View to Baxter Peak, looking eastward, Mount Katahdin, Maine, USA by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

On a hike up Abol Trail on Mount Katahdin, my brother and I were in the clouds most of the way. At the top of Abol Trail, the path passes Thoreau Spring in a relatively flat expanse called "The Tablelands". From this western path, the mountain gently rises to its highest elevation at Baxter Peak (the eastern and northern approaches are along steep ridges) --- the cairn of stones at the peak is visible in a snapshot here. The Tablelands were largely above the cloud cover and the wind would occasionally sweep aside the mists on the sides of the mountain affording fleeting but spectacular views to the valley below. Baxter Peak on Mount Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from here to northern Georgia. For more information about Katahdin and Baxter State Park, go to: www.baxterstateparkauthority.com /