MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 23, 2021
Last year, The Nature Conservancy had a refurbished fire tower constructed on Trout Mountain, an imposing 80-foot steel structure with six flights of stairs leading to a wide-open observation platform on top. A new hiking trail meanders for nearly 3 miles over the mountain’s western slopes to reach the summit, where the real excitement begins. Break out of the tree cover and the view is stunning, but there’s more, so steel your nerves for the final scramble up to the ultimate prize – a breathtaking 360-degree panorama. Bracing against the wind and holding on to your hat, looking north you can pick out Barnard and Deasey mountains in Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and the tops of Sugarloaf and Mt. Chase just showing beyond The Traveler summits, Pamola Peak and Baxter Peak on Katahdin, the shoulder of Mt. Coe, Mt. O-J-I and Doubletop Mountain in Baxter State Park. ~ Carey Kish