BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023
Katahdin, Maine’s tallest peak, has long been a source of awe and adoration. With its rocky peaks, sharp ridges and boulder-filled slides, it towers over the forest, a granite giant at the heart of Maine. I have hiked the mountain many times, and the experience never gets old. Nor does it get any easier. I’ve learned some interesting things about the mountain’s history and habitats. 1. Katahdin rises 5,267 feet above sea level, just 13 feet shy of a mile. Near the summit of the mountain, a giant rock pile is said to reach that mile-high mark. 2. The alpine area on top of Katahdin is home to the Katahdin arctic butterfly that’s found nowhere else on Earth. 3. The name “Katahdin” is an Abenaki word that roughly translates to “greatest mountain.” 4. More than 60 people have died on Katahdin since the first known death in Baxter State Park was recorded in 1933. 5. Katahdin was purchased by former Maine Gov. Percival Baxter in 1930. A year later, he donated it to the state of Maine with the condition that it remain “forever wild.” 6. Black bears have been spotted near the top of Katahdin, feasting on wild blueberries, crowberries, cranberries and bilberries. 7. In July of 1939, 12-year-old Donn Fendler became lost while hiking with his family on Katahdin. He wandered alone for nine days before he stumbled upon a remote camp about 35 miles from where he’d gone missing. 8. There are several ways to hike Katahdin. 9. A Penobscot Indian entity called Pamola dwells on Katahdin. It has the head of a moose, large wings and the feet of a bird. 10. The top of Katahdin is the northern terminus of the National Scenic Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile footpath that spans from Georgia to Maine.