Give me a little spare time and I'll go happily along exploring, poking around looking for places to take a hike.

Such was the case last night while in Bangor for a couple of days doing my day job. After dinner out, and with the light fading fast, I drove to Brown Woods on outer Ohio St. near the edge of town.

Trailhead for Brown Woods, off Ohio St., Bangor.
All photos by Carey Kish

I was the only car in the little dirt parking lot. Perfect.

On with the fleece vest and it was off up the trail, following a winding path through the forest of pine and hemlock, oak, ash and birch.

A pinkish hue daubed the sky between the darkened treetops. The air was cool and fresh with the spring night. Steps down the path were muffled by the soft earth.

Pathway through Brown Woods.

A half mile or so in a side trail led left over some slabs and ledges to an abandoned quarry. As I drew close the peepers let loose in earnest with their cacophony.

Gray walls of crumbling rock rose up in the background, a shallow pond rippled at my feet.

The "Chin Chat" pit. What a sight. A sight that took me back decades.

Abandoned quarry, Brown Woods.

You see, I guess I forgot to mention that the trailhead to Brown Woods is but a half mile from where I grew up for a good part of my misguided youth. Back then it was just woods, with deer trails and snowmobile trails running willy-nilly through it.

But it was my woods. My little patch of wilderness. And I knew it completely. Through years of hiking and snowshoeing and skiing and exploring.

I built my first lean-to back in there, along an old fence line. My first tree house in a sprawling white pine above a plantation of young pines, grown now into a thick forest.

I scaled the walls of the quarry, at first foolishly unroped. Then later with shiny new climbing gear that I hadn't a clue how to use.

Then I figured out the rappelling down part, and with friends, spent many hours zipping down the cliff face like bigtime mountaineers. We even set up a wild zipline and a Tyrolean traverse once.

Somewhere in here I know I used up at least a couple of my nine lives. Certainly when I fired off both barrels of a friend's shotgun at the same time and drove myself backward into a rock wall.

Kids!

Ah, those halycon days. Catching frogs. Watching birds. Climbing rocks. Wandering through the woods. Camping out under the stars. Hot dogs and canned beans over a campfire (and in later years six-packs of Schlitz and bottles of Boone's Farm and possibly other substances. But I digress...)

It all came rushing back to me in a short hour's walk through Brown Woods. Fond, fond memories of childhood fun in a special place that helped to forge this man's eternal love for the woods and curiosity for exploring.

It was dark when I reached the car, but I'm sure it couldn't hide the big grin on my face.

Life is good, ain't it?!

There's lots of cool places to hike and bike in the Bangor area, so if you're ever up that way, stop in and take a good look-see around.

What about you? Got memories of a special place outdoors that you enjoyed as a kid?

Look no further than Samantha Larson!

This amazing young woman reached the summit of Mount Everest just 5 days ago, completing her quest to climb the Seven summits, the highest peak on each continent.

Larson is the youngest person to accomplish this incredible feat. And she did in tandem with her father--another first.

Wow! You go girl!

And way to go dad.

What's the next bold adventure I wonder??

Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.
--Helen Keller

Hey, it's Friday, it's cold and raining, and all my volunteers for this weekend's trail maintenance work trip up to East Carry Pond on the A.T. have bagged due to the forecast.

So forgive me if I'm feeling a bit cranky.

Or was, anyway.

Until I discovered a bit of news that's as good as manna from heaven... pizza beer!

“It's pizza and beer in a bottle,” says Tom Seefurth, a self-proclaimed beer nut from St. Charles, Illinois.

Will wonders never cease?

I just love this guy!

All four food groups combined into one tasty beverage... a complete meal in a bottle!

This could very well revolutionize modern living. At least for me!

No more cooking, no dishes, no mess. Just pop the top and enjoy!

{twist} ahhh...

Consumers will be able to "try some 'Mama Mia' beer... in the next few weeks. It is being sold at Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora (Illinois)."

And I'll be waiting with garlic breath for it to come to Maine...

The current proposal to raise Maine's lodging tax from 7% to 10% would be laughable, if it weren't so sad.

Yes, supporters say, it's all in the interest of helping to "preserve the state's scenic lands, downtowns, farms, forests and waterfronts, and improve access to hunting, fishing and boating areas."

Laudable goals, certainly, but more taxes aren't the way to go about achieving them.

This measure is another in a long series of misguided ideas meant to sock it to the rich, stick it to the business community, soak the tourists "from away," and anybody else with a pulse who can be taxed.

Brilliant! And oh so lacking in creativity.

I wonder if the proponents of this latest tax hike--cutely touted as part of "comprehensive tax reform"--have taken the time to even read their own words to see how little sense they make when strung together.

The tax is "part of a strategy to make Maine more attractive to tourists" and will "help the state to achieve long-term prosperity."

Oh really.

So raising taxes on tourist lodging--that'll mean everything from hotel and motel rooms to campgrounds and God knows whatever else--will help Maine achieve prosperity.

Who do you think you're fooling?

Are we dumb enough to think that visitors don't factor in the potential cost of their vacation when planning, and choose among the more affordable?

Hello! Of course they do.

Think people aren't sensitive to things that have bearing on their traveling, like say, gas prices that are hovering around $3 a gallon?

Think again. Money matters.

Same thing applies to the lodging tax. People get it, even tourists. But then, the legislature seems to have a perennial difficulty grasping that private citizens actually have to manage their budget, whereas Augusta doesn't.

So what do we want to do?

Raise prices through raising taxes on visitors, and by the way, the rest of us resident shmucks who live here and stay at motels and campgrounds. And then hope that nobody notices. Or cares.

And further, we expect that even more people will visit Maine because they want donate more of their hard earned money to Maine's tax coffers, because, well, just because.

Yeah, right.

Some "strategy" folks.

Marketing gurus you ain't. Give it up.

Maine's reputation for high taxes is widely known beyond the Piscataqua River bridge. Don't go making things worse for our tourism industry.

I'm all for preserving our natural beauty, our forests and farmlands; access to boating and hunting and fishing areas and the like.

But must tax hikes be part of the deal? Again and again?

Is spending reform a possibility? Reducing waste? Collecting the millions in tax dollars already owed to the state that have gone uncollected?

"Quality makes a difference," said Portland legislator Glenn Cummings. "We have the most spectacular place in the world."

Indeed we do.

Let's see some "quality" products come out of Augusta that don't include the word "tax." Unless, of course, you mean to lower them.

What a beautiful, beautiful weekend! Cool, clear and bright... one to remember come the dog days of August.

Saturday I returned to Peary Mountain in Brownfield to complete the hike I started a couple weeks ago, but cut short due to camera problems. I retraced my steps to the south summit, about a mile of moderate walking.

Views to Kearsarge North and Mt. Washington from south summit of Peary Mountain, Brownfield.
All photos by Carey Kish

The big granite bench was there to greet me, and plunking down, I was once again treated to a mountain panorama that ranged from Mount Chocurua to Mount Washington to the Royces in Evans Notch. Snow still streaked the flanks of the big Rockpile. What a day to be up there!

Here, on Peary, I had lunch guests: black flies. Not many and not too bad, but still you know there's more to come. So I bugged up with juice and took care of the minor annoyance.

Bluets on the trail to Peary Mountain.

This time all went well with the new mini-tripod. Nothing like having fully charged batteries to help with the picture taking!

The north summit is another 15 minutes along the ridge. The trail there is less worn, but if you stick to the ridge it's straightforward.

Once on top there's a fabulous view of sprawling Pleasant Mountain. It's well worth the extra effort.

Pleasant Mountain from the north summit of Peary.

Back to the car I trundled up Route 113 to Fryeburg and slid into the Jockey Cap Country Store & Motel. It's the trailhead for Jockey Cap, a short, fun climb that I hadn't done since my rock climbing days a few years back.

The trail up Jockey Cap starts in-between the Jockey Cap store and motel.

I took the old trail to the right that parallels the road, then shoots up the dome at a steep grade. I could just as easily have clambered up the left side. Either way, it's 10 minutes, maybe 15 and you're up. You can't beat the views for the brief effort.

The cliffs of Jockey Cap through the trees on the hike up.

And owing to the unique profile survey monument on top, dedicated to Admiral Robert E. Peary himself (a Fryeburg resident from 1878-79), you can identify every peak large and small in a 360-degree circle. It's a must-see!

The unique profile survey monument on top of Jockey Cap, dedicated to Admiral Robert E. Peary, the famed polar explorer.

Thanks to the monument it's possible to identify all the mountains in a 360-degree arc.

Ice cream and a cold beverage at the store below capped off a fine day on the trail.

Sunday was a different day, a day of outdoor-related stuff, but little physical activity. Got to have 'em every now and then.

The trunk of the car was unloaded, and out came snowshoes, ice ax, ski boots and poles, crampons.

Off came the ski rack. On went the kayak rack.

Out came the chainsaw for a good test run, along with tools and safety gear, bar oil and gas et al, for next weekend's maintenance trip to East Carry Pond to knock out the blowdowns on my section of the AT.

Then the backpack was loaded up with gear for a long Memorial Weekend hike.

And so the day went, interspersed with the occasional Corona with lime to keep the thirst at bay. All good.

What was your weekend in the outdoors like?

Anybody know the scoop on Admiral Peary's time in Fryeburg? I'm curious to know that bit of history.

For chrissakes, seems it's not safe to pee anywhere anymore.

First we had the now infamous 'pooper peeker' settled in beneath a New Hampshire rest stop outhouse, spying on innocent, unsuspecting butt cheeks.

And now we get the 'bathroom cam' and another sicko.

Jeez Louise.

What the hell is up with these people?

I'm down with the comments of "weatherfreak" of Great Pond... I think from now on I'm going to pee only in the woods!!!

TGIF. Have a good weekend all.

And please do watch where you pee! Someone could be watching you!!

The venerable AMC White Mountain Guide, the hiker's bible to more than 500 wonderful trails, is 100 years old this year.

Woo-hoo!

Photo courtesy Appalachian Mountain Club

Good cause for celebration, wouldn't you say? (As if we needed an excuse!)

Given that, the Appalachian Mountain Club is inviting guidebook afficionados, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts alike to a celebratory event at the AMC Highland Center atop Crawford Notch next Wednesday, May 9th starting at 7PM.

Longtime guidebook editors Gene Daniell and Stevn Smith will be on hand to give a presentation and to sign guidebooks, which will be available for sale.

Maybe see you there?!

I just got a copy of the new guide and it looks terrific. AMC has not only updated the trail information, but the guide format as well. Six new high-tech color maps are included.

And later this summer AMC will launch an online companion to the guide, allowing hikers to interact with the maps to explore trails and plan trips. Awesome!

I'll be pouring through my new guide in the coming weeks as the hiking season gears up. I'll make some notes and get you more details as I go. But what I've seen so far looks real, real good.

Nice job AMC!

Meantime, I've got to put the hiking guides aside and pack up for a long weekend in the sun. Because I do believe it's 5 o'clock somewhere... See's ya soon!

Do you have a well-worn AMC White Mountain Guide? What edition? How many trails in it have you done? Plan to replace it with the new and wicked improved version?

If you love our Allagash Wilderness Waterway--maybe you've canoed it or maybe you'd like to someday--then you won't want to miss tonight's showing of "Northrunner" at this month's meeting of MOAC--the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

Per Jim Crocker, communications director for the Maine Department of Conservation, on Northrunner – The Allagash Wilderness Waterway:

“The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is a special place, not just to those of us who live in Maine, but to canoeists and outdoors lovers everywhere,” said Executive Producer Patrick K. McGowan, Commissioner of the DOC. “We wanted to capture the history of the place, and the affection for the Allagash that shows in the faces of those who live and recreate on the Waterway.”

The 52-minute film features breathtaking video of the Waterway, and interviews with those who know the Allagash best – residents of northern Maine. Sporting camp operator Phyllis Jalbert, retired teacher and lifelong St. John Valley resident Melford Pelletier tell their stories of the Waterway, as do State Senator John Martin and Fort Kent high school student Chace Jackson. “This film captures the true spirit of the Allagash,” said Ursus Productions’ Andy Collar.

Sounds like we're in for a fun and most entertaining evening. Come on along!

MOAC meetings start at 7PM, and are free and open to the public.

See you there...

It appears there's some last minute trouble in paradise.

The concern poised to sell 8,000 acres of land near Baxter State Park to the state for $6 million--the appraised value, by the way--now says the figure "is too low."

Really?

And why now?

The property in Wassataquoik Valley was to be purchased to ameliorate parties upset over the Katahdin Lake parcel, which, as an addition to Baxter State Park, would be off limits to hunting and snowmobiling et cetera.

It was a reasonable compromise, one where each side got most of what they were looking for.

So now what?

The Gardiner Land people clearly don't seem to think it's a big whoop: "If this deal falls through, we have some other people that are interested."

Oh really. Well that's nice. A real pleasure doing business with you.

One of the potential buyers (with deeper pockets than the state apparently) is thought to be Roxanne Quimby, who has already demonstrated no love for hunting, trapping, wood harvesting and such on her other properties in the region (but hey, it's her land and that's her right).

But that ain't at all how this particular deal was supposed to go down. The Katahdin Lake parcel went to Baxter as "forever wild" and the Wassataquoik Valley was to to be sold to the state, preserved and managed for multiple use.

Shame on Gardiner if this doesn't happen.

The whole thing smells pretty damn stinky to me.

You?

I hope the Maine Department of Conservation holds Gardiner's feet real close to the fire on this one. And forces them to hold true to the original deal.

The hike...

Saturday seemed liked a good day for a drive up Route 113 and a hike on Peary Mountain in Brownfield, one of the last "to-do's" on my list in that area.

The road in late morning was nearly empty and the ride most enjoyable, with time to think and look around and relax a bit.

A few miles past the intersection with Route 160 I turned off to the left on Farnsworth Road and followed the progressively rougher track for another 1 1/2 miles its end at the Little Saco River.

That's where the trail to Peary starts, on the left and thruough a gate.

It's an old woods road for nearly a mile, nice walking at a moderate grade.

The spring air was fresh and thick and smelled great. A bubbling stream kept me company for part of the way, as did black-capped chickadees and white-throated sparrows and the occasional woodpecker.

After crossing through a log yard the trail tops out at a saddle, a old stone foundation on the left and a fireplace with two stone benches on the right.

I left the jeep track here and followed cairns left uphill on a footpath. The going got steeper above with some scramblimng necessary over slippery slabs.

On the trail to Peary Mountain, Brownfield.
All photos by Carey Kish

Views opened up to the west and voila! The south summit. Complete with a big stone bench and look out to the cone of Kearsarge North and the Whites, mostly obscured by gray clouds.

Atop the south summit of Peary Mountain.

I was excited to try out my new lightweight backpacking tripod so I immediately got to work setting things up.

But after only a few test shots the camera batteries died. So I swapped in a new set and... the camera refused to work, period. With the lens fully extended.

Hmmm. Not good.

I tinkered in vain for awhile and then gave up. And sat down for lunch and drank in the quiet of the mountaintop.

I decided to skip the trek over to the north summit--a hike for another day--and headed home, bent on returning my dead camera.

Once home, and just for yucks, I popped a brand new set of batteries. And of course, the camera came immediately to life, all functions normal!

Dumbass. The spare set of batteries I'd had with me on the trail were old, dead ones.

OK now, repeat after me: "I will test my camera batteries before setting out on the trail. I will test my batteries..."

The bikes...

Sunday was all about bikes (and some rain too) at the Great Maine Bike Swap at USM in Portland, a bigtime fundraising eevnt organized by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.

A huge crowd waited to get into the Great Maine Bike Swap at USM last Sunday.

More than 1,100 people showed up to check out a wide selection of used bikes: road bikes, mountain bikes, kid's bikes, classic bikes, hybrid bikes.

The Bike Swap featured hundreds of used bikes for sales at good prices.

In addition to a great selection of bikes for sale at very reasonable prices, there were a host of bike-related vendors on site and a full schedule of workshops throughout the day.

All-in-all it was a fun day that was all about bikes! Time to hop on and ride!

If you missed this year's bike swap, make a note on your calendar for next spring. It's likely to be even bigger and better.

1,100 people crowded the USM gym looking for a good deal on a used bike.

Jeff Miller, Executive Director mof the Bicycle Coaltion of Maine, and Maine's #1 bicycle advocate, yucks it up with bike swappers .