On a Mountain in Maine

Group of Gould students posing at the iconic Mount Katahdin Summit Sign

Sep 23 2025

“Mr. Hayward wakes us in our tents at four in the morning, still nighttime, and I start to question what I got myself into,” says Magnus ’26, half asleep and wondering why he had opted in to the fall Mount Katahdin trip at Gould.

The fall Katahdin trip isn’t exclusively for twelfth graders (this year’s trip was five seniors and four juniors), but it has become a tradition in recent years for a group of seniors to travel the four and a half hours to Baxter State Park for a weekend camping adventure to summit Maine’s highest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Here’s Magnus’s account of this Gould, and Maine, rite of passage.

After a poor night’s rest on an inch-thick sleeping pad, all eleven of us filed up the Helon Taylor Trail, a rocky three-mile trail that leads to the summit of Pamola. Twenty minutes after sunrise, we reached the treeline and stopped to take photos. I noticed a boulder that would make a great shot, so Mr. Hayward got a cool picture of me with Katahdin in the background. We summited Pamola just after 8 a.m., and I couldn’t help but think that if it were a weekday, I would be sitting in assembly instead of taking in the incredible view. I didn’t expect the mountain’s topography to be so dramatic. The highest part of Katahdin is obscured until you crest Pamola, so the view feels well earned.

Magnus stands above the treeline in Baxter State Park taking in at Mount Katahdin in the distance — **Magnus takes in the view of Mount Katahdin in the distance shortly after sunrise.**

From Pamola is Knife Edge, a narrow one-mile stretch that leads to Baxter Peak. On that section of trail, I realized I was more comfortable with heights than most of the group. While others chose alternative routes, I comfortably hopped from boulder to boulder.

“Magnus was in his happy place on Katahdin and the Knife Edge. Where some struggled, he could be seen hopping from rock to rock and clicking his heels together like it was an easy stroll down the road.”
CHRIS HAYWARD, DIRECTOR OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

When we reached the summit, I couldn’t believe I was standing on the highest point in Maine. It felt incredible. We took photos and rested before descending the Saddle Trail to the longer, more scenic Hamlin Ridge Trail, which overlooks the North Basin. The North Basin reminded me of Tuckerman Ravine, but twice the size. After 11 miles and 12 hours of hiking, I was exhausted. But the views and experience made it all worthwhile. It felt important to witness what the land was like before development. In a way, it’s like looking back into the past. ᨒ↟