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Travel | March 24, 2010

Mount Katahdin: Most northern sacred site in the Northeastern Sacred Sites series

Paula Jean West's photo
Pagan Travel Examiner

Mt. Katahdin, located in Northern Maine about 25 miles northwest of Millinocket in Baxter State Park, is the highest mountain in Maine. The Penobscot Indians gave the mountain the name Katahdin which means “The Greatest Mountain".  The peak has been the source for many artworks and Alan Hovhaness composed a sonata for piano entitled "Mount Katahdin."

Mt. Katahdin is the northern end of the Appalachian Trail and the southern end of the International Appalachian Trail. Baxter State Park is open year round, but very strictly regulated in winter. The overnight camping season is from May 15 to October 15. Helping to minimize the overuse of the trails, Baxter State Park has placed capacity limits on day use parking at the trailheads standing strong against the over-commercialization of the park. A reservation system is strictly enforced. There are one-lane dirt roads, chemical toilets, and no souvenir stands. Campers, trailers, trail bikes, and motorcycles are banned and not allowed through the gates.
 
Katahdin was believed by the local Native Americans to be the home of the storm god, Pamola. According to some sources, Pamola is described as “an eagle-like monster with a large head and the body and feet of an eagle, who feeds on moose and lives on the top of the mountain in the clouds, ready to tear to pieces anyone who should climb to the summit.” It is also thought to be the home of Wuchowsen, “the wind bird, who produces the thick fog on the summit called Pamola's Plumes.”
 
The Wabanaki celebrate the Spirit of the Light and welcome at the summer solstice, vernal and autumnal equinoxes, the first rays of sunshine as they fall on Mt. Katahdin, the first place on the United States mainland to receive sunlight in the morning.
 
“For the Wabanaki, the Mountain is central to all their beliefs and experiences. It is where Mother Earth reaches out to the sky. To go to Katahdin is to experience the spiritual aspects of Wabanaki life at its source, to feel the interconnectedness of oneself with that of ancestors and future generations.”
 
For more information about Mt. Katahdin:
  1. "Alan Hovhaness, Sonata for piano, Op. 40" www.answers.com/topic/alan-hovhaness
  2. Turner, C. (1804). A Description of Mount Catardin. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society.
  3. Clark, Stephen (2003). Katahdin: A Guide to Baxter State Park & Katahdin. Clark Books.
  4. Pinder, Eric (2005) North to Katahdin.  Milkweed Editions
  5. www.ericpinder.com/html/pamola.html
  6. Katahdin Webcam
  7. Katahdin Webcam - Millinocket
  8. Katahdin on Peakware (photos)
  9. Baxter State Park Authority Official Website

Author's note: This is the first article in the first edition of  "Sacred Places to Visit in the Northeast States of the USA."  Many of these sites are Native American archaeological sites.  Some are cathedrals that have special features that might appeal to Pagan folks.  More sites will be added as I further research these areas, the sacred sites of each area and their surroundings.  I ask  those of you who live or travel frequently in these areas-Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Connecticut-to please write to me at Branwenn@aol,.com to tell me about any and all sites I may have missed.  I would also be happy to include your personal observations and quotes about each of these sites in my articles about the individual sites.  If I use your quotes or ideas, you will be credited as an associate author and a short bio of you as a writer and explorer of sacred sites will be featured. The listing page for each section of the USA will be updated frequently and continue to be a work in progress.  Soon, there will be several of these outline pages, one for each area of the USA, followed by an article for each of the sites giving an overview of the particulars of each site.  To finish up each site, I will feature an eyewitness review of each site and updated photos. It's going to be a busy year--and we're just getting started! 

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Pagan Travel Examiner

Paula Jean West, Lady Branwenn WhiteRaven, is a Third Degree Wiccan Priestess, a travel writer, a photographer, a back to nature enthusiast and an...

Comments

  • Jamey 1 year ago
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    Wow I had never heard of this place!

  • Kris Bradley 1 year ago
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    Wow, this isn't so very far from me! I'm going to put it on my list of places I'd like to visit!

  • Emily Jones, Denver Wicca Examiner 1 year ago
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    That sounds like a great place. I wish that I lived closer to that area because I would love to visit Mt. Katahdin.

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