Outdoor activities like fishing and hunting might be losing adherents but one outdoor sport that is growing rapidly in Maine is snowmobiling.

Close to 64,000 machines were registered this year, up signfiicantly from a year ago. Maine now has 13,000 miles of trail on which to ride, which doesn't take into account the miles of (usually) frozen lakes that are used as thoroughfares.

The above scene is from Rangeley, which has established itself as one of the foremost destinations for snowmachiners. It is packed on the weekends, and since there are still several feet of snow on the ground they should be cruising the woods and lakes until late April.

A few thoughts:

Snowmobiles can travel up to 110 miles per hour in "recreational" mode. They are getting more powerful each year, and the big machines are selling well.

The snowmobile world is much like NASCAR a few decades ago, and not just because of the raw speed. Machines in the '70s were loud and relatively inexpensive. NASCAR was pretty raw in its early days as well. Today machines are (debatably) less noisy and certainly more costly. NASCAR, too, has more sophisticated vehicles and wealthier drivers and owners today.

There are few rules in snowmobiling, and an appreciation of speed. Like the NASCAR of old, guys (and now gals) can take their machines and roar away if they want. Though Maine officials would like to put greater curbs on speed and behaviors, there is too much wilderness for them to really regulate this activity.

(An aside: I have NASCAR on my mind because I just finished a biography of the late Dale Earnhardt and the early days of NASCAR. They were good old boys then, with no sponsors and a lot of energy. Many machine drivers today have that pioneering love of speed and adventure.)

And, of course, snowmobiling is dangerous like NASCAR. There have been about 10 deaths in Maine already this winter. When the lakes begin thawing, there could be more.

I never was drawn to NASCAR. But I am intrigued by snowmobiling. I was planning to rent a machine a few weekends ago, but I was dissuaded because it was $172 per day.

But next year I want to get on a machine. I am not attracted to speed but it seems like a wonderful way to spend a day in the outdoors.

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