Baxter State Park officers are asking for the general public’s assist figuring out the particular person or individuals who defaced the signal on the Appalachian Path’s northern terminus.
Katahdin signal within the rain (Picture: jdwfoto through Getty)
Up to date September 12, 2025 10:54PM
Baxter State Park officers try to determine who vandalized the well-known signal on the Appalachian Path’s northern terminus on Mount Katahdin’s summit, the park mentioned in a social media publish on September 11.
In accordance with the park, a customer or guests to the summit carved “H.M.” and “J.M.” into the signal, which sits on high of the height at 5,268 toes of elevation.
“We’re requesting any data you’ll have regarding this incident,” the park wrote. “Did you witness the act? Have you ever noticed any social media posts from the person(s) accountable, or heard another discussions associated to this? Are you the person(s) who did this carving? We encourage you to contact us and admire any help.” The park requested anybody with data on the defacement to name Baxter’s workplace at 207-723-5140.
Whereas park officers didn’t say when the vandalism occurred, The Trek estimated that the injury had appeared someday in late August, based mostly on the situation of the sign up current social media images.
Initially erected in 1933 and changed a number of occasions since then, the signal on high of Katahdin sits on the northern excessive of the AT and marks the top of northbound thru-hikers’ journeys; lots of snap celebratory images with it yearly.
Hikers who break park guidelines inside Baxter’s borders have traditionally confronted fines within the lots of of {dollars}. In a single notable case, the park hit ultramarathoner and pace hiker Scott Jurek with a $500 wonderful for littering and unlawful alcohol consumption after he opened a bottle of champagne on the summit to have fun his profitable supported quickest recognized time try on the Appalachian Path in 2015.
Different parks have hit vandals with even steeper penalties. In 2016, Instagram graffiti artist Casey “Creepytings” Nocket obtained two years of probation and 200 hours of group service following a 26-day spree two years earlier that noticed her tag parks throughout the U.S. And in 2008, two grammar vigilantes needed to pay greater than $3,000 and serve a 12 months of probation after “correcting” a 60-year-old hand-painted signal on the Grand Canyon.
