Welcome to the top of Mars Hill Mountain from the parking lot you have gained 1000 vertical feet in about one mile. The summit sides at an elevation of 1660 feet. The flat top is fairly clear of trees due to the fact that in the 1960 there was a road to the top to mark the first place where the sun hits the USA. On July 4, 1960, the first 50 star flag flown in the United States was on top of the south peak. The Mars Hill Chamber of Commerce tried to develop it as a recreation area including picnicking and tenting. The remains of this period of time are evident in the areas just below the summit in the forest, including an old car and coke machine. There are still three flag poles at the summit and according to the NOAA it is the first place to see sun in the USA during the late spring and early summer months.
Lets take a look at the reason for this special event during the summer months. The Earth's seasons are not caused by the differences in the distance from the Sun throughout the year (these differences are extremely small). The primary cause of the seasons is the 23.5 degree of the Earth's rotation axis with respect to the plane of the ecliptic. This means that as the Earth goes around its orbit the Northern hemisphere is at various times oriented more toward and more away from the Sun. Thus, we experience Summer in the Northern Hemisphere when the Earth is on that part of its orbit where the N. Hemisphere is oriented more toward the Sun and therefore the Sun rises higher in the sky and is above the horizon longer, and the rays of the Sun strike the ground more directly. Therefore, summer is warmer than winter because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than during winter but more importantly the days are much longer than the nights during the summer. During the winter, the Sun's rays hit the Earth at an extreme angle, and the days are very short. These effects are due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. The solstices are days when the Sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 and marks the beginning of winter (this is the shortest day of the year). The summer solstice occurs on June 21 and marks the beginning of summer (this is the longest day of the year). Because Mars Hill Mountain is by far the highest terrain feature in this northeastern section of the US it is the first place the sun strikes in the long days of summer.
To log this Earthcache: Send an e-mail measuring the size of the object that is found at the posted coordinates and the reason for the structure. Please begin your e-mail with the name of the earthcache and make sure your log includes the number of people in your group and post a photo if possible. It also would be nice if you would post a photo so others would know what they have to look forward to at this earth cache.
If you enjoy this earthcache you may want to check the Maine Geological Survey located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK8VDsPKz5E&feature=relmfu They have developed a number of information sheets or field localities giving a great deal of information about geologic features. They also have a number of books and maps about Maine’s natural history/ geology that you might find interesting.