The Lure of theGreat Mountain the Summit of Mt' Katahdin

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The Lure of theGreat Mountain the Summit of
Mt. Katahdin
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Thoreau recorded his climb on Mt. Katahdin in the
1840s in a chapter of his book called The Maine
Woods
An account from Massachusetts surveyor Charles
Turner in August of 1804 the first person to
record the adventures of climbing the mountain.
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There are 46 mountain peaks and ridges, 18 of
which exceed an elevation of 3,000 feet, the
highest being Baxter Peak at 5,267 feet. The
park is intersected by about 175 miles of trails.
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Mount Katahdin is special due to a variety of
factors. It is not a simple mountain, but a broad
massif of several peaks, cirques, and ridges,
surrounded on almost three sides by a ring of
lower summits.
http//www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid6820
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This concentrated group of mountains stands
utterly alone in the otherwise flat Maine north
woods, and the southern face of the main
mountain mass rises directly 4,000 feet from the
Penobscot River to the highest summit in the
entire state.
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The remote, and, compared to other eastern
mountains, almost primeval forest setting of the
peak is also very alluring, as is the large area
above timberline (about 3800 feet at 46 degrees
north). And finally, the spectacular saw-toothed
Knife Edge, a serrated crest dropping thousands
of feet on both sides, gives Katahdin a special
kind of alpine grandeur.
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The entire Katahdin group of mountains is part
of huge Baxter State Park, the only substantial
chunk of public or protected land in the
Longfellow Mountains
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VIEW FROM THE TOP A panoramic view of the entire
mountain
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Established through the generosity and efforts of
Maine governor Percival Baxter, in whose honor
the highest peak on Katahdin was named, the
park, per Baxter's will, is kept as much as
possible in a "forever wild" state.
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This means that roads, campgrounds, and trails
are deliberately kept primitive, giving the area
a rugged feel, but also that access, both for
vehicles entering the park and backpackers
camping out, is strictly controlled.
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Perhaps no other mountain area in the country
actually turns people away if they have
no campground reservations or if the park is
already too full.
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A Vacation Slideshow

• Enjoy the beauty of the mountain through these
  snapshots
• Also
• Katahdin Area

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Gov. Baxter expressed the spirit of the Park. . .
Man is born to Die, His Works are Short-lived
Buildings Crumble, Monuments Decay, Wealth
Vanishes But Katahdin in All Its GloryForever
Shall Remain the Mountain of thePeople of Maine
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Lost on a Mountain in Maine

• By
• Donn Fendler

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The inspiration of the Great Mountain and a small
boy who conquered the wilderness