It's Thursday and high time to start looking ahead to the weekend, dontcha think?

I do. It's only right.

On tap (oh, don't I like the sound of that already!)...

Some trail maintenance up on the AT near the East and West Carry Ponds.

Yep, a run through with the chainsaw to clear out any summer blowdowns. Maybe knock a few out-of-kilter bog bridges back into place. A little brush clipping here and there. And we'll flag some cedars that will make good candidates for new bog bridges next season.

It's time again to get back up to my section of the AT to make sure it's clear for hiker travel.

That, a swim in the pond, a couple of frosty beverages, and a pack load of laughs with my buddy Dana ("Dana the Maintainah") and all will be good.

Next, it's on to the booming metropolis of The Forks (pop. 35) and the Kennebec River.

And a couple of wild runs down the rapids with friends in my raft. Damn, I just hate that! Big Mama, Whitewasher, Big Kahuna, Magic Hole. Woo-hoo! All good.

And time again to get "on the river" (the Kennebec, that is) and splash down thru the rapids.

Seeing as how it's supposed to be in the 90s this weekend, there'll be no better place to be than "on the river" with good friends, a cooler full of emergency supplies and water, water--glorious water--everywhere.

That's the weekend as I see it.

How's yours shaping up???

I'm thumbing through the Wall Street Journal (the actual paper version) last evening, catching up as I like to do on business news, world affairs and the like, when I ran across an article that made me do a neck-snapping doubletake.

Entitled "A Backpacker Buys Shoes," the brief column detailed how newly famous long distance backpacker Andy Skurka makes his big hikes with trail runners--sneakers essentially--on his feet.

That's right.

Skurka wears the light, synthetic and mesh shoes rather than the heavier tradtional leather boots and swears by it. He retires each pair of trail runners after 500 miles. That means he had to have used about 16 pairs of them to get him across North America last year on his 7,800 mile Sea-to-Sea trek.

No Andy Skurka here, but I too have switched to a light hiker shoe, using them for a trek across Wales last fall and down the GR20 in Corsica a month ago. And they performed well. No complaints from the dogs.

I'm still a bit shocked, though, to find such a nugget of outdoor information tucked into the WSJ, amid stock prices, technology talk, corporate downsizing and the war in the Mideast.

Guess you never know...

What would you do for a delicious lobster roll?

Would you pedal your ancient 12-speed Bianchi for 30 miles along the Maine coast?

Sure you would!

And I did. Last Saturday at the 5th annual Lobster Ride & Roll up in Rockland, sponsored the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

More than 500 riders took part in four rides ranging from 16 to 100 miles, winding about along fabulously serene and scenic coastal byways.

I opted for the 9am ride, a moderate 30-miler that led through the back streets of Rockland to Owls Head Lighthouse and on to the village of South Thomaston.

Starting out from Rockland High School.

On the 30-mile ride.

Checking out Owls Head Light.

That's where the BCM had a rest stop set up complete with Gatorade, water, and tons of delicious and healthy snacks, like oranges, bananas, bagels, granola bars, Fig Newtons and pretzels.

I devoured my share before saddling up and heading south to Spruce Head and the turnaround point at Burnt Island, where it was back to the rest stop and the mountain of goodies and then on to the finish in Rockland.

A well-stocked rest stop in South Thosmaston.

Gray skies and fog at Spruce Head near the turnaround point of my ride.

Despite the fact that I hadn't ridden my road bike (I'm much more of a mountain biker these days) for anything more serious than an around-town jaunt, to the beach or to work, for some time, I managed a surprisingly strong and enjoyable ride. The cool morning fog and mist helped considerably, as did the pretty scenery flying by at the speed of my pedals, and the fun and friendly fellow riders in the ever changing accordian group that snaked along the road.

The reward for our physical efforts?

A very tasty lobster roll lunch! Mounded over with the succulent meat, and complete with chips, cole slaw, cookies and cold drinks.

Yum!

So, cheers to the BCM and the many wonderful volunteers for putting on a great day of bicycling! Can't wait to do it all over again next summer.

Oh yeah, and thanks for way cool red lobster riding socks! Them's some kinda styling socks Mista Man!

Quite possibly the coolest socks on Earth!

Well, my severely blistered brain has finally healed up some after hiking in the atrocious heat and humidity last weekend, and I am back to my usual state of semi-abnormality.

Given that, as my cranium cooling continues, I have just gotten to downloading the photos of my excursion to the uncrowded northern end of Baxter State Park at South Branch Pond.

I don't know about you, but I've probably made more than a hundred trips to the southern part of Baxter, through the Togue Pond gate and thence northeast to Roaring Brook or northwest to Abol or Katahdin Stream.

But I can count only 4 or 5 trips through the Matagamon gate up north.

I fully expect that ratio will change dramatically in the coming years.

Because the north end of the park, dotted as it is with pearls of lakes and ponds and small and medium size mountains that pack a scenic punch, there's next to nobody up there.

Sure, South Branch Pond Campground where we camped in a shoreside lean-to had its share of people there, but the trails and waters in and around it were virtually empty.

Solitude reigned.

And we reveled in it.

While in our kayaks on the waters of Upper and Lower South Branch Ponds anyway.

On the trail, however, solitude and beauty aside, we sweated and suffered. Up and down South Branch and Black Cat Mountains.

And then the monstrous 10-mile Traveler Circuit the next day. Steeply up the Peak of the Ridges, up Traveler Mountain, across Traveler Ridge, and finally bagging North Traveler. Then a plunge back to the valley floor and the life-saving waters of the pond.

It was too hot too continue. Too buggy to stop. A day for heatstroke if there ever was one. But we did it. And it was good. A traverse that rivals any in Maine for mountain scenery and ruggedness.

Try it. You'll see. But please, wait for cooler weather.

So that's the scoop. The northern end of Baxter State Park is where it's at. Away from the summer hoards who all seem to want to congregate around Katahdin. With all due respect to our beloved mountain (and to Governor Baxter himself), let them have it for now.

There's plenty of wilderness to be explored elsewhere in the park. And I'm hot on its trail now...

South Branch Pond Campground is a mere half hour from the Matagamon gate into northern Baxter.

Cozy lean-tos line the shore above South Branch Pond.

Evening light on South Branch Pond.

On the trail to Black Cat Mtn.

Upper South Branch Pond.

A deer on the Pogy Notch Trail.

A cliff's eye view of Upper South Branch Pond.

The pretty but deadly amanita mushroom.

Atop Traveller Mountain with Peak of the Ridges beyond.

In a forest of dwarf birches on North Traveller Mtn.

A rocky spur on North Traveller.

After a thunderstorm on South Branch Pond.

Have you visited the northern reaches of Baxter State Park? What are your favorites hikes up that way?

I'm a big fan of alternative transportation. Yep, I am.

Clean, efficient, energy-saving, healthy, money-saving. All that good stuff.

Road bikes and mountain bikes fit that bill. And I own one of each. And use them.

They're good basic transportation for getting around. But they have their limits.

You have to pedal them, first off, causing you to sweat. And all that work and sweat makes you thirsty. Very thirsty. A water bottle attached to your bike is handy, but, well, just not that satisfying. And that narrow, poorly padded seat. So uncomfortable.

I could go on.

That's why I was so excited to discover the ultimate in recreational transportation: The Cooler-Scooter!

Sleek, inexpensive and so efficient. Hop on one of these and you'll be the envy of the neighborhood.

Getting hot and thirsty on your ride? Not a problem with the Quick Access Door!

Simply reach down, pop open the door, and pull out an ice cold beverage to slake your thirst! No need to gulp down your drink either. Simply set it into the convenient drink holder in the door lid and continue merrily on your way.

Going on a long day's ride and can't pack enough beverages and food into one unit?

No problem.

With the Cooler-Scooter Trailer Hitch (standard equipment), simply attach another cooler wagon or two, and you're good to go!

The Cooler-Scooter! A marvel of modern transportation technology. And the perfect mode of transport for the thirsty recreational enthusiast!

Brilliant!

Lebanon was a dangerous enough place when Dave Field of Hampden, a retired forestry professor from the University of Maine (and one of my early mentors in the natural resources field), arrived in early July with a group from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to begin work on designing a Lebanon Mountain Trail.

But I doubt he and the others could have known the horror that would erupt only days later, forcing them to be evacuated to Cyprus, the first Americans in a likely prolonged and mass exodus from the war zone.

Glad that you all are out of harms way Dave. We look forward to your safe arrival on home shores.

And I hope this incident does not deter your important and commendable efforts to bring trails and all their benefits to other peoples and places around the globe.

Keep up the good work! Stay safe.

My good old Leki Super Makalu trekking poles.

Honestly, I don't know how I'd hike without them.

I'd probably fall over a lot more. And have even worse knees.

And where would I hang my dirty socks in camp without one of my poles extended between two trees?

Trekking poles rock. And Leki makes them best in my opinion.

But after 10 years and several thousand miles of very hard use, I finally broke the carbide tips off both poles while traversing the GR20 in Corsica last month.

Yep, they've gone the length of the John Muir Trail, the Tonto Trail, Tahoe-Yosemite Trail, England Coast-to-Coast, Haute Route, West Highland Way, Wonderland Trail, Offa's Dyke Path. And many more tough trail miles right here in Maine and New England.

But the GR20 finally did them in. (And almost did me in, too!)

Or so I thought.

Until I called the nice folks at Leki and discovered that my poles were covered by a lifetime warranty.

Woo-hoo!

And so what arrived in the mail the other day?

New lower pole sections with carbide tips to replace my broken ones!

I immediately zapped them together and they're now ready to tackle the next big trek.

Thanks Leki, for both the excellent trekking poles you produce and the fine customer service.

Do you use trekking poles when you hike? What brand?

I was on my way out the door late last week headed for Baxter State Park when the story broke about John Martin and his bulldozer clearing its way through a protected zone along the Allagash River.

Oh, to be a fly on the roof of the cab of Martin's dozer as he trundled along, flattening everything in his path.

What fun!

To be able to defy state law like that must be exhilarating!

To heck with the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. To heck with the River Driver's Agreement. To heck with Department of Conservation.

Protected wild and scenic rivers?

Bah!!

I'm John Martin, the almightiest State Senator (D-Eagle Lake), and I can do anything.

Such defiance of civilized law is only for the chosen few. And clearly Martin must a member of that lofty group.

You want riverfront access? You got it.

Just call John Martin's wrecking crew. They come complete with bulldozers and chainsaws. And work quick and cheap (and in the dark of night).

By the way John, you got any spare election ballots hanging around the house?

Uh oh. It's happened again.

More land has been conserved for multiple recreational uses while allowing sustainable forest practices to continue.

That's right.

The state has just taken ownership of nearly 200,000 acres in and around Baxter State Park and the Machias River through easement and fee acquisition, in a deal with the Nature Conservancy.

The lands will be managed by the Department of Conservation and will likely become part of the public reserved lands system.

Check out this map to see what this deal means for conservation efforts around Baxter.

Outstanding.

It's the best of both worlds, in my view.

Access is preserved. Nobody gets locked out.

Hikers, backpackers, hunters, fishermen, skiers, snowmobilers. You name it, we can use it.

Industrial forestry and all its direct and peripheral jobs and services will continue. The land can produce its timber and we can continue to harvest it.

Wood, water, wildlife, recreation.

A big win-win.

Yep. Heading north. Up the Interstate. To the big woods.

Bangor. Medway. Millinocket. Baxter State Park. South Branch Pond Campground.

It's off to Baxter State Park for a long weekend for me.

The paddling gear is ready. Hiking stuff, too. Camping gear packed. Food mostly together. Down to a few odds and ends.

Boots. Bug dope. Books. Beer.

The essentials.

On tap for the next three days: Fun. R & R.

More specfically: A circumnavigation of South Branch Pond via Black Cat Mountain. A complete traverse of Traveller Mountain. And some extensive exploring of South Branch Pond by kayak.

That should do nicely for physical activities.

On the butt-sitting, slothy side of things: Some BBQ'd steaks, chops and burgers. Bacon and eggs every day. Hot campfire coffee and ice cold beer (block ice, baby, block ice!). Feet up, book and brew in hand. A snooze or two. A few hours of lakeside lounging looking about and not thinking strenuously about much of anything at all.

I like that.

All good.

See you in a few days...

Coming back after lunch this afternoon I noticed a police bicycle parked in the lobby of the AAA Building in Portland where I work my daytime gig.

Good idea to get it inside as it was pouring rain.

But then, as I approached the bike on my way to the elevator, I noticed it was locked to a sign post.

With handcuffs!

Cool.

I thought the handcuff bike lock thing was so unusual and ingenious that I ran up to my office for a digital camera to grab a picture of it.

And as I was taking the photos the officer appeared and we both had a pretty good laugh.

He said he uses the handcuffs often to lock the bike up, figuring that they act as a pretty strong deterrent.

Damn straight.

No petty thief in their right mind is going to frig with a rig like that!

It was a biking weekend, this past one, for sure.

That's because the 18th annual Maine Bike Rally was on in Yarmouth. Big time.

Picture some 400 people from all over Maine and well beyond. Bikes of all shapes, colors and sizes. Mondo amounts of food, from AYCE breakfast feasts to a big pasta dinner, as well as huge quantities of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. And, of course, more than 30 on and off road bike rides over two very fun days.

Put it all together, add some glorious sunshine and blue skies, and you've got a heckuva good time on your hands!

Many thanks to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and all the dedicated volunteers for putting on a terrific weekend.

The 18th annual Maine Bike Rally in Yarmouth was a blast!

Some 400 bicycle enthusiasts from all over showed up for a weekend of great on and off road biking.

One of the more than 30 road rides heads out.

Master bike art guy Fred wheels along with one of his creations.

There's nothing like camping in a big field with a few hundred bicyclists.

The mountain bike contingent took off Saturday for a ride on Bradbury Mountain State Park's outstanding singletrack trails.

This is the best singletrack riding in the state!

Popping a wheelie.

Negotiating a long, narrow bridge.

We snuck out to Outlet Beach in New Gloucester each afternoon after biking to swim and beat the heat.

The water was warm and the ice cream cold and delicious!

On Sunday the mountain bikers rode Bruce Hill, a fun and challenging 10-mile ride in Cumberland.

The trail wasn't entirely dry yet!

Our Bruce Hill group. Thanks!

Don't miss the upcoming Maine Lobster Ride in Rockland on Saturday, July 22nd. It's another fun ride organized by BCM and guaranteed to be a good time. See you there!

How did you spend this past fine summer weekend?

Too many tourists can definitely be too much of a good thing. The least important tourist, in my mind, is the backpacker wilderness seeker granola eater who spends almost nothing here, but demands that we place a lot of land off-limits to suit their fine sense of the environment and protect their experience. Send them to Spain.

So says George Smith of the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine in the KJ today.

Smith, writing about "bringing the right kind of tourists to Maine," places backpackers at the bottom of the tourist food chain with regard to welcome.

The "smartest approach would be to target the biggest spenders, so that we minimize the number of tourists necessary to achieve the maximum economic benefit," according to Smith.

"Nonresidents who spend their summers here" and anglers--recreational fishermen--are the big spending, short staying plums we should be reaching out to attract.

Damn, where do I start with this?

First off, with all due respect George, why'd you have to go and dis us backpackers?

I'm a backpacker. And a rafter, kayaker, hiker, mountain biker, road biker, beer drinker (alright, so the last one may be mildly irrelevant, but it does go well with the other activities).

Would you rent a room to this backpacker wilderness seeker Pop-Tart eater?

I have money. And I spend it. Backpacking (and pursuing the other above mentioned outdoor activities) in Maine, across the U.S. and around the world. Lots of it.

Others do too.

Where'd you get the idea that we and our non-motorized recreational brethren don't add significantly to the economy?

That's nuts.

I rent cars, stay in motels, eat in local restaurants, shop in grocery stores, buy local books and maps and souvenirs on my way to and from backpacking trips. Whether I'm traveling upstate to Millinocket or flying west to the Sierras of California.

And since I'm nowhere near dead yet (in theory, anyway), I have many more places to visit and more cash to spend.

Backpackers are a part of the economic mix. An important part.

And no, we don't all want to see our backcountry lands locked up for elitist pursuits. A minority do, but most do not.

Thoughtful backpackers understand that multiple uses in the backcountry can and do co-exist without diminishing the pleasant outdoor experience we seek.

Jeez, I feel like I've gone back thirty years to when I first moved to Maine (from, gulp, Massachusetts!). And to the local merchants of a particular Eastern Maine town where my Dad had just bought a business, who would crudely tell him their warped version of Maine tourism marketing success: "Keep Maine green, send your money ahead, then don't bother coming."

Well, this in't Maine in the early 70s, nor is it Spain in the 1950s.

It's 2006 and Maine sorely needs a boost to its economy. A quantum leap, if you will, to help us emerge from our current Third World economic status.

Part of that leap forward will be a well-thought out plan to promote eco-tourism, also known as nature-based tourism, an emerging industry that is adding significantly to the economy of other states and even whole nations with large rural areas with poor economies.

Plenty of nature-loving eco-tourists (which includes us cheap smarmy backpackers) would like to come to Maine to see and enjoy the incredible natural beauty of our state. But as a state we don't market ourselves very well. And we don't make it easy for people to get around once they get here.

That has to change. And I believe it will.

A Maine Nature-Based Tourism Initiative is in its initial stages of implementation. Exciting projects like the Maine Woods Initiative undertaken at great financial risk by the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Maine Huts & Trails System, are just two shining examples of what can and will be done to draw recreational visitors of all stripes with real money to spend to our state.

Here's a couple of positive facts regarding eco-tourists from The International Ecotourism Society that may allay some of the fears about those Pop-Tart eating slackpacker types:

1. Experienced ecotourists were willing to spend more money than general tourists, and 2. Most ecotourists preferred trips lasting 8-14 days.

So, not to worry George. The eco-tourists will come and spend their wads of cabbage (if we promote Maine properly). And they won't hang around too long so as not to be too much of a bother.

Deal?

And by the way, how's your Spanish?

I just came across an interesting tip from the USDA Forest Service regarding home firewood and the spread of insects and disease.

Many folks who have wood piles at home probably think nothing of loading up a couple of bundles of firewood on their way to camp or to their favorite campsite, right?

Don't do it, say foresters in the know.

Cut firewood that sits around your house may contain invasive insects and diseases that you can unknowingly spread to other areas by bringing firewood with you when you camp.

Creepy creatures like the Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer and sirex wood wasp are just a few of the nasties that may live in your firewood and would like to hitch a ride with you and infest a new place.

So don't give the little buggers a chance.

Instead, leave the home firewood at home and purchase local firewood at your camping destination.

Makes good sense to me.

Who knew?!

A fine long Fourth of July holiday weekend, wouldn't you say?

Yep.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Finally got the kayak out onto the salt water for the first time this summer on Saturday, exploring in and around Cousins and Littlejohn Islands in Casco Bay with my friend Ellen.

Paddling off Cousins Island, Yarmouth.

Natural arch on Littlejohn Island.

After a good stretch of paddling we managed to get off the water just as the afternoon skies opened up with torrential rains.

Our next stop was the DeLorme Map Store in Yarmouth to get out of the rain and poke around through the maps, charts, books and other cool stuff.

Then we topped off the day with a lobster at nearby Day's Lobster on the Cousins River.

First lobster of the summer!

Spent Sunday lazing in my brothers pool down south in New Hampshire, doing my best to deplete his beer stocks and packing away some yummy BBQ chicken and ribs.

Water was again on the agenda for Monday afternoon. Went for a fun paddle on beautiful Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, putting in at my friend Becky's Outlet Beach.

Paddling in style on Sabbathday Lake, New Gloucester.

Ice cream from the snack bar capped the day.

Great hot dogs, ice cream and other goodies at the Outlet Beach snack bar.

And then yesterday I did the unthinkable (for a Mainer that knows better on a holiday, anyway). I drove up to the mid-coast area and went for a hike on Hogback Mountain, part of the Georges River Land Trust trails system.

Turns out the holiday traffic wasn't bad. But it was a hot and humid hike with more than enough mosquitoes to chase me to the top. The forests and rockwalls and flowers and views made it worthwhile, however.

As did the Pat's Pizza and cold beer in Yarmouth on the trip back home.

Wildflowers on the trail to Hogback Mountain, Montville.

A huge red oak guards a gravesite deep in the woods.

Views from the Hogback Overlook.

I was so tired by day's end that I didn't even get back out for the Portland fireworks!

It happens.

So, my dear Trail Headers... what kind of outfoor fun did you have over the big Fourth holiday?