Maryland hiker returns to Maine for Greenway trek

Sunday, August 25, 2002

Few people anywhere have hiked as much as Ed Talone.

The 44-year-old Maryland resident has logged nearly 40,000 miles in 47 states — including two treks each of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.

Name a trail in the continental U.S., and chances are he's hiked it. His knowledge of Maine's backcountry is probably better than most residents'.

"I spent the decade of the nineties hiking — literally the entire decade, hiking, for 10 months a year," he explained.

Talone is returning to Maine this week to hike the entire 440-mile Maine segment of the East Coast Greenway, from Calais to Kittery.

The trek will serve two purposes. First, Talone hopes to draw attention to the effort to develop the East Coast Greenway, a bicycle trail that organizers hope will link Maine's Canadian border with the southern tip of Florida.

Secondly, as the first person to traverse the entire route in Maine, Talone plans to mark the trail, literally, with blazes to make sure it conforms to the mapped route and make it easier for those who follow to find their way.

And there's a third, more personal reason. "I like to go places I haven't been," Talone said. "I've hiked all over (Maine) but never the East Coast Greenway."

Talone, who works as a trail information specialist for the American Hiking Society, is hiking the trail as part of the society's Volunteer Vacation program, in which hikers volunteer their vacation time to help build and maintain trails.

Talone will begin his trek in Calais on Friday. Setting a pace of 20 miles per day, he plans to reach Kittery by Sept. 17. He plans to carry a backpack, and local organizers are lining up free places for Talone to pitch his tent at night.

"I can't afford (bed and breakfasts) and motels and I don't pay to put my tent up," Talone said.

Greenway organizers hope that by 2010 most of the 2,600-mile route along the Eastern Seaboard will be off-road. But for most of his trek in Maine, Talone will be on paved roads.

"It's just about all road," he said. "But this is the best route they can mark for now. You've got to start somewhere. I'm really looking forward to it."

Supporters are invited to join Talone along the way. His schedule is as follows: Aug. 30, depart Calais at East Ridge Road; Aug. 31, East Machias; Sept. 1, Columbia Falls; Sept. 2, Unionville; Sept. 3, West Sullivan; Sept. 4, Ellsworth; Sept. 5, Verona Park; Sept. 6, Halls Corner; Sept. 7, Camden; Sept. 8, Waterman Beach; Sept. 9, Waldoboro; Sept. 10, Pemaquid; Sept. 11, Sheepscot; Sept. 12, Brunswick; Sept. 13, Yarmouth; Sept. 14, Route 1, South Portland; Sept. 15, Biddeford; Sept. 16, North Berwick; Sept. 17, Kittery.

A detailed description of Talone's route is available at www.state.me.us/mdot/biketours.htm. For more information about the East Coast Greenway, log on to www.greenway.org.

For information about the volunteer vacation program, contact Shirley Hearn at the American Hiking Society, (800) 972-8608, Ext. 206.

ANDREW RUSSELL is an editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He welcomes comments and ideas from readers. He can be reached at (207) 791-6380 or at: arussell@pressherald.com.

To top of page