Episode #4 - Katahdin: History and Gratitude

The Platinum Blazing Podcast

Almost every thru-hiker has great expectations for Mt. Katahdin located in Baxter State Park in Maine. Many have the impression that Baxter is all about rules and regulations - even potentially limiting the number of thru-hikers permitted to summit. In this podcast, RTK tries to show how the thru-hike experience gave him a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude for people and circumstances in his life - and that such gratitude impacted his attitude about, and thus his enjoyment of Baxter State Park, Mt. Katahdin, and completing his thru-hike. As he discusses, without the generosity of men like Percival Baxter - and more recently Rosanne Quimby - we might not even have the fantastic wilderness spaces we enjoy.

Baxter, of course, conceptualized and personally funded much of what we know today as Baxter State Park. And more recently, Quimby used her philanthropy to create the National Monument knowntoday as Katahdin Woods and Waters, just east of Baxter State Park.

Percival Baxter

https://baxterstatepark.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percival_P._Baxter

Rosanne Quimby

https://www.nps.gov/kaww/index.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxanne_Quimby

Irving Hunt The answer to our AT History Quiz. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1514&context=mainehistory

Our Podcaster: The podcast host is Bruce (“RTK”) Matson, who completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2018 at age 61. His adventures were captured as part of the Hiking Radio Network podcast known as “Returning to Katahdin: An Appalachian Trail Dream.” Bruce’s memoir of that hike is also available on Amazon.

The Platinum Blazing Podcast was inspired by the book: “Platinum-Blazing the Appalachian Trail: How to Thru-hike in 3-Star Luxury.” A new, updated edition has just been released. It is available on Amazon, on the Platinum Blazing website, and by writing to the editors at [e-mail].

This new edition features many new Best Platinum honorees, including a new, Platinum-Blazing Hall of Fame. It also has a new section of the Best Platinum Shelters along the Appalachian Trail. Another chapter highlights the “Tennessee Hostel Hop” and the “Virginia is for Hostel Lovers Hike” - each listing helps hikers determine an itinerary to permit them to stay overnight in a hostel for over 200 miles straight in Tennessee and over 100 miles in Virginia. More information about Platinum-Blazing is available as follows:

* Website: www.platinum-blazing.com

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlatinumBlazeInstitute

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platinum_blazing/

Please email Bruce at [e-mail] with any ideas you have for topics or guests, especially hostel owners, shuttle drivers, AT maintenance club members, owners of best Platinum eating establishments, recent thru-hikers, etc. Please feel free to suggest or nominate yourself.