Pamola and Katahdin

Katahdin is the highest mountain in Maine and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, and in Penobscot tradition it is the home of Pamola, a spirit with the head of a moose, the body of a man and the wings and talons of an eagle, who controls the weather on the mountain and does not want visitors on the summit. Climbers respected it for centuries. The peak beside the Knife Edge carries the name. The mountain earns the caution regardless: the Knife Edge is an exposed mile-long arete and people die on it. Told with respect as Penobscot tradition.