The Appalachian Mountain Club has just announced the purchase of a third set of sporting camps in the 100-mile wilderness region near its 37,000 acre Katahdin Iron Works property.

The Chairback Mountain Camps, situated on magnificent Long Pond, will be open to the public late next year. The purchase preserves these historic camps and expands opportunities for rustic lodging and recreation for the general public amid thousands of acres of deep woods beauty.

AMC bought a second sporting camp operation, the Medawisla Wilderness Camps, just last month. And in late 2003 it purchased the Little Lyford Pond Camps near the spectacular canyon of Gulf Hagas and the Appalachian Trail.

The AMC is doing a lot good things in this region. I wholely support their efforts and commend them on a job well done to date.

I was a skeptic at first, thinking that they might try to close the area off to traditional uses. But that simply has not been the case at all.

In their own words, "The AMCs Maine Woods Initiative seeks to address the ecological and economic needs of the Maine Woods region by supporting local forest products jobs and traditional recreation, creating new multi-day recreational experiences for visitors, and attracting new nature-based tourism to the region."

I visited the AMC operation at Little Lyford a year ago, toured the property with their land manager and scientists, and learned a great deal about their goals.

They're doing it right. And I believe we--hikers and outdoor enthusiasts alike--will benefit, as will the very land itself, by their forward thinking conservation efforts.

Kudos AMC.

You've heard it all before, I know.

The backpack is packed and setting in the kitchen. Hiking clothes in a canvas tote next to it. Trekking poles ready for action. Maps, notebook, readin' books and camera good to go.

Everything has been thoroughly inspected by Molly and Katie, my two darling feline beasts, who have left a sufficient quantity of fur on things so that I surely can't forget about them while I'm away.

The pack weighs in at 27.5 pounds excluding food and water. Not bad. I was hoping to get it sub-25 but after several ounce-shaving iterations, I don't feel I can do much more. I'll take it. Fully loaded it's sure to total well under 40 lbs., very manageable for these bones.

Only one or two minor details to cover before the mighty Honda Civic lifts off late tomorrow afternoon.

Yep, I'm heading out into the woods once again. To the rough and tumble Andirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

11 days, 10 nights on the 120 mile Northville-Lake Placid Trail.

Peak foliage. Cool days. Crisp nights. Good walking and sleeping weather.

I ain't gonna hurry one damn step the entire way. Nope. There'll be two speeds on this trip: slow and stop.

It might even turn into a real relaxing vacation. Unlike the battering this body endured on the GR 20 Route last June, the N-LP Trail should be considerably gentler.

While Corsica dealt out pain and suffering in large daily quantities (I'm really not complaining as the scenery was incredible), this hike will extract a lesser toll. There's only 10,500 feet of elevation to gain along the way. That's 1/4 of the more than 40,000 feet of elevation gain required by the GR20 over an equal distance.

You do the math.

Yes, a walk in the park by comparison.

Fine by me.

But even though the strain will be less, the scenic wilderness and solitude factors will be high. Dozens of lakes and ponds, streams and rivers. High peaks on all sides. Cozy Adirondack lean-tos for camping and fire-sittin'.

All good.

I'll check in where and when I can, as the trail passes through a couple of towns en route. But maybe, maybe not. We'll see.

Here's wishing you all a couple of nice weeks of good hiking and good hiking weather to boot. Get out and enjoy. You know I will. Take notes and photos and we'll talk when I return the day after Columbus Day.

Until then...

A note on keeping dreams alive:

I first heard of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail on a cold September night at Rattle River shelter in NH. I was just one state and about a month away from finishing my thru-hike of the AT in 1977.

Standing around a campfire that evening I met up with 4 guys from Rochester NY. And as the evening progressed and the fire grew higher we got to talking about "after-the-trail" plans. (There may have been some burning of the herb going on too, customary at the time, but I can't say for sure).

Anyway, we concocted this idea for a expedition up the Northville-Lake Placid Trail, not far from their home. In winter. We would ski its entire length, right to Lake Placid, and just in time for the 1980 Olympics.

Now, how about that for a plan, eh?

Well, it never happened. I lost track of the Rochester boys. The Olympics came and went (albeit with a gold medal for the USA men's ice hockey team!) and so did the plan.

But I never forgot about the N-LP Trail. It's been right there on my hiking "to-do" list" ever since.

And now, 29 years later, I'm actually going to do it. All of it. And fulfill yet another long-held dream.

Life is funny isn't it? That silly things like a rather obscure hike can stick with you for so long. And then sometimes, with a measure of good fortune and by the grace of God, your dream comes true.

Not all of them. But some do, if you never give up hope.

And really, what is life without hope? Without dreams?

If your upcoming adventures include air travel, be advised: The rules for carry-on items have changed yet again.

In the continuing up and down saga of color threat levels the TSA says you can once again bring liquids and gels onto the plane in your carry-on baggage.

Thank goodness.

Don't know where I'd be without my shampoo and hair gel.

But they'll be no bringing these trusty little items from home, my weary traveler friends. No no.

You can bring 'em on board only if you buy them at "secure" stores in the airport.

I give up.

Most common sense people can tell you that the real threats to secure air travel lie somewhere 180 degrees in the other direction.

Yes, I realize that at one point, sadly, nobody thought box cutters were a security risk.

But there's bigger fish to fry in this security shell game. And I sure hope the TSA is getting to it behind the scenes. Because playing around with carry-on gels and liquids is merely the tip of the safety iceberg.

My recommendation: Take your aisle seat, buckle in, order a cocktail and don't think about it. It's the Alfred E. Newman approach: "What, me worry?"

Happy traveling!

P.S. For the first time in a long time, I am driving my car to my next hiking adventure. To New York's Adirondack Mountains later this week. I'll deal with the airline hassles on the next go-round.

Maine could have picked up one, two, possibly even three Darwin Awards over the weekend.

Yep, when three men fell into a 60-foot gorge up in Alder Stream Township in the middle of the night Friday, we were looking pretty good.

But firefighters, EMTs and wilderness rescue teams saved them from themselves and their own stupidity.

And dashed our hopes of a Darwin Award.

Oh well. Not to worry.

Surely there will be more opportunities. As long as there are men, machines, nighttime, a good quantity of alcohol (not mentioned, but implied in this story), and a burning idea like, "Hey, whaddaya say we go..."

Glad you made it out boys. You were damn lucky.

And kudos to the rescue folks who always seem to get the tough job done, even when there's not much in the way of DNA involved.

Yes, that's right.

Drink it all in today folks, this last day of summer.

Tomorrow: Autumn!

Why not celebrate the change of seasons with a fun hike!

My recommendation: Rumford Whitecap in, as you might expect, Rumford. It's just off Route 5 and a few miles north of Route 2 west of town.

It's a tremendous little mountain (about 2,000 feet high) that offers big time views from its long summit ridgeline.

So go and enjoy! Pack a lunch and a Thermos of cocoa and head on up.

It's easy, straighforward hiking for the most part, with only a couple of steep sections. And once your boots hit the upper granite slabs and you start snaking through the blueberry islands, you'll damn near be in heaven.

Perch yourself on top and take in the 360 degree views: Rumford and its mill stacks, the Androscoggin River, the northern Oxford Hills, the Mahoosucs and the Whites beyond, Tumbledown and the Jacksons.

And the colors, well, they be a changin'. Bonus!

More bonus points: We you get back to the car swing north a couple of miles to the covered bridge over the Ellis River. It's a beautiful spot. Then round out your day with a cold pint and some chow at the Sunday River Brew Pub.

Be sure to pack along the AMC Maine Mountain Guide for trail and trailhead info. The DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map No. 18 is helpful too. The trailhead is right at the gate shown under the "R" in RUMFORD.

Have fun!

Extra credit: If you're not too pooped, try a little armchair adventuring Saturday evening by checking out the Telluride Mountain Film Fest in Portland, with eight films to get your adrenalin pumping.

Hiking the entire Appalachain Trail from Georgia to Maine is no small feat. The journey takes enormous stamina and perserverance to keep at it day after day for the 5-6 months needed to cover all 2,175 miles.

That's why only a few thousand hardy souls have completed the trail since its inception in 1937.

Most, if not all AT thru-hikers do it with the usual gear: backpack, sleeping bag, tent, stove and... boots.

No so for Ron Zaleski, who I learned the other day is hiking the whole trail barefoot. Yes, barefoot. Maine to Georgia.

Zaleski is apparently no stranger to barefootedness, having done so for some 30 years since leaving the Marine Corps.

But still.

Ouch!

I just can't imagine hiking up and down Mount Katahdin without my trusty leather boots on. Much less through the 100-mile wilderness. Or the White Mountains.

Thems some kind of tough feets you got there Ron!

But then, given that Zaleski, a Vietnam vet, is hiking the trail to raise awareness of veterans issues, maybe that's what gets him by without hardly a wince.

Zaleski was about halfway along the trail in mid-Pennsylvania as of last week, still padding his way south. He plans to buck up on top of Springer Mountain, the trail's southern terminus, around Christmas.

Jeez, that's going to mean some kind of cold and snow through the Smokies and the Southern Appalachians, which range from 5-6,000 feet in elevation for hundreds of miles.

Good luck, my boy. Keep plodding. And here's hoping those thick callouses on your soles keep your tootsies warm.

Follow Zaleski's barefoot progress on his personal website.

I stopped into Eastern Mountain Sports in Portland last night just to buy a few odds and ends for my upcoming hike in the Andirondacks. Freeze-dried food, gas canisters for the stove and the like.

But before I could even make it that far into the store the book racks drew my attention. And a new guidebook jumped right off the shelf into my hands. And from there, well, the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail Guide went right into my basket.

The guide features an interesting 50-mile hiking route from Mount Monadnock north to Mount Sunapee through the 2,000-foot hills of the Monadnock Highlands in southwestern New Hampshire.

I'd heard of the trail. And now I need to go hike it. All because I couldn't exercise enough self-restraint to pass by the EMS book racks.

Dammit.

It's happening more and more these days. And I must admit that I'm worried.

Isn't the first step in any 12-step program that of admitting you have a problem?

OK my friends. I have a problem. A hiking problem.

I see a trail and I want to hike it. I see a map and I want to hike all of its trails. I see a guidebook and I'm over the top.

The trip list grows. And grows. There's no end in sight. I want to hike everything. In Maine. New England. The world.

It's hopeless.

Help me. Because it's going to happen again and again.

Somebody please help me...

The Portland City Council apparently has something against owls.

Great Horned Owls in particular it seems.

I don't get it.

I thought we were a green city. Progressive. Into the environment and wildlife and all that.

Great Horned Owls are wildlife. They're feathery and cute. With nice eyes. And they make cool sounds. Like "hoot." Guess that's why they're also known as hoot owls. Makes sense to me.

But call the pretty little nocturnal creatures "hooters" and city officials get all up in arms. Can't have none of that they say. So they pass a moratorium against our owl friends.

Sticks in the mud.

Killjoys.

Yep. It showed up in my mailbox over the weekend. And is right here in my grubby hands.

I know it's still only September and the weather is awesome and the colors have yet to change and all that.

But I just can't help thinking now about winter and snow and the ski season ahead.

The time's gonna go quick. And there's plans to make, skis to be tuned, warm clothes to be dug out.

And then the snow will fall, the groomers will groom, the lifties will lift and we skiers, well, we'll jump with joy, hop on the chair, and ache all the way to the top of the mountain for those first glorious turns down the slopes...

What? You ain't got yer ASC Season Pass yet?

Better get on it. The Bronze Pass is still a huge bargain at $395. ASC says the deadline is October 10th. Why tempt fate and lose out?

The next Greater Portland Naturalists' Forum should be a good one.

Dick Spencer of Portland, longtime conservationist and founding member of Portland Trails, will be speaking on environmental protection and human rights efforts in Mongolia, a poor country of exceptional beauty and wonderful people.

Maine Audubon hosts the program next Monday evening September 25th at 7PM at the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth.

See you there!

Ridiculous license plate controversies aside, and in a completely unrelated but semi-outdoors vein, I'd just like to say this (big, big smile implied):

Yeah SEADOGS!!!

Wish you could've done it when we were there and primed to celebrate on Friday night, but I'll take it. We all will. Congrats, my boys, congrats!

Sea Dogs are #1!

Can you say w-e-e-k-e-n-d? I knew you could!

The daypack is packed and by the door. I need only pull the mini-cooler from the fridge and stow it on my way out.

Yep, early tomorrow morning I'm finally making the long trek north to Jackman to tackle the last of Maine's seven Bald Mountains, Boundary Bald.

I'll be making the hike with some folks from the Maine Department of Conservation, who will no doubt have lots of info to share on the subject of hiking trails and mountains and land conservation in our state. And I suspect we'll have a rousing good time along the way.

The forecast is good so let's have at it!

Note: Since my recent column in the Maine Sunday Telegram, I've learned a couple of things:

First, there are no plans for a wind turbine atop Boundary Bald. Thanks to Bill Jarvis, Forest Land Manager and Jackman-Moose River Fire Chief for setting me straight.

Secondly, Josh of Sanford tells me there's an 8th Bald Mountain in Maine. It's located Downeast in T42 MD BPP on the west shore of Third Machias Lake. Thanks Josh. Of course, now I have to get up there and check it out!

What are you up to on this fine looking late summer weekend?

I forget to mention a couple of upcoming mountain bike events in my 'save the date' entry the other day and what happens?

I end up with some nasty knobby tire prints across my back!

Yessah, Mountain Bike Girl rode up one side of me and down the other. Ouch!

Mountain Bike Girl says," Hey, where the hell are my events?"

So, for goodness sake write these events down so I can stay out of trouble.

Better yet, throw your mountain bike on the car rack and join the folks from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine for these great events:

This Saturday, September 16th: Tour de Trails Ride in Greenville. Sample the local riding in and around ultra-scenic Moosehead Lake. Check with BCM for the latest details.

Saturday, October 8th: Fat Tire Frolic, Carrabassett Valley. Get in on this most outstanding 20-mile loop ride along the Carrabassett River on the Narrow Gauge Pathway, followed by some awesome singletrack along the base of the Bigelows. Again, check with BCM for FTF details.

OK now, have I missed anything? Anyone else want to take a shot at me? Eh??

Two sea kayakers dead in the same week here in Maine.

Yesterday on Megunticook Lake in Camden. And Monday off Deer Isle.

Tragic. And sad.

And very likely unnecessary.

The paddler drowned in Camden wore no personal floatation device, or PFD. I'm sorry, but that's simply inexcusable and downright foolish.

In the Deer Isle accident the paddler was out on the water alone. Exactly what happened out there is anyone's guess. But it's never a good idea to paddle solo. It just isn't. If anything goes wrong, you're on your own. And why put yourself in that situation?

Even after five years I'm still on the novice end of the sea kayaking scale, so those more experienced than I may want to chime in on proper safety precautions.

The sport of sea kayaking has its share of unpredictablility. Accidents can and do happen out on the water. So why not use common sense and try to keep the deck stacked in your favor?

To stay safe you've got to be prepared, even for a short, easy paddling trip.

A PFD always, and a paddling buddy too.

There's lots going in our outdoor world in the next few weeks so don't be setting around boo-hooing that you've got nothing to do and no one to do it with. It just isn't so!

Saturday, September 16: Eastern Trail Alliance 8-Lighthouse Ride. Join the folks at ETA for their 3rd annual fundraising day of bikie riding on the Eastern Trail. Choose from 10, 40 or 100 mile rides and help raise much needed funds for the ETA. The Eastern Trail Alliance has more details.

Sunday, September 17th: MaineShare Hike & Bike. Take part in the annual Hike & Bike at beautiful Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal to help raise funds for MaineShare.

Saturday, September 23rd: Telluride Mountain Film Festival. Enjoy the Banff Mountain Film Festival every winter? Sure you do! Then you'll you the Telluride Film Fest. The first of eight bigtime adventure films begins at 7:30 PM at the Hannaford Theater, Abromson Community Center at USM in Portland. See Chestnut Mountain Productions for more info.

September 29 thru October 1: Annual Meeting - Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Get together with the fun folks of the Maine AMC for their annual meeting. There's a full slate of activities planned including hikes, bikes, paddles and educational workshops. Plenty of socializing and good eating to be had, too. And Jeff Neff, author of the new book Katahdin: An Historic Journey, will be guest speaker. Maine AMC has complete details.

October 13 - 15: 25th annual Gathering of Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hikers. This year's event is a ways away distance-wise (last year was Hanover, NH) at Concord University in Pipestem, West Virginia, but well worth the travel effort. A lengthy event listing includes a variety of slide programs, talks and workshops. You don't have to be a long distance hiker to come, you just gotta love hiking!!! And what a way to meet and learn from others! Contact ALDHA for specifics.

Saturday, October 21: Maine Mountain Conference. Interested in everything about Maine's mountains? Their history? Their future? Then you've got to go to only the 2nd ever Maine Mountain Conference up at the Base Lodge at beautiful Saddleback Mountain. A full day of interesting and informative panel discussions and workshops are on the docket. Contact the Maine Appalachian Land Trust for more info.

Ok then. Lots going on. Much to do.

Did I miss anything? Please let me know and I'll put out an update.

It's almost fall. Time to be outside!!!

Somehow, some way, August just got right by me.

Busy, busy, you know.

Hiking, rafting, kayaking, backpacking. All that good stuff.

So much so that I forgot all about it...

Trail Head is two years old!

Trail Head is two! Time to celebrate!!

My thanks to all of you out there in Internet-land for following along for all this time, for reading and commenting, and for occasionally giving me a good ribbing. Well deserved, no doubt.

It's been fun as we've traveled along together, hiking and backpacking, kayaking and rafting, skiing and whatever else outdoors. Tipping a couple here and there. Yucking it up in the name of fun and adventure.

Thank you.

Thanks are also due to my good friends at MaineToday.com. You gave me the green light on this Trail Head blog project two years ago, and have stuck with me. Special thanks to producer Colleen Stone, blogger and writer extraordinaire, and my blog mentor, for your support and encouragement and humor through it all.

Trail Head has been nothing but good fun and I hope that I am privileged to continue for a few more years in this wonderful outdoors forum.

On to Year Three and more blah, blah, blah-ging about the Maine outdoors!

To become a whitewater rafting guide in Maine you've got to go through some pretty rigorous training. A river boot camp, if you will. That's how I remember it, anyway, from my guide training days of the early 90s.

Yup. Up at 5 AM every Saturday and Sunday morning for a month. Gobble down a huge breakfast. Then off to the Kennebec River with every raft that Downeast Whitewater owned.

We'd raft the Kennebec Gorge ten times in a day. Each potential guide getting a turn at the helm navigating the rapids. Put in at Harris Station. Take out at Carry Brook. Repeat.

Nights we'd spend at base camp doing first aid and safety training. Learning what to do in every conceivable situation on the river. On the river, away from any help, it would be up to the guide(s) to administer first aid, so we had to know our stuff.

Upon completion of the training, there was one final hurdle to go: the Maine Warden Service. A comprehensive written exam. Then the dreaded oral exam before a board of examiners. You against the world it seemed. They grilled you. Asked you snap questions. Tested, tested, tested you.

But at the end of it, if you passed (and not everybody did), you knew you knew your stuff. And were ready to take a commercial raft with paying customers down the river.

Thank goodness for the tough training.

Because it's clear that it helped save a man's life on the Dead River last weekend, when two river guides fished an unconcious man out of the water, administered CPR, stabilized him, then brought him safely down river through nasty rapids to waiting medical help.

Kudos for your coolness and quick thinking in a critical situation. Kudos to the brotherhood of boatmen on the river that day who banded together to offer any and all help. You did it. You saved a man's life.

It's been done before. It'll happen again. It's all in a day's work for a Maine river guide, many of whom have gone on to get their WFR, WEMT or EMT medical training. You can count on them every time. Maine Guides: there's nobody better in the woods and on the water.

Guess it wasn't the beer troll after all.

The Traveler's Club is starting up its fall and winter programs again beginning this Thursday evening, September 7th.

Travel to the Nepal Himalaya with adventurer Doug Friedman, who has made numerous trips to this mysterious and mountainous land. Doug's show will include images of the wonderful Nepali people, prayer flags, temples and more. Oh, and maybe a few mountains!

The Traveler's Club is sponsored by the Maine Audubon Society. Programs are held at the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth. They are free and open to the public.

See you there!