By Kim Adler
“Man is born to die, his works are short-lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes. But Katahdin in all its glory, forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.”—Percival Baxter
We planned for months, the pinnacle hike of our summer break: Mt. Katahdin in the North Maine Woods. Countless other hikes were completed in preparation for “the big one.” Numerous hours were spent physically training for a hike that few had ever completed. Endless time was spent reviewing trail maps, perusing the Baxter State Park website, studying reviews on AllTrails.com, and reading posts in Facebook hiking groups. Starbucks became a common meeting place as we hurdled our way through the race against time, and our personal and collective fear of the unknown. Though one can imagine that six education professionals could conquer Katahdin, no one could have imagined the immense struggles this group would endure throughout their 13-hour journey. Read the full travel writing article.