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Appalachian Trail – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine

Baxter Peak, Maine
Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Katahdin, 5268 feet

“I can’t believe that we would lie in our graves, dreaming of things that we might have been…”

- Dave Matthews

August 2000.
The next day, August 13th, I hiked to Daicey Pond Campground and registered with the park office as an official thru-hiker. From Daicey Pond it’s only 7.6 miles to Katahdin, but we had to wait until the next day because according to park rules it was too late in the day to summit. My mom, dad, and niece Jessica had driven up from Pennsylvania and they found me at Daicey Pond which was good because my cell-phone wasn’t working and there are no phones in the park. Dad and I arranged a time to meet the next day and I camped at Daicey that night. Crinkle and I took a canoe out on the pond in the afternoon and just totally enjoyed the incredible view we had of Katahdin.

Gimpy’s Entrance Permit for Baxter State Park

The next day I got up at 5am and began hiking to meet Dad at Katahdin Stream Campground. We headed for the summit early. It was misty and rainy and not a great day but I didn’t care. I was so happy to be close to the end. When we got to the top the other guys were all up there along with about twenty or so day-hikers. We took lots of pictures and Salty shared his can of Guinness with everyone. Being the “purist” that I was, I carried my full pack all the way to the top. After five months and nine days it was weird to imagine being done and to suddenly not have to look for the next white blaze. It took six weeks for the swelling in my feet to go away and to be able to wear my normal size shoe again. But it felt so great to know that I did it.

The steep ascent up Mt Katahdin, ME

Journal Entry 8.14.00
“DONE at last!!”

Wondergimp kissing the last blaze on her Appalachian Trail journey

The Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail, 2167.1 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia

(from left) Salty, Greyhound, Antelope, Crinkle, Wondergimp

Journal Index

Georgia – Overview And the poop on the Trail Divorce

0 (miles from Georgia) – Springer Mountain, Georgia Whose idea was this again??
87.7 – Georgia / North Carolina Aint no all-inclusive package vacation story…
161.7 – Fontana Dam, North Carolina No Rain, No Pain, No Maine
204.6 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I My deodorant gets the heave-ho!
268.7 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park II The Food Appreciation Trail
336.5 – North Carolina / Tennessee & Trail Names How the Gimp got her name
390.7 – North Carolina / Tennessee The famous Roan Mountain hitch
452.9 – Crossing into Damascus, Virginia 3 states down, 11 to go!
516.7 – Grayson Highlands State Park Roughin it at Partnership Shelter
573.3 – Bland, Virginia My wonderful trail angels!
665.3 – Pearisburg, Virginia The switch from boots to sandals
767.4 – Catawba / Troutville, Virginia Heat wave in Virginia
839.4 – Montebello / Rockfish Gap, Virginia ‘Hiking with Gimpy Sr.
920.0 – Shenandoah National Park Rattlesnakes, Jack Daniels, and bears – oh my!
988.3 – Front Royal, Virginia Invasion of the Boy Scouts
1001.1 – Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia The mental half-way point
1061.4 – Maryland / Pennsyltucky Y’all done drank enough beer!
1123.8 – Duncannon, Pennsylvania The Half-Gallon Challenge
1208.9 – Port Clinton, Pennsylvania $1 Yuengling drafts and the rocks of PA
1283.9 – Pennsylvania / New Jersey Friends and family visit WonderGimp
1334.2 – High Point, New Jersey Rain, rain, rain, trail magic, and more rain
1440.7 – Bear Mountain, New York Hike Naked Day!
1486.1 – Kent, Connecticut Gimpy Sr. and Barkeater hike with W.Gimp
1543.8 – Great Barrington, MassachusettsWelcome to Mosquito Hell
1618.0 – Massachusetts / VermontPhoton and strobe lights for the 4th of July
1687.3 – Killington, Vermont The Inn at the Long Trail
1738.1 – New Hampshire Live Free or Die!
1794.4 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire Gettin’ above treeline
1814.4 – AMC-land, New Hampshire Entering the White Mountains!
1854.0 – Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire Mooning the tourists on Mt. Washington
1869.2 – Gorham, New Hampshire My first Moose sighting!
1920.7 – Andover, Maine The way Life should be…
1979.3 – Rangeley, Maine Closing in on the end
2015.6 – Kennebec River, Maine Eye of the Tiger!
2095.7 – Monson, Maine 100-mile Wilderness
2152.0 – Abol Bridge, Maine Katahdin is in sight!
2167.1 – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine Goodbye Capilene – Hello Cotton!!

Other Pages:
Map – Yep, 14 states
Gear – What to Bring
FAQs – See for yourself
Glossary (learn the AT lingo)
Links to Additional Info
Trail Injuries Everything from blisters to swampfoot
Trail Privies Bring your own TP
Class of 2000 Katahdin Thru-Hiker Pictures