Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Avery Peak

Few mountain trails are straight, and I don't mind that at all. Wherever the slope of a mountain (change in y over change in x) exceeds a certain value, the trail begins switching back and forth. The trail is longer, but not nearly as steep. It makes the climb much easier.

However, if you ever climb Avery Peak in Stratton, Maine, you will find that the Fire Warden's trail isn't like that. Those fire wardens were hardy folk who were accustomed to making the trip up and down the mountain on a regular basis as they served their shifts in the tower at the peak. These men didn't care a whit for change in y over change in x. They also didn't much care for the comfort of those who would - for entertainment - follow in their footsteps decades later.

If you look at a map of the area you might suspect that someone put one end of a chalk line at the base of the mountain, the other end at the peak, and then snapped a straight blue line over some very rugged terrain. When you hike that chalk-line trail you'll feel as though your lungs are on fire and your knees are made of Jello, as you take the most direct route to the peak.

If you are as stubborn as me, and persevere all the way to that 4,088 foot peak, you will discover alpine views in 360 degrees, views that rival even Katahdin's Baxter Peak, which is taller than Avery by about 1,200 feet. As you stand in astonishment at the peak, staring out at ranges of mountains that stretch out for hundreds of miles in all directions, and fade away into the stunning blues of a cloudless sky, you'll likely find yourself thinking, Now I understand why those fire wardens were in such a hurry to get to the peak!

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