EDITOR’S NOTE


It was once believed to be the home of the “Storm God” by the Abenaki Native American Tribe, and thus, it was a place to be avoided. It has claimed nineteen lives since counting began in 1963 and even the great composer Alan Hovhaness wrote a piano sonata after being inspired by it.


Mount Katahdin, which if translated right, means Mount Greatest Mountain and it is likely about as alpine as you can get in the Northeast. Traveling over slopes of loose rock and gigantic boulders is unavoidable when approach- ing climbs. Carved over time, Baxter Peak stands tall and unrelenting.


The weather can be harsh and in the winter time, your gear and packs are fully inspected by the rangers who oc- cupy the station at Chimney Pond.


Mount Katahdin stands 5,268 feet from sea level and can be seen from far away, as it is the only things that hovers in the sky for miles.


My first and only visit to the peak was thwarted by injury. Approaching the Armadillo, I grabbed a boulder thinking it was too big to move. To my surprise, it not only moved but came crashing down on me with a ton of force, crush- ing my foot and sending me to the hospital via a Black Hawk.


In this Issue #8 of Climberism, Pete Tapley takes you for a ride through one of his Mount Katahdin winter experi- ences at a young age. Shut down, not by injury, but some of the natural elements we take for granted.


The view from Chimney Pond looking toward Baxter Peak // Photo by: Alicia Petgrave 4 climber MAGAZINEism | SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2011 |


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