Katahdin Bicentenial

imported
#1

For those making the Katahdin Summit this year.

In the book, The Maine Woods, Henry David Thoreau makes this comment:

“Ktaadn, whose name is an Indian word signifying highest land, was first ascended by white men in 1804.”

A fellow named Charlie Turner organized an expedition, led by Penobscot guides, that summited on August 13th 1804. They climbed along the route now called the Hunt Trail which the AT follows today. They left a lead tablet with their names and the date on the peak, an artifact that has been lost to time.

This year 2004 marks 200 years of reaching the summit by at least the non-native population. Making the summit in the bicentennial year is worth noting and may deserve a footnote of sorts in trail journals completed. Congrats to all that made the this year 200 years of reaching the top of Katahdin.

“The tops of mountains are among the unfinished parts of the globe, whither it is a slight insult to the gods to climb and pry into their secrets, and try their effect on our humanity. Only daring and insolent men, perchance, go there. Simple races, as savages, do not climb mountains,–their tops are sacred and mysterious tracts never visited by them. Pomola is always angry with those who climb to the summit of Ktaadn.” From “The Maine Woods” Henry David Thoreau, August-September 1846

Best Regards,

Clark Fork in Western Montana (six times to the top of Katahdin in the 1960’s)

Clark Fork

#2

Thanks for this post. I love Thoreau’s writing and it was nice to see a post about the outdoors and hiking from a very different perspective.

Lizz

#3

thank you for sharing

Tha Wookie

#4

Who all went up on August 13th? Just be cool to know.

Boagus

#5

Dear Clark,
I will certainly edit my 9/11/2004 journal entry to include your historical footnote. Thank you very much for contributing to my AT thru-hike’s education.
Ladybug

Ladybug

#6

“A fellow named Charlie Turner…”

These are my words, from my response on Whiteblaze.net to this topic. My entire response was: “I made note of this in the Katahdin section of the ALDHA 2004 Thruhiker’s Companion. A fellow named Charlie Turner organized an expedition, led by Penobscot guides, that summited on August 13th. They climbed along the route now called the Hunt Trail which the AT follows today. They left a lead tablet with their names and the date on the peak, an artifact that has been lost to time.
No official notice of the anniversary was made by the Park, but several thruhikers I spoke to that day were thrilled to be summiting on the anniversary. The members of the Penobscot Nation I spoke with about this were of the opinion that August 13th, 1804 was probably the first time what is now called Baxter Peak had been reached by anyone. Indians, they explained, would’ve had been far too busy with hunting and harvesting for recreational exploration.”

TJ aka Teej