"May your trails be crooked...

..., winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.  May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." - Edward Abbey

June 14, 2001


Day 1:  Katahdin was superb, a beautiful day.  3 hours up, 1 hour at the peak, and 3 hours down.

View of the 100 Mile Wilderness from Katahdin

I could not have asked for a better start. I was the first one on Katahdin that day, and the weather was a perfect, breezy 72 degrees. It was God and I on the mountain that day with myself worshipping the former the whole time.


Not to say that the climb was easy. It is about 4 miles of scrambling up rocks and a steep, root-filled trail through a narrow, rocky "Gateway" before reaching the resplendent tableland:

Passing the Gateway means you made it.


I thought of my parents seeing the pictures while I was at the Gateway and it made me cry...80% joy, 20% wishing they were there.


And I did make it.

And loved the views all around of the Knife Edge,

which I would come back with friends to hike several years later.


Views of Chimney Pond on the northern side of the mountian (with a campground hidden next to it that my friends and I would stay at for our Knife's Edge trek).

It was a beautiful start to my AT hike.