Recognize this snow-covered mountain?
This revered section of the Appalachian Trail looms large over the gold course below.
[To view a higher-resolution photo, click on the image.]
Photograph by Alan Lavallee
This image says a lot about the age-old Maine debate: how much of the state should be wild and how much should be developed? Haggling over these hills dates back to at least the forties, when a ski slope was carved down the side of one mountain. In the seventies, plans for a huge resort on the favorite hiking range seen in the distance prompted major opposition. It’s not hard to understand the problem. This is a revered section of the Appalachian Trail, and it provides one of the best ridge walks in the Northeast. Poke around enough, and you can find rare plants like mountain sandwort and pink wintergreen and stands of beech and birch and maple and fir that have never been cut. The area will never again be as pristine — and dangerous — as it was when Benedict Arnold pushed his men through here in 1775, although the state has carved out an ecological reserve to preserve what remains. It’s a magnificent hunk of landscape, as spectacularly scenic as geology gets. Have you ever climbed this mountain or putted in its shadow? Send us a comment below, drop us a note at PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843, or whip us an e-mail at editorial@downeast.com.
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