Katahdin Mtn - northern terminus of AT - mile 2,181

We had to get off trail when Hurricane Irene came through, since Baxter State Park closed down and all hikers were diverted to Millinocket. Luckily, it didn't throw off our plans too much. The Park re-opened the next day, and we hiked 10 miles in to the Birches campground. We stopped at the Ranger station to register our thru-hike with the ATC, and get our numbers: 230 and 231.
On Tuesday, August 30th, we climbed Katahdin Mtn, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. We started early and were the second hikers to summit that day, so we had time to ourselves to get shots at the summit sign. Then 12 other thru-hikers came up, and we had quite a party at the summit.
After exactly 5 months and 2,181 miles, our epic hike is at an end!

 A shuttle drops hikers off at Abol Bridge to enter the Park and resume our hike

 The entrance sign for Baxter State Park

 Crossing a flooded area on the trail. We had to take a high water detour at one point, since we couldn't cross the river on the regular route.

 Little Niagara Falls on Nesowadnehunk Stream

Rushing rivers after the rainfall from Hurricane Irene

 Finally, the summit of Katahdin is visible!

Camping at the Birches, which is reserved for thru-hikers. It was dark, swampy and uneven - nothing but the best for thru-hikers!

 It was a tough 5 mile climb up Katahdin, with lots of rock scrambles

 Range of mountain views, early morning on the trail up Katahdin

The Tableland, a flat rocky section below the summit of Katahdin

 The summit sign marking the end of the AT. Katahdin is 5,268 feet - almost exactly one mile high.

 We did it!

 We have now officially thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail

A fellow thru-hiker, Portrait, got us started on jumping shots.

Y-Knot gets good height, but sprains an ankle on the landing
No one jumped as high as Portrait, who did a dozen jumps and was fine.

Displaying our summit sign, which Mike made back in NH.

Thru-hikers throng the summit

 The Runaways - Goldilocks and Havok, 15 and 13, probably the youngest hikers this season. They hiked by themselves, with visits from their parents along the way.

Party at the summit

Someone even brought champagne

 
Hikers display their war wounds

 Doc Boom is happy to be done. His twin brother hiked Katahdin with him, bringing a huge camera and video equipment to document the event.

 The Knife's Edge

 A couple from Cambridge, MA, displays their own sign

 Looking down on the Tableland from the summit

Doc Boom wraps Y-Knots sprained ankle

 The AT ends at the summit, but we still have a long, steep 5 mile climb back down

Following the White Blazes back down
Hikers climb down a steep drop-off

 Celebration in the parking lot by Raw Indie, Colorodo, Doc Boom & his brother, and Y-Knot

 The At Lodge Hostel where we stayed in Millinocket

Tossing my hiking boots in the trash. After 1,000 miles, they are shot!

We sign our trail names - Balance and Y-Knot - to the ceiling tile for the class of 2011 thru-hikers at the AT Cafe in Millinocket.

100 Mile Wilderness to Millinocket, ME - Mile 2,166

The 100 mile wilderness had the most people we'd seen on trail since Virginia. A lot of people come to hike this section, and thru-hikers seem to slow down or speed up here, so there were many people around. Also, the 'wilderness' is mostly owned by paper companies, and any time we gained elevation the clear-cut areas could be seen.
However, the Maine ATC keeps the illusion of wilderness alive by building no bridges in this section. We had to ford numerous rivers and streams, which meant taking our boots off and on several times a day. We had been worried about having enough food, but we ended up having plenty. We stayed at White House Landing, where we got dinner and breakfast and were able to stock up on snacks.

 Signpost at the start of the wilderness reads: "No place to obtain supplies or help until 100 miles north. Do not attempt this section unless you have a minimum of 10 days supplies. Its difficulty should not be underestimated. Good hiking!"

 We passed at least 8 beautiful lakes and ponds just on our first day in this section.

Little Wilson Falls

 View from Barren Slides

 Summit of Barren Mountain

After a long climb, this was our view from White Cap Mtn (elevation 3,644), our last big climb in this section. There were supposed to be views of Katahdin here.

 The wilderness is crossed by many logging roads, and logging trucks are a common sight.

 Our cabin at White House Landing. Hikers take a side trail and are picked up by boat to get to this hostel.

 We took almost half a day and had great weather at White House Landing.

Pemadumcook Lake, at White House Landing

Hikers getting ready to leave after breakfast

 The boat ride from White House landing back to the trail

 Hobblebush

Stopping to swim at Nahmakanta Lake

 View of Katahdin from Nesuntabunt Mtn, but the top is in clouds

Mother and baby moose, at Crescent Pond