who is going to rescue you." I was apprehensive about the trip down right from the beginning, and pushing things too far just seemed like a bad idea. I had the view already, I accomplished what is to date perhaps thee most difficult athletic accomplishment of my life; I do not feel short-changed about the summit business. As another non-summit person said on the hike down, "This is supposed to be fun."
So, fun: I had NEVER hiked on anything like this "trail". I've never thought of anything like this trail! As one Palo Alto resident I met on the hike down said, "They think if they paint a blaze on a boulder, that means it's a trail!" In the video link above, you can see that they even helpfully painted a blaze on a Knife Edge rock, just in case you thought that jumping off the mountain was a better choice I guess. Here's looking down the "trail" I did:
Don't see the trail? You can go here for help. Several times I had to throw my pack and poles up a rock (like that one I think- I probably paused to take the picture because I was putting my pack back on) so I could have all four claws to get me up the rock. Are my knees black and blue? Yes. Would gloves be smart for anyone climbing this mountain? Yes.
Way back at the beginning, there is about 50 yards of trail. Actual trail. I would think it was my imagination if I hadn't taken a picture:
And a bit past this point I have a picture with the mountain we are about to climb over my shoulder:
Looking back down here from up the mountain:
I had enough food, but water was another issue. I thought that taking 2 liters was way overboard and was happy to see BlondieME carrying 2 liters as well. I went through 1.5 liters in fairly short order and finished off the final 0.5 liters a bit before I turned back. BlondieME was drinking a lot less and gave me an other liter. The thing is, I finished off that third liter with about two hours of hiking left to do. And, though I still felt pretty strong when I started back down, that only got me half way. I hurt everywhere, I was tired like I had never been tired in my life, and I had started shaking.
I've tried to explain to new athletes that training isn't just about building strength, it is about building experience. I know without a doubt that I can make it two miles even if I have to crawl over boulders. I know that I can put one foot in front of the other in pain for more than an hour. My conditioning got me up the mountain, my experience got me down.
I knew it would be best to ask someone for water, but I let 10 people slosh by me before I finally asked someone for spare water and got another 16 ounces. Three long sit breaks, water, small bits of food (I could no longer tolerate eating) and I was there. A member of our party met me on the path about 50 yards away from the parking lot and I snapped at her to get out of my way. I put my pack in the grass next to the car, lay down on it, and fell asleep.
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When we parted ways, BlondieME took the camera and near dusk found a hare on the trail:
Us, earlier in the day (obviously! look at those fresh faces!!):
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So, about that Yurt from the night before.. Here's the deal: on Friday I arrived in Portland at about 3:00PM. We finished up provisioning and turned into camp about 9PM. Yurt had gone by-by. You know those three-man tents that look decent for one person? Yeah, we had three women:
Up at 4:30AM, on the trail at 7:30AM. Because BlondieME had stayed with me for so long, she was way off the pace to successfully complete the summit during daylight. She came in around 10PM. My flight, five hours away in Portland, was at 7:15AM. Because I had rested, I drove all night to BlondieME's apartment where we got showers and about one hour of sleep. Then onto a plane for me!! Whew, I could barely remember why I was there and what we had done. But now, looking back at those pictures, what a thing!