Meister Käßner
6 min readMar 20, 2023

Mount Discover Part 3

Vista Looking East Photo by Author

As I crest the final ridge, the vista toward the East encompassing the Champlain Valley, Lake Champlain, and the Green Mountains of Vermont was obscured. Clouds shrouded the higher peaks, and Lake Champlain was completely lost in a sea of fog. The earlier saltwater Champlain Sea is now lost due to the gradual uprising of the land after glaciers receded from the last ice age, a sea which one day may be renewed if we burn enough fossil fuel to melt a significant portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to raise ocean levels well above the current 98 foot elevation of Lake Champlain.

Just as I reached the summit a light rain broke out which gradually strengthened as I later headed down. I didn’t linger overly long at the summit. I paused to consider the majesty of a dead tree standing as a stark sentinel over the peak. Then I looked briefly at the remains of a fire somewhat built on top and of a much…

Meister Käßner

I have been reflecting and writing about the stories, people, and places Northwest of Boston for thirty-five years. I also teach history and manage forest land.