The mighty Mount Katahdin. This was an adventure planned for years. The rugged peak jutting up from the low valleys and ponds of central Maine’s expansive wildlands has captivated New England mountaineers since the inception of the sport.

It took 8 hours of climbing, rocks and crags, on hands and knees at times, up and over boulders, following paint on the rocks of a trail so steep you could barely stand on it at times. The path was beautiful, and we watched the surrounding peaks go from impressive monoliths to seemingly insignificant hills in the distance as we rose above them.

The magnificent “Tableland” was like climbing onto a rare plane, a lost world of skies and grass where trees and people don’t belong. It was so different from any peak I have climbed before. It had a ferocity and a grandeur and made you feel like a visitor regardless of experience or skill.

This was the greatest mountain I have ever summitted.