Fifteen years ago, when Nelson Daigle started logging the number of times he climbed Mount Katahdin, his goal wasn’t to set a record for standing on top.
For one thing, Baxter State Park doesn’t keep those records. That’s not why Nelson Daigle has climbed Katahdin 403 times, according to his count, as of this past Tuesday. He has stood on top that often for his own reasons. He explained some of them to me on our way to the summit, on a Saturday two weeks ago, for his climb, number 402.
We left from Abol Campground, after meeting his daughter, Karen Somers and her friend and co-worker, Karen Thibodeau. After introductions we were off, up the trail, in the cool morning air. Nelson was in front, the women were in the middle, and I ran “sweep,” polite for last. Our chosen route for the day was Abol Trail, which ascends the mountain in the steepest, most vertical way of any of the half dozen routes on the mountain. Nelson’s probably climbed it more than 50 times.
As we walked along I asked, which is his favorite trail.
“I used to like the Hunt Trail a lot and went up that a lot,” he said. “But, I like them all. I don’t really have a favorite.”
The four of us all stopped after about a mile, took a snack break and shed jackets as we warmed up in the brilliant sunshine. After the short pause we set a pretty quick pace, then, started catching up to people ahead of us.
Nelson chatted with his daughter, the way a proud father would, asking about the grandchildren and trading family news. In only a short time I could tell how close father and daughter were. Karen Thibodeau and I got acquainted while we hiked, by talking about the day about to unfold before us and the views.
Both women were experienced hikers and had climbed Katahdin before. Thibodeau had recently returned from New Zealand, where she had been on guided treks.
We made pretty good time until reaching the steep upper slopes of the slide, then, we slowed down. It’s tricky climbing there, up through boulders. We stopped once more, near a feature called the Needle’s Eye. That’s where I asked Nelson about his reasons for climbing this mountain so many times.
“You know, Brad, after I retired from Great Northern 15 years ago as a paperworker, I asked myself, ‘What am I good at?’ I looked at the mountain, in my back yard, and said, well, I can climb that mountain. That’s how it got started. I think of it as going to the gym.”
What a gym, I thought. It’s the ultimate stair climber with rocks.
I asked him how many climbs he made in a single season.
“Forty-five. One year I thought I could make it 50 times. I got to 45 and ran out of days in the season.”
It took me a few minutes to think about that.
Forty-five times in one season.
The season is only a 120 days, give or take. Subtract bad-weather days when no one should be climbing, and there aren’t that many days available. He went on to say he climbed it every two or three days that year.
We started off again and I was still thinking about it as we reached the Tableland, a plateau a little more than a mile from the summit. We stopped at Thoreau Spring to suit up in windproof layers, as the wind had picked up to about 35 miles an hour.
Nelson pointed out some cinquefoil, a dainty yellow flower growing beside the trail, as we walked by. We soon reached the rock-strewn top and Baxter Peak, where we huddled out of the wind, took off the packs and had a good lunch. We joked around and I pointed out a landmark that Nelson hadn’t seen before.
“I see something different every time I come up here,” he said.
It took us about four hours to climb 3,900 vertical feet, in 3.8 linear miles. I wanted to know from Nelson how we compared as a group.
“I do it in about three or three and a half hours. This was like a day off,” he said.
We all had a good laugh, sitting there, being whipped by the wind. He also said that he usually doesn’t stop at all, except maybe to talk briefly to other hikers. I asked if Katahdin was the only mountain he climbs.
“Oh no, I’ve climbed Doubletop probably 50 times. I’ve climbed from North Brother to Mt. Coe in one day,” he responded.
The routes he mentioned are notoriously rough, steep, long or all of the above.
I could’ve listened to Nelson tell stories all day. Actually, he has more than enough of them to fill several days’ worth. We had to get moving, though, as it was getting late.
From spending the day with him and his daughter and friend, I realized something about this remarkable hiker. He didn’t tally all his hikes to become recognized. In fact, in 2007, when Baxter State Park tried to give him an award for his 300th climb, they had to trick him into attending the presentation.
“They told me, it was for volunteering for trail work. I told them to give it to someone more deserving,” he said.
Nelson told me he volunteers in spring and fall; clearing trails.
“I always carry a folding saw and go out with some of the crews,” he said, “just to warm up for the climbing season.”
So, he gives back to the park that has rewarded him with so much. Nelson will be 71 next month. I asked him how long he thinks he can keep climbing Katahdin. His answer wasn’t all that surprising.
“My mind tells me I can go forever, but my body tells me otherwise.”
After the hike I contacted Jensen Bissell, Baxter State Park director, to ask him about what all hikers can learn from someone like Nelson. His response was clear.
“Nelson has light hiking down to a science, bringing very light versions of the items he’ll think he needs. He is on the trail early to provide lots of time to deal with unexpected events,” Bissell said. “Most importantly, Nelson is not into hiking to promote himself — he has simply found that regular hiking provides a healthy and interesting activity that improves his life.”
The most remarkable thing about Nelson Daigle isn’t how many times he stands on Katahdin or how long it takes him to get to the top. The most noteworthy thing about Nelson Daigle is just how he has accepted the challenge to add his personal history to the trails.
He would tell you it’s no big deal. I’m not so sure.