Friday, August 29, 2014

Transforming Friday with Nature's Wonders

Hi there Garden Peeps!!

We're making a special trip this time around...I hope you're not tired of mountains or afraid of heights!

This one holds a special place in my heart and it's on my mind - my sister, a few girlfriends and I are planning a hiking trip to occur in two weeks. It will be my third time up...I'm very excited!

Let's visit Mount Katahdin at Baxter State Park - the highest peak in Maine, U.S.A.!




Forgive me for the copy/paste here for a moment with some background info. but wiki states it well, I think. :)

Mount Katahdin (pronounced /kəˈtɑːdən/, "kə-tah-dən") is the highest mountain in Maine at 5,269 feet (1,606 m). NamedKatahdin by the Penobscot Indians, the term means "The Greatest Mountain".[3] Katahdin is the centerpiece of Baxter State Park: a steep, tall mountain formed from a granite intrusion weathered to the surface.

The flora and fauna on the mountain are typical of those found in northern New England. Katahdin was known to the Native Americans in the region, and was known to Europeans at least since 1689. It has inspired hikes, climbs, journal narratives, paintings, and a piano sonata.[4] The area around the peak was protected by Governor Percival Baxter starting in the 1930s. Katahdin is the northern terminus of theAppalachian Trail, and is located near a stretch known as the Hundred-Mile Wilderness.



In the 1840s Henry David Thoreau climbed Katahdin, which he spelled "Ktaadn"; his ascent is recorded in a well-known chapter of The Maine Woods.[12] A few years later Theodore Winthrop wrote about his visit in Life in the Open Air. Painters Frederic Edwin Church and Marsden Hartley are well-known artists who created landscapes of Katahdin. On Nov. 30 2011, Christie's auctioned Church's 1860 painting Twilight(Katahdin) for $3.1 million.

In the 1930s Governor Percival Baxter began to acquire land and finally deeded more than 200,000 acres (809 km²) to the State of Maine for a park, named Baxter State Parkafter him. The summit was officially recognized by the US Board on Geographic Names as "Baxter Peak" in 1931.

Then there's the famous, "Knife Edge."

The most famous hike to the summit goes along Knife Edge, which traverses the ridge between Pamola Peak and Baxter Peak. The mountain has claimed 19 lives since 1963, mostly from exposure in bad weather and falls from the Knife Edge. For about 3/10 of a mile the trail is 3 feet wide, with a drop off on either side. The Knife Edge is closed during periods of high wind.




Here's a short clip if you'd like to vicariously experience a little taste of this beautiful mountain and the challenging but fun hike!



I offer a jumping point here...it's meant to inspire just how it inspires and allow authors poetic-wiggle-room. Anything in this post is fair game...a small list of possibilities? How about the Hundred-Mile WildernessHenry David Thoreau, the Appalachian Trail, the Penobscot Indians or even the makings of the very mountain itself... the granite intrusion. Or if you have a mountain that's grown a granite stone-shape in your heart, by all means, share! 

Enjoy the stroll in the peaks my pond friends, link up a new poem below and visit your neighbors. Thank you! 

(All images and info. via wiki creative commons.) 


15 comments:

avalon said...

You are just trying to make me envious, aren't you?
Actually, a little known fact, [ well I never knew, ] your Appalachians were once connected to our Scottish Highlands. They're made of the same substance rock.
Odd to think on that.
BTW, how do we write to your prompt? Only having walked through those hills of yours with Bill Bryson holding my hand, figuratively spoken, I don't know what to say, except envy in many shades of green.

brudberg said...

As jo-hanna said.. you are invoking envy.. I think I will share some other mountains I have been to.. This summer I went up to a few Norwegian peaks... hmm yes this is close to my heart.

Hannah said...

Yes, yes, you guys I'm trying to make you super green with envy! ;)

jo-hanna - " your Appalachians were once connected to our Scottish Highlands" this could be your poetic angle if you chose it to be - really anything that excites your muse... Thank you for sharing this fact with me...I didn't know that!

One could speak from the mountain's POV if it struck them to do so.

Bjorn, if you'd like to share some Norwegian peaks I'd be delighted!

I didn't really explain what I wanted from this challenge specifically because what I offer is a jumping point...it's meant to inspire just how it inspires and allow authors poetic-wiggle-room. :)

Have fun my friends...read you soon!

Kerry O'Connor said...

Such a majestic sight! I always envy hikers - I long to experience the end result but I hate to walk!

Susan said...

A jumping point, indeed, quite a high one! Haha. Confession: I fell to this poem before feeding the beasties, which I am in charge of for our holiday weekend. Heading down to the first floor apartment now.

Hannah said...

Kerry, you state it rightly...it's definitely a test of will to bring oneself to submit to peaks as these.

Susan! I love that this poem wouldn't let you have breathing-room this morning...my poem for this snagged me away as I was mid-picnic-packing! :)

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Yay Transforming Friday! I'll be back. Hannah, I'm so happy you are doing that climb. It's great to do things that replenish your Self, especially as you give so much to others....this is taking care of your kids' mom in a really good way! I cant wait to hear all about it when you return.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

And yikes! be careful on the Knife Edge, kiddo!

Hannah said...

Sherry!! Thank you for your awesome supportive words...you're a true Light!

Yes, Knife Edge looks scarier than it is, I think...I've hiked that particular trail twice and it doesn't feel nearly as steep as it is when you're right there...we may not hike it...it depends, one of the ladies is a little nervous about heights...either way, I'll be happy just to be there.

Jazzbumpa said...

Acchh

I am such a flat-lander.

Cheers!
JzB

Margaret said...

I will try to give this a whirl but am running way behind. If I post it will be late. Thanks for the challenge. It is fun researching these new places.

Hannah said...

Jazz, flat-land is good too...each place has its beauty. :)

Margaret, late is okay as well...whenever you have time and if you don't have time I totally understand...it's a busy season. :)

Thank you to everyone who has played along this time around...I've enjoyed your work greatly, it has inspired me. :)

Susie Clevenger said...

What a majestic place...yes, be cautious, but enjoy the adventure!!

Margaret said...

I'll be back later tonight to visit and comment.

avalon said...

Hannah, see what you made me do??
I got so anxious to put foot on those rocks in the video that we decided to go climb an AT mountain the week after next. So when you're up there with your friends, just think of me touching the identical orogenous [ sic ?] rock on the AT.
I won't be able to write a poem until I've been up and down. have a great time and I hope the weather is kind to all of us.