Mt. Katahdin: "The Greatest Mountain"

Photo ©Jack Kindness

Mt. Katahdin (translated as “The Greatest Mountain,” a name given by the Penobscot people) rises abruptly from the surrounding forests, rivers, and lakes to hold an iconic place in history. At 5,267 feet, it is the highest mountain in Maine.

The Penobscot Nation tells many tales of Katahdin, their sacred mountain. It was not a place to climb, as later settlers began doing—this was an affront to the angry god, Pamola, who had been banished for eternity to the lofty peak as punishment for disobedient behavior.

"It was vast, Titanic, and such as man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends. He is more lone than you can imagine. There is less of substantial thought and fair understanding in him, than in the plains where men inhabit. His reason is dispersed and shadowy, more thin and subtile, like the air." —Henry David Thoreau, on reaching the peak of Mt. Katahdin

Katahdin was captured most eloquently in print by Henry David Thoreau, who published his experiences with Maine's far northern reaches in 1864 as The Maine Woods. Artists such as Frederick Church and Marsden Hartley have also attempted to capture Katahdin's wild beauty; today, photographers snap many a photo of the massive peak rising from the thick forests and lakes of this remote region.

Dedicated hikers know Mt. Katahdin, part of Baxter State Park, as the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, the starting (or ending) point for thru-hikes. It can take 8-10 hours to reach the summit, a challenging day hike that is not for the faint of heart or the unprepared! The "Knife Edge" trail offers perhaps the most terrifying—and rewarding—Katahdin experience. This ridge trail, only 2-3 feet in width, is strewn with rocks and completely exposed to the elements.