Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was born July 12, 1817, and raised in Concord, Massachusetts. A committed journal keeper, he recorded close observations of landscapes, communities, and daily life.
Thoreau traveled repeatedly through Maine, climbed Mount Katahdin, and became an early literary observer of the state’s people and landscape. His posthumously published book The Maine Woods gathers accounts from three expeditions made in 1846, 1853, and 1857.
Three journeys into Maine
Katahdin
After leaving Massachusetts the day before, Thoreau renewed his Maine journey on September 1, 1846. He set out from Bangor in a horse-drawn buggy, following the Penobscot River in search of Katahdin. He passed through Old Town and by Indian Island.
Milford, Passadumkeag, Enfield, Mattawamkeag, and other villages followed. Beyond them, Thoreau and his companions began hiking an “obscure trail” along the West Branch of the Penobscot River because no roads connected them with Katahdin. At times they used boats offered by people in the area.
On September 7, Thoreau attempted his first climb alone, beginning late in the afternoon and contending with thick undergrowth. The following day, he and his companions again set out for the summit. Thoreau continued alone toward the top. Clouds obscured the summit, though he saw broad views of surrounding mountains and lakes while descending from the mountain he called a “cloud factory.”
“I am reminded by my journey how exceedingly new this country still is.”
Thoreau contrasted the Maine woods with the familiar woodlots near Concord, emphasizing the scale and unfamiliarity of the northern landscape.
Chesuncook
Seven years later, in September 1853, Thoreau boarded a steamboat in Boston bound for Bangor and continued by land and canoe toward Chesuncook Lake. Along the coast he passed Monhegan Island, Whitehead at South Thomaston, the Camden Hills, and Frankfort.
From Bangor he went to Greenville, where he met Penobscot guide Joe Aitteon. They traveled by steamboat past Mount Kineo to Northeast Carry, made the portage to the West Branch of the Penobscot, and proceeded downriver to Chesuncook.
After exploring the lake, they returned by much the same route. Thoreau stopped at Indian Island and continued documenting Penobscot knowledge, language, and life—material that became an important part of his account.
The Allagash and East Branch
Four years later, Thoreau and a companion arrived in Bangor on July 21, 1857, for his third expedition into the Maine woods. The intended route led to Moosehead Lake, by canoe to Northeast Carry, and eventually toward the East Branch of the Penobscot, an area now within Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
Along the way, Thoreau climbed Mount Kineo and marveled at its steep cliffs. Near the East Branch, he heard the note of the white-throated sparrow and reflected on the remoteness of the wilderness.
By July 27, the party had reached Chamberlain Lake, followed shortly by the Allagash River and Chamberlain Farm. The expedition eventually reached Grand Lake Matagamon, which empties into the East Branch in township T6R8 WELS. They followed the Penobscot to Old Town and then took the train to Bangor, concluding Thoreau’s final Maine journey.
Additional resources
- Huber, J. Parker. The Wildest Country: A Guide to Thoreau’s Maine. Appalachian Mountain Club, 1981. Includes maps.
- McKibben, Bill. “The End of Nature: How Should We Measure Man’s Effect on the World?” The New Yorker, September 11, 1989.
- Seal, Cheryl. Thoreau’s Maine Woods: Yesterday and Today. Yankee Books, 1992. Includes photographs.
- Thoreau, Henry David. The Maine Woods. Ticknor and Fields, 1864.
- Consult the Mainean Encyclopedia bibliography entry for The Maine Woods.
Historical wording and place names vary among editions and period sources. Modern spellings are used here where they clarify the route.