Baxter State Park

We finally made it!!!  Baxter State Park, a gift to the state of Maine from the former Govenor Percival P. Baxter in 1931.  "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."
Mount Katahdin is the highest peak in Maine at 5,267' and is the starting or ending point for the Appalachian Trail.

This is the trail head to the trail we hiked where we were hoping to encounter a moose.

No moose, but a beautiful view of Mount Katahdin.

A Green Comma.  The green is variable, but the comma is there on the wing in white.

A Common Goldeneye feeding alongside Common Merganzers which I could not get a good photo of.

An American Toad with all its warts.  But, alas, no moose!!

The ridge to the right of the peak is called Knife's Edge and it is on the edge with drop offs on both sides for some distance.  The people here have us scared to death to hike to the top with all their tales of danger.

This is a diorama showing the yellow trails to the top.  The one at the bottom is the access trail from where we stopped to take photos.

After 8 miles on the "tote" road inside the park taking us to Sandy Stream Pond where the pictures were taken, we decided that was enough of a rough ride for us that day.  I would like to try that hike to the top of Baxter Peak (Katahdin)...maybe next year.  Katahdin is an Indian word for sleeping giant.

We enjoyed a little picnic before we left and those peaches were delicious.  It was a delightful journey with plans to return.