Maine on EARTH Magazine

Travels in Geology: Roaming the rocky coastline of Downeast Maine

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:28:31 -0500

Jordan Pond was formed by an ice sheet during the Wisconsinan glaciation. A flat path that loops around the pond offers views of North Bubble and South Bubble, the two rounded hillocks seen in the distance. Credit: Bethany Augliere.

Sitting atop the bald, pink granite ledges of Cadillac Mountain in Maine’s Acadia National Park, I watched the sunset from the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard. The expansive view reveals a stunning landscape carved from glaciers, with elongated lakes and ponds and rounded mountaintops in the distance. As the sky darkened, the moon rose above the horizon and over the nearby harbor. From this vantage point, on winter mornings from Oct. 7 through March 6, you can also catch the first glimpse of sunrise in the United States.

Getting there and getting around Mount Katahdin

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 11:30:53 -0500

"Sign" marking the logging road to Blueberry Ledges Trail in Baxter State Park. Such signs are common in the region. Credit: Bethany Augliere.

Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park is about 120 kilometers northwest of Bangor, Maine, and its international airport. Once in Maine, you will need a car to get around. You can rent one at the airport or drive in from another large regional city like Boston. Plan to visit in the summer months before Oct. 15, when the campgrounds close. Bear in mind, they can be closed earlier due to weather.

Travels in Geology: Exploring Maine's magnificent Mount Katahdin

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 11:16:33 -0500

At about 1,605 meters, Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park is the highest mountain in Maine. Credit: Bethany Augliere.

After weeks of anticipation and constant checks of weather forecasts to find a day when the skies were likely to be clear, I decided the early fall morning had finally arrived to hike Mount Katahdin — the highest mountain in Maine at 1,605 meters. I woke up at 5 a.m., crawled out of my sleeping bag, got dressed and turned on my headlamp to begin the trek.

Exploring the newest gift to America: Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 18:01:08 -0400

“Are you sure this is right? It feels like we are headed to Neverland,” my boyfriend asked me while hiking last weekend. We were in the country’s newest national monument — Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument — a remote area of about 35,400 hectares in north-central Maine, designated by President Obama under executive authority last Wednesday, one day before the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.