Mars Hill is the tallest mountain that is really close to me.  Mars Hill is really a mountain and can be seen for miles around.  The south peak is 1,748 ft, and the north peak is 1,595 ft.  It is a prominent landmark in central Aroostook County.

My hike this morning was up the ski slopes and over to the south peak.  The largest part of the elevation gain is on the ski slopes, about 930 ft in around 0.8 miles.  This stretch took me 22 min. and I stopped at the top of the ski slopes for a break before continuing along the ridge to the south peak.  It is 1.2 miles from the base lodge to the south peak, with a total elevation gain of 1,088 ft.

I took a different route on the way down, following the Intl. Appalachian Trail, which for the most part also follows the ski slopes with some short trail sections through the woods.

The breeze kept the bugs at bay.  There was more sun when I started and more clouds at the top.  I had the mountain all to myself.

My total mileage was around 2.4 miles and the hike took 1 hr. 10 min.

Mars Hill is somewhat famous.  This is from Wikipedia....

By virtue of its height and Northeast location, the summit of Mars Hill is the first place in the United States to see the sun rise for nearly half the year, from March 25 to September 18.[2] The first 50-star flag to see the sun in the U.S. was raised on July 4, 1960 at 4:33 AM. Fifty national guardsmen gave it a 50-gun salute.[citation needed]

... I'm not sure what time the sun rose today on top of Mars Hill, but somewhere around 4:30 AM.

Pic. # 11 is of Katahdin.  It is hard to see it because of the clouds.  There is still visible snow!  Katahdin is 68 miles to the southwest and I don't recall ever seeing snow from this distance so late in the year.

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I had today scheduled off from work, but we are short staffed and I felt sorry for some of my co-workers. So after the hike I went to work for 3 1/2 hours.  I only feel sorry for my co-workers, not the company.  LOL

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