Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Katahdin, Part III
After hours of lingering and reminiscing, the forces of nature finally decided to evict us from the mountain top. Katahdin is often closed to hiking due to its notoriously violent weather, and because it is close to a death trap to be caught 2.5 miles above treeline in storms. I experienced the source of the fear yesterday, as thunderstorms enclosed the mountain. We scrambled as quickly down slick rocks as we could, but sharp hail and lightning descended on the peaks. I was sure that nothing was closer to a vision of the apocalypse than the summit then. Practically falling down the same rocks I crawled up, I knew that the ending to this journey would not be pretty. As I passed people crouched in chasms and huddled behind rocks, I thought that my life would end in a lightning bolt on Katahdin. At least I would have finished the trail in time to leave it. However, Trill and I made it back safely, enduring probably the worst weather and greatest rush of adrenaline on this entire journey.
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1 comment:
Michael, I have been keeping up with your blog sporadically and it is truly inspiring, to say the least. Your ambition, persistence, and even your Kerouackian record of your journey is amazing. I wish that I had stumbled upon the website sooner so that I could have mailed you a package full of encouragement and Clif bars. I would say that I would love to talk with you about these crazy 5 months of your life, but that's why I decided to read your blog instead because I understand it's impossible to explain. I can only slightly sympathize because I've been in London for the past 4 months, and have had a hard time translating that into words. Anyways, thank you for keeping track of your journey. I enjoy reading it. I would wish you best of luck at Brown, but you should know that after the Appalachian Trail you can do anything. You're awesome. Most Sincerely, Amanda James (I hope you remember me.)
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