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Sad to say that after living and hiking up here in New England for so long I've still yet to get a glimpse of Maine's big one, Katahdin.

On Saddleback (Horn) this past Sunday I noticed a very large and pointy peak left of the two Bigelow peaks. It looked like, far into the distance, that it was had some significant elevation, and I know that there's nothing higher between the Bigelows and Katahdin. Looking at the topo map though, it looks like it could also potentially be Big Squaw, so I wasn't sure if anyone knew for sure.

From Saddleback Horn, Katahdin would be behind Little Bigelow, i.e., to the right (east) of Bigelow's two main peaks. It also doesn't look terribly pointy from the southwest. That's also got to be close to 100mi distance - I'm too lazy to look up that day's visibility or whether the two peaks are high enough to overcome the curvature of the Earth, but I'm skeptical.

Sure you weren't looking at Bigelow's Horn Peaks? At that angle they would look like a single sharp peak left of Bigelow's main peaks, though you should be able to see the connecting ridge that tells you they're at the same distance.

Thanks. I'll upload a picture once I get back from work. I did think that Katahdin was a little far away...but I had read somewhere that it's visible from the Sugarloaf/Bigelow area, and Saddleback is only a little further away.

I'm pretty sure I noticed the Bigelows...think they were the two pointy pyramidical peaks left of and poking up behind the Crockers. What I thought was Katahdin was significantly further northeast behind that group...although it could've been anywhere from 30 to 60 miles behind...I wasn't sure. And it definitely was not a low peak either.

The bigelows' main peaks (West and Avery) would be pretty directly behind the Crockers, not sure you could see them clearly.

Here's how they look from South Crocker: http://www.summitpost.org/bigelow-range/690902/c-154452
Double peak at center is West & Avery; Bigelow Horns are at left (I at full size I can separate the two horns). There's something in the distance to the right of Avery (above/left of Little Bigelow), which actually is right about where I'd look for Katahdin. For all I know it's Baker Mountain or White Cap, though. I haven't visited most of the peaks mentioned, and my last visit to the region was a while ago.

Pic up



Pardon the shoddy MS Paint work.



I guess my assumption was that those pointy peaks were Bigelow, thus the possibility that the peak in the far distance was Katahdin. It could be Big Moose/Big Squaw too; seems like that could be in the same line of vision:


But the profile seems to almost fit this view of Katahdin from Big Moose as well (also from a similar angle?)

in the picture with the mtns identified, katahdin should be barely to the right of bigelow and just left of crocker-reddington. It appears to be 102 miles and visible. Probably need binoculars and a really clear morning after an early snowfall to see katahdin. Mtn left of bigelow is might be coburn. Just a guess.

I think the double peak you labeled "Bigelows" is the Bigelow Horns - Avery Peak and West Peak on Bigelow are hidden behind the Crockers. edit: on second thought that's an awful lot of air in the middle of the double peak - could be Avery and West after all. If your pic was a little bigger we might be able to spot the Bigelow Horns to the left of West Bigelow. I still think the distant peak is too far west to be Katahdin, but I don't know what it is.

I have a vague remembrance of Katahdin being just visible from the Bigelows on an exceptionally clear fall day. I have a hard time believing it visible from Saddleback....but that was a long time ago!

Yeah, it's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Looking at a prominence map Coburn would make sense.