Sunday, August 24, 2008

A View of Katahdin

Yesterday, our flight from Newfoundland took us just north of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and over the northern tip of Prince Edward Island. Leaving the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we passed above the flat, quilted lands of New Brunswick; Grand Lake appeared to the south and it was easy to follow the St. John River as it snaked westward and then northward near the eastern border of Maine.

Beyond the river, the farmlands gave way to the vast North Woods, dotted with numerous glacial lakes. Then, Mt. Katahdin appeared in this sea of green, its summit rising above the wild lands of northern Maine. Reaching an elevation of 5268 feet, it surely commands a spectacular view, a fact I hope to confirm myself some day!

Mountains, especially those isolated peaks that tower above the surrounding landscape, have always stirred my soul. Literally and figuratively, they represent the pure, high ground of our planet, a vital source of both water and inspiration.