Ron Chase - Mountains for Mortals: New England: Scenic Summits for Hikers

Maine natives Ron and Nancy Chase currently reside in Topsham, Maine, and have two grown sons. They have hiked extensively in New England for more than 30 years and shared treks and mountaineering adventures throughout the United States, eastern Canada, Scotland, France, Switzerland, and Costa Rica. Both have an abiding love of the outdoors. When not hiking in the mountains, they enjoy kayaking, canoeing, cycling, and skiing. Together, they operate a tax consulting business.

Nancy, formerly Treasurer of the Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), is currently active in the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society (PPCS). In 2000, the AMC Four Thousand Footer Committee awarded her a certificate for completing the 100 Highest Peaks in New England. A Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor, Nancy is a graduate of the University of Maine. She is the erstwhile Executive Director of the Maine Brain Injury Foundation and a recently retired bank auditor.

Ron, a graduate of the University of Maine, is retired from the Internal Revenue Service. Formerly a Registered Maine Guide, he was active in the AMC as canoe chair and a trip leader. Currently, he is president of the PPCS and a frequent trip coordinator. In 1997, he was the 38th person certified by the AMC Four Thousand Footer Committee as having climbed the 100 Highest Peaks in New England in the winter. Ron is a freelance writer who has written an outdoor column for a regional newspaper and is currently a regular contributor to several magazines.

For me, the journey that culminated in this book began more than half a century ago on a family trip to Mount Desert Island in eastern Maine. As we drove the scenic roads of Acadia National Park, I was mesmerized by the magnificent barren peaks that surrounded us. Wistfully, I remarked that Id like to climb them. My dad, who fought his way through the mountains of Europe during World War II, was not impressed. He had done all of the mountain climbing he intended to do in his lifetime. Decades would pass before I realized my aspiration.

In 1976, while working in northern Maine, I glimpsed for the first time the rugged slopes and majestic outline of Mount Katahdin, Maines highest and most spectacular mountain. I was instantaneously hooked. When I returned home, I announced my intention to climb to the top. Later that summer, a friend and I ascended the Hunt Trail, navigated through thick storm clouds, and reached the summit of Baxter Peak, the high point. Despite poor visibility and cold, windy weather, the experience was thoroughly thrilling. My wife, Nancy, followed a couple of months later. Climbing the mountains of New England has been a significant part of our lives ever since.