Those of us who are fortunate enough to call Maine home are the beneficiaries of what I would argue are two of God’s greatest gifts: mountains and the ocean.

Few places on Earth can boast a coastline where the mountains do, in fact, meet the sea, and 4,000-footers are within a couple of hours drive for most of us. And if you live on, or visit Mt. Desert Island, mountains rising more than 1,000 feet from the nearby sea level invite you to explore their trails and craggy cliffs.

Maine’s wild beauty is never more obvious than from the summit of Cadillac Mountain with the panoramic view of Frenchman Bay below. Cadillac is the East Coast’s tallest mountain. At 1,530 feet, it offers breath-taking views from its pink granite summit. As the Encyclopedia Britannica notes, if you want to find a higher peak on the Atlantic coast, you’d have to trek all the way down to Rio de Janeiro. Josh Christie photo

Having spent the better part of my eight decades near or on the ocean, or deep in the northern and western forests, I feel a kinship to these enduring but ever-changing natural features of the world that Mainers cherish and visitors will go to great lengths to enjoy, even if only for a week or two a year.

The sea, with its constant ebb and flow, embodies the rhythms of life and, as legendary Maine poet Wilbert Snow once observed so sagely:

The sea is forever quivering

And the shore is forever still,

And the boy who is born in a seacoast town

Is born with a dual will.

The sunburned rocks and beaches

Inveigle him to stay,

While every wave that breaches

Is a nudge to be up and away.

For many of us coastal natives, that nudge leads us to the mountains a few short miles to our west. And in them we find an inexhaustible supply of both recreational opportunities and inspiration.

There’s something about mountains, and their ascent, and the glory of the views from their summits that many of us find both life-altering and life-affirming.

Whether it’s Bradbury Mountain or Katahdin, a one-hour outing or an all-day trek, standing above your surroundings in the peace and quiet of a pristine woodland is about as close to complete perfection as you can experience at so little cost.

I’ve climbed West Kennebago in the rain, Bigelow in the snow, Tunk in a gale and Tumbledown on a bluebird day, and I can honestly say I can’t grade them any differently. Each trip was unique and satisfying in its own way. That’s because mountains have their special way of wrapping you in their arms and making you one with them. Even if only for a few hours. It has been said that while climbing a mountain can tire your body, it can at the same time renew your spirit.

Hiking has a special way of activating both sides of your brain: The cognitive left side works out the mileage, direction and judgment issues while the right side – the creative, intuitive one – is stimulated by the sights and sounds of your surroundings. And hiking up a mountain, with the satisfaction of reaching the summit, is nourishing to both your body and your spirit.

Sir Francis Younghusband, the noted British explorer who led a groundbreaking expedition to the mountains of Tibet in 1904, once wrote, “To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties that they will not disclose to those who make no effort. That is the reward that mountains give to effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who will wrestle with them that men love the mountains and will go back to them again and again. The mountains reserve their choice gifts for those who stand upon their summits.”

We are especially blessed here in Maine that one man, Percival Baxter, selflessly bequeathed to his native state a mountain and the lands adjacent to it, and created a park that bears his name. Who of us has not climbed or dreamed of climbing Katahdin? Chimney Pond, the Knife Edge, and the variety of routes and vistas are the stuff that memories are made of.

Baxter himself, in his generous bequest, succinctly and eloquently explained his rationale for devoting decades of his life to assemble the land and convince the Legislature to accept it. “Man is born to die,” he said. “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.”

English painter and poet, William Blake once wrote:

Great things are done when men and mountains meet;

These are not done by jostling in the street.

So make this the summer to climb a Maine mountain or two. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

John Christie is an author and year-round Maine explorer. He and his son Josh write in Outdoors about places to enjoy the beauty that only Maine has to offer. He can be contacted at:

jchriste@fairpoint.net

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