Katahdin from the Rangers Office
I awoke at 6:30 right at sunrise and made my way across the border into Baxter State Park. Rushed up to Daicey Pond camp, where we hikers have to check in upon entering. Checked in by a lady ranger, who then told me NO ONE had climbed since 10/1 due to the snow and wind. Wow - some twenty-five hikers, and no one climbed??!! I was told there were Class-4 conditions on the K.
'Mandatory' closure of all trails. She was pretty serious about it all.
My heart sank. 'Where were all the thru-hikers before me?'
'Most had left for the Gathering - maybe some had elected to stay in Millinocket. Maybe a few left up at K-camp. None in Daicey'. She wasn't smiling.
Oh man, oh man. My heart sank further. 'What if I climb?'
'We have closed the trail - a rescue could run you $3000-$6000.' Stern looks from her.
What a horrible ending to my hike - a dreadful miscalculation of Fall in Maine. DNA, you are screwed, dude.
The phone rang and lady ranger answered. It was a reporter from Bangor, looking to talk with any thru-hikers that might be around. I'm the only one in here. I take the receiver. They wanted to know if I had heard about the OJ Simpson case. Oh crap, welcome back to the 'other world'. Yes, we hikers didn't live in a vacuum out there and we knew far more than we really wanted to. Oh well, the reporter was as disappointed today as I was. I went back outside to my pack.