Our Snail Tracks

October 4, 2024

We always wanted to experience the wilderness of Maine. Thanks to the generosity and foresight of a man named Percival Baxter, we were able to explore one of the most rugged and untamed landscapes in the country.

Percival Baxter was a wealthy philanthropist who served as Governor of Maine from 1921-1925. He began buying parcels of land and donating them to the people of Maine. His first purchase in 1930 was 6,000 acres which included Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak. He donated it with the condition that it forever remain wild. Over the years, he continued to purchase and donate more land, which became the 200,000-acre Baxter State Park of today. He is famous for saying:

“Man is born to die, 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.” – Percival P. Baxter

The first thing we realized when we arrived is that Baxter State Park is not your average park. As soon as you arrive, the park rangers record your name, vehicle information and emergency contact in case you go missing. The roads are all dirt or rock, per Mr. Baxter’s wishes when he donated the land. The 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail, which starts in Georgia, reaches its finish line on Mount Katahdin.

There are many sad tales of emergency search-and-rescue missions or deaths in the remote areas near Mount Katahdin. We stuck to a nice, calm and gorgeous trail called Sandy Pond Trail.