Baxter State Park, August 10th, 2008

On August 10th, 2008, my brother and I hiked Mt. Katahdin in Maine's Baxter State Park. It was a warm summer’s day with little clouds in the sky. We started to climb the mountain at nine o'clock in the morning and didn't return until six at night. The hike up was a steep climb up, with big boulders and great scenery. At one point we hiked through a cloud and you couldn't see anything that was ten feet away. On the way up we meet up with a guy that had climbed the mountain 278 times in a 30 year span and usually goes up the mountain 15 times a year. This man was 70 years old and could hike up and down the mountain in 4 hours total. He worked on the trail marking it for the hikers that ventured up the mountain. After we had stopped and chatted with the man half way up the mountain, we continued our hike up and met up with two men and a little girl. These people were part of a larger group full of a little girls soccer team climbing the mountain as a team adventure. We talked with them for a while and then made our way up the mountain.
When we got to the top, the mountain was flat and clouds covered the view. We stopped and rested, and then we had to hike another mile up to get to the summit of the mountain. Getting to the summit is by far the biggest goal i have ever accomplished. The view was spectacular. You could see miles and miles of green forest and large lakes looked like puddles. You could see other mountains in the distance but they looked small as well because we were so high up. I could literally reach up and touch a cloud. On top of the mountain, there were crowds of hikers resting and rejoicing the same as my brother and I were. We had conversations with the fellow hikers and we ate lunch by ourselves on a edge of a rock. I will say this, the top of mountain is full of ticks. They were everywhere, and I was constantly swiping them off of myself.
After an hour or two resting on top of the mountain, my brother and I started our descent down the mountain. As we went down, the clouds on top of the mountain cleared and we saw even better views than what we had previously saw. We got so intrigued by the sight that we didn't even notice that we had gotten off the trail and we were descending down the mountain on no actual trail. We were literally rock climbing our way down the mountain. After going down the mountain about a mile, we knew that we were so lost that we stopped and chatted about our predicament. My brother and I decided to climb back up and find the actual trail. After using all the energy and adrenaline in my body, we made it back to the top of the mountain and i collapsed. It was getting late and we knew we had to get back so we very slowly descended the mountain and after two hours of anguish we made it to our campsite. Together, we made a fire, had supper and cracked open couple of beers. After we relaxed for a while, we went to sleep and slept very soundly.


Historical Significance


Mount Katadhin is the largest mountain in Maine and is one of the prime destinations for Mainers, hikers and vacationers. There is a large historical background of Mt. Katadhin and we must give thanks to Governor Baxter for preserving that history and preserving one of Maine’s great attractions.
Mount Katadhin is part of Baxter State Park. In the 1930s Governor Percival Baxter began to acquire land and finally deeded more than 200,000 acres to the State of Maine for a park, named Baxter State Park after him. Residing within the park is Mount Katahdin. The Penobscot Indians, native Indians that lived closest to the mountain, called the mountain Katahdin, which in their language means “the great mountain.” A couple of US Navy battle ships have been named after Mount Katahdin. Henry David Thoreau was one famous person that climbed the mountain as well as many other notable people.
Mount Katadhin is also part of the Appalachian Trail. Depending on which way you are traveling the Appalachian Trail, it is either the first or last stop of the trail. It is part of what is known as the nature trail in Maine. This trail, a part of the Appalachian Trail, is considered by most hikers the most grueling section of the Appalachian Trail. With thick forests and steep hills and mountains, the nature trail lies dormant mostly inside Baxter State Park. There are many different paths that lead to the summit of Mount Katahdin and among those the hardest is Knifes Edge. This trial is merely two feet wide, open to the elements and lies on top of the mountain. If you slip or make a wrong move, it could mean that you might fall to your death down the mountain.
One of the biggest reasons why Mount Katahdin is important is because it symbolizes preservation. Governor Baxter’s generous donation of 200,000 acres marks the largest land preservation in New England. From all over people come to the park, and among those, Canadians travel down from New Brunswick or Quebec to climb the mountain. The mountain adds to Maine’s tourist attractions and helps preserve Maine’s economy as a vacation and destination state.



Resources: Wikipedia, Baxter State Park Website