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Katahdin
Excursion: August 21-25 2008
“Katahdin,
said to mean Highest Land”
"Why
should not we, who have renounced the king’s authority,
have our national preserves, where no villages need be destroyed,
in which the bear and panther, and some even of the hunter race,
may still exist, and not be 'civilized off the face of the
earth,' -- our forests, not to hold the king’s
game merely, but to hold and preserve the king himself also, the
lord of creation, -- not for idle sport or food, but for inspiration
and our own true re-creation?" ~ Henry David Thoreau, The
Maine Woods, "Chesuncook"
About
the Weekend
Join members of the Thoreau Society for a long weekend of hiking,
camping, swimming and wildlife watching in Baxter State Park,
Maine. Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, was one of Thoreau's destinations on his Maine Woods journey of 1846. Now protected
within this 200,000-acre state park, Katahdin and its surrounding
wilderness offer hundreds of miles of trails, streams and mountain
peaks.
Like last
year, Trout Brook Farm Group Sites at Baxter State Park have been
reserved for up to 18 of us for 4 nights, August 21-24,
2008. You will arrive Thursday and depart Monday. For
those of you unfamiliar with that site, it is approximately 1
1/2 miles from the Grand Lake Matagamon gate on the northeastern
side of the park with green grass, plenty of sun and shade. There
is also a camp store, which has showers, just a quick ride out
of the gate.
This year, climbing Katahdin may not be an option, as it is a 2 ½ hour drive to the trail head. There are a number of other mountains
to climb, trails to hike, ponds, streams and waterfalls to bathe
in, and canoes to paddle. There is also a canoe rental spot just
behind our campsites, and we are right on Trout Brook, which leads
into Grand Lake Matagammon. Relaxing in a camp chair with a good
book has also been known to be a good activity. We added some optional evening activities and programs, and expected to offer an optional orienteering program as
well. If you have any ideas or would like to lead a program, let
us know.
Several years ago, we extended the trip to Monday, as we have found that witnessing the
southbound traffic leaving Maine on a Sunday negates all the natural relaxation
that we built up from Thursday through Saturday.
Staff
The staff members will be
going up to Maine on Wednesday to get the site prepared, the dining
pavilion and camp kitchen assembled, and to insure that everything
will be ready for your arrival on Thursday afternoon.
What’s
Included
Included in your registration fee will be camping sites for 4
nights, eleven meals that will be served from dinner on Thursday
through breakfast on Monday morning. There will be some new menu
features this year as well, and we can accommodate vegetarian
diets. Trail snacks, granola bars, etc will be available for your
use, and ice tea, lemonade, coffee, tea and cocoa will be available
as well. A menu will be included in your registration packet.
You will be responsible for any other food. There will be a large
dining pavilion that the Thoreau Society owns, and the site does
have several picnic tables for our use.
There is no
running water at the site, and we have to pack it in, so we do
require each person to bring 5 gallons of drinking water with
them. You will be responsible for your own camping equipment (tent,
tarps, sleeping bags, mats, cots, camping chairs, etc), your own
transportation (we can help arrange carpools if needed), and any
other food or beverages not listed in the packet.
Registration
Fee
Due to increased general costs (like gas!!!), we will be charging
$200.00 for Society members and $225.00 for non-members.
All participants
are responsible for paying the $12.00 per vehicle entrance
fee.
In the past, we have reimbursed this amount to you, but this year, that cost was not factored into the budget.
A full information
packet will be sent to all registered participants.
Any remaining
profits from the trip will be used to help fund the Thoreau Society’s
ongoing mission as a non-profit, educational organization.
How
to Register
If you would like to hold a space for this year’s excursion,
please print and fill out the registration form below and mail it, along with
full payment, to the address on the form.
Registrations
will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
We cannot
refund any registration fees due to cancellation after July 25.
We also cannot refund any fees due to weather related cancellations
or other unforeseen circumstances.
If you have questions, contact:
John Chateauneuf,
Education Coordinator
(978) 287-5477
phone
(978) 287-5620 fax
jchat@thoreausociety.org
Suggested
Reading
Check out the following books and products about Katahdin at the
Thoreau Society Shop at Walden Pond website: www.shopatwaldenpond.org.
All eStore proceeds benefit the Thoreau Society.
The Maine
Woods, by Henry David Thoreau Order this book
Walking With Thoreau, commentary by William Howarth Order this book
Wilderness and Spirit: A Mountain Called Katahdin, Order this item
documentary
by Huey on VHS or DVD
~~~~~
Out-of-print, but still available from libraries or used book dealers:
The Wildest Country: A Guide to Thoreau's Maine, by J. Parker Huber
Katahdin
Registration Form
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