The Pine Tree State GeoArt series will take you on a short trip not far from Stratton. The road is passable by most cars, but bikes and e-bikes are fine too. There is also about a mile or so of walking. Each cache will highlight something interesting about Maine.
Buzz Caverly
A farm boy from Cornville, Maine, Buzz was lucky enough to encounter two sources of inspiration early in his life, and he remained toughly, tenaciously loyal to them as he worked his way up through the ranks to eventually serve his last 25 years in the top position of director of Baxter State Park.
The first source of inspiration was Mount Katahdin. When Buzz’s family moved north from Skowhegan to Enfield and he spent his last year of high school at Lee Academy, Buzz would often take time off from his studies and hike up to the fire tower on nearby Rollins Mountain. It was from that vantage point that Katahdin became more than just a pretty sight for him and he first felt “inspired in my heart and soul.”
His second source was Governor Baxter, who persisted for over 30 years in acquiring – piece by piece – the lands that now make up Baxter State Park. Buzz met Percival Baxter during his first summer at the park, and the young ranger’s admiration for the man and for Baxter’s vision of the park as a sanctuary to be kept “forever wild” would become Buzz’s guideposts throughout his career.
Defending Baxter’s legacy was Buzz’s sacred mission in life. How he remained true to that mission in the ever-shifting political landscape – whether fending off initiatives to widen the park tote road, or converting the once private camps at Kidney Pond to simpler, public accommodations, or dealing with myriad other problems of the changing times, such as overcrowding, snowmobile use, and military training flights over the park – makes for a story rich in suspense and human drama.
Source: https://northernwoodlands.org/wood_lit/entry/wilderness_partners_buzz_caverly_and_baxter_state_park
If Buzz was from Maine, the cache is at: N 45° 10.896' W 070° 22.747'
If Buzz was from New Jersey, the cache is at: N 45° 10.870' W 070° 22.770'