31 blowdowns cleared. 2 temporary bog bridges built. 300 road miles logged. And some 20-odd person-hours recorded.

So went a recent trail maintenance trip to my section of the AT up at East Carry Pond. The way is clear now... so have at it my hiker friends!

Many thanks to my friend Huw, a Wales native and newcomer to Maine, who'd never set foot on the AT before, much less been gravel pit camping, a Maine tradition. Well, now that's all been taken care of, and he's earned his keep to boot with a good day of sweat and toil on the trail.

Besides the dearth of of black flies and mosquitoes, I kept Huw busy with plenty of sawed-up messes produced by me and the chainsaw. All things considered, however, it was a light year work-wise. Thirty-one blowdowns is nothing compared to the last several seasons, when 75-100 or more was the norm.

One of the never-ending joys of visiting my trail section is that walk out of the thick spruce and fir near the end of it, and onto the shoreline of East Carry Pond. Then turning left and walking--slowly walking--along the bank on a soft path thick with needles. The crystal clear water lapping the rocks. Sun and blue sky and puffy white clouds. And not a sound except the breeze in the treetops. To the sandy beach perfect for watching red-spotted newts swim in the shallows and washing off the day's trail dirt.

It's not wilderness here, but it's big woods. And it feels wild enough. And when I get there I get a special feeling deep inside. Of thanks. And pride. And pleasure.

Thanks that I'm so lucky to simply know this place, and be able to share it with others. Proud that I and others are able to take a modicum of care of it so that hikers can pass through. Pleasure in good honest work, wielding a chainsaw, a pair of brush clippers, a fire rake.

Hope you all have a good weekend. And that you get a chance to help out our trails sometime this summer. They need you as much as you need them!

Gravel pit camping is the best. Especially with the new house-on-wheels!
Photo by Huw Evans

Clearing a tangle of blowdowns on the AT near East Carry Pond.
Photo by Huw Evans

More blowdowns...but only 31 in all. An easy task this year.
Photo by Huw Evans

Happiness is a clear trail corridor.
Photo by Huw Evans

First AT thru-hikers of the season: Southbounders Emery, Jordan, Brad and dog Boo from Austin, Texas. Good luck guys!
Photo by Huw Evans

The day's reward: The magnificence that is Easy Carry Pond.
Photo by Huw Evans

End of my trail section at the inlet to East Carry Pond.
Photo by Huw Evans

Incredible view across Flagstaff Lake from Round Barn behind Bigelow as we traveled the long way home.
Photo by Huw Evans

What makes our trails so important to all of us?

I know what they mean to me personally. No doubt you have your own reasons why trails are near and dear to your heart.

Tomorrow is National Trails Day, a good opportunity to get outdoors with other like-minded folks around Maine and across the U.S. to celebrate our trails--all of our trails.

Image courtesy of the American Hiking Society

“It’s a day to bring all trail users together; an all-encompassing human-powered day to hike, paddle, bike, ride a horse; to dedicate, improve and build trails,” Ivan Levin, Trails Program Manager for the American Hiking Society, the national sponsor of National Trails Day, told me in a recent conversation.

There are more than 200,000 miles of trails in the U.S. providing access to our natural surroundings, according to Levin. Trails allow people to not only get out and explore and recreate outdoors, but to reap enormous physical and mental health benefits while doing so.

“Now in its 15th year, National Trails Day has grown from 50 events in 1993 to more than 1,200 nationwide in 2007,” Levin said. “It’s become a national environmental awareness event.”

Saturday, June 2nd--tomorrow--is National Trails Day... a good day to get outside and celebrate!
Photo by Carey Kish

Indeed it has. So get on out there tomorrow and show your support for Maine trails, lend a hand, and have some fun with your outdoor friends, new and old.

Check the American Hiking Society website for all the NTD '07 events happening in Maine--there are 22 listed--tomorrow.

I've got just the thing.

It doesn't pay much $$$ (actually none at all), but it is oh so rewarding.

What is it, you ask?

Why trail maintenance, of course!

Brush clipping and weed whacking, water bar cleaning, blowdown removal, bog bridge building, rock step construction, paint blazing... cool stuff like that.

In the great Maine outdoors, along with a whole team of fun, happy, friendly folks from the Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club.

What could be better?

My good friend Laura, Maine AMC Vice Chair and Trails Committee member, just sent along a very impressive and ambitious schedule of spring, summer and fall trail maintenance trips.

AMCer Laura works on a trailside "springpole."
All photos by Carey Kish

If you are looking for a way to give back to Mother Nature and our precious trails (and I hope you are!), then this may be just the ticket. And with 15 planned outings between now and late October, you might just want to go a couple of rounds or more.

So, here's the deal, simple and easy, according to Laura:

"There is NO experience required to do trail maintenance and there is a job for everyone! Although some trail work requires heavy lifting and digging, there are many important but less labor intensive jobs that need doing, such as lopping brush and painting trail blazes... Thanks to those of you who have helped in the past. We look forward to working with many of you in the future."

A smiley, happy MOAC trail crew.

How to get on board to help out?

That's easy too: Go to the Maine AMC website and check the calendar for a day or weekend "trail work" trip that fits your schedule. Then e-mail or call the trip leader. And voila! You're in!

Check out some of the wonderful outdoor settings:

* On April 28th you can work in the outstanding Kennebec Highlands along with the Belgrade Regional Conservation Association.
* Over the Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, head into the wilderness of Little Lyford Pond Camps, check into a rustic log cabin and work from there.
* On June 23rd help relocate the summit trail up Bald Mountain in Weld.
* On July 21st you could be on the Bald Peak Trail on Pleasant Mountain and maybe pick a quart of blueberries while you work.
* On September 15th enjoy the early fall colors from the alpine environs of the Firewarden's Trail on Mount Abraham near Kingfield.
* Finish up the season on October 27th clearing trail on Black Mountain in Sumner.

Whew! There you have it. Sign up for the good fun with good people today!

A properly protected sawyer (eh, Phil Pepin?) clearing blowdowns on the AT.

And, as if the above wasn't enough, let's not forget that the Maine Appalachian Trail Club needs plenty of maintenance help along the 280-some mile trail corridor from Grafton Notch to Abol Bridge.

Check out any of the 33 MATC Maine Trail Crew maintenance trips for '07 and see if any of 'em trip your trigger, so to speak.

Have fun!

What DO trails mean to you? Why are they important to you, to me, to us?

Is it for the solitude, with nothing but a pack of simple goods on your back, a smile on your face and miles of empty trail ahead of you; trees and rocks, sunshine and fresh air, and your own thoughts as company?

Carey Kish photos

Is it for the camaraderie, folks gathered up around the evening campfire, sharing the day and a good meal amid the woodsmoke, frogs chirping and the sun setting in the background, and that fine feeling of friends and fatigue settling into your being?

Is it that incredible feeling of challenge and then sense of self-discovery, when you reach the top of the mountain after a hard climb, or paddle around the dicey headland amid the heaving seas, or finally ride that narrow trick bridge on your mountain bike... yes, I CAN do it!

Is it for the sheer simplicity of making your bed under the stars in a forest meadow, cooking up an extraordinary one-pot feast on your little camp stove, of sitting on a rock overlooking a tumbling brook doing not much of anything but knowing deep how great it is to just sit on a rock overlooking a tumbling brook.

Is it for the wonder of coming around a bend and scaring yourself and a magnificent bull moose, the beauty of the sky--all purple and red and orange--as the sun sets over a glass-surfaced lake, the 360 degree panorama set out before you from the craggy mountaintop, the sweet smell of the balsam forest in a warm patch of sunlight.

Is it for the natural beauty of our state, whether it's the little grove of hardwoods down the street where you walk every day, the Back Cove Trail beneath the urban skyline of downtown Portland, the alpine heights of the Bigelow ridgeline, the placid waters of the Saco River, the bold landscape of the Cutler coast...

What is it?

What draws you, us, to the trails? On foot, by ski and snowshoe, by bike, by canoe and kayak, by motorized means?

Take some time. Think about it. Then please kindly leave me your comments below.

Let me give you a gentle push...

I enjoy hiking the _____ Trail because...

_____ Lake or River is my favorite place to paddle because...

I love to get out in my sea kayak around _____ because...

_____ is my favorite spot to camp because...

The most beautiful mountain to me is _____ because...

Running or walking on the ____ Path is great because...

There's no singletrack mountain bike trail like ____ because...

Cross-country skiing at _____ is the best because...

See, there you go. Not so hard eh?

So go for it. Put it into words. Share with us your passion for the outdoors, the pursuits that drive you, the favorite places that keep you coming back. Inspire us, inform us, take us there with you....

Why are trails important to you?

A good deal of the trails we recreate on are on private land. That is, they are available to us as a courtesy extended by the landowner.

It's probably something you and I don't think much about, but should.

Abuse such a privilege and a landowner has every right to post their land and close it to visitors. Privately owned land means just that--private, and the rights all belong to the landowner.

I got to thinking about this issue again when I learned of a flap concerning Rumford Whitecap, a true gem of a mountain just north of the Androscoggin River in Rumford. A mountain on private land, mind you.

The folks of the Mahoosuc Land Trust have been campaigning for several years now to purchase 761 acres on the mountain, a portion of which apparently, was thought to include the alpine summit.

Not so, according to the Kersey family, which owns 107 acres including the top of the peak, land which is not for sale.

So now there's a big helping of misunderstanding going on over this.

The Kerseys have expressed some serious concerns, one being "that they will become victims of environmental eminent domain and will lose all rights over their own property."

Further concerns include the increase in media exposure the mountain has received, which the Kerseys fear will translate into a "loss of the pristine qualities the mountain is known for."

Points well taken.

I'm guilty, if you will, of "exposing" the mountain in a recent newspaper column. And regretful that I, too, repeated information on the land sale, including what we now know is the Kersey summit property.

My bad, but who knew?

Again, it's a misunderstanding. Unfortunate, but innocent enough.

I checked the MLT website and it appears that the appropriate changes have been made, whereby mention of the summit as part of the deal has been deleted. There could be more specifics, however, to help allay the Kersey's concerns.

That the MLT is still pursuing the purchase of a portion of Rumford Whitecap, though it may not include the peak, is proper and reasonable. It's what land trusts do. Work to protect and preserve sensitive, valuable lands.

I believe the Kerseys would find the MLT to be good neighbors. It's just a shame in this case that the Kerseys had to be upset in the process.

"The Kerseys absolutely dread the tought of having to post their land."

We do, too. It needn't come to that.

Their are so many good and decent people in the recreation community that have the utmost respect for the land--public or private--and their very presence on our trails is a huge deterrent to those who would abuse them.

It's this quiet, mostly unseen stewardship--a sense of ownership really--that wards off most of the outdoors bad-doers.

And that's the message I have for the Kerseys: Thank you, for starters. Thanks to you and your family for graciously sharing your land for many different uses by many, many people over the years. You have provided us a wonderful gift.

This misunderstanding will be resolved, if it hasn't been already.

We ask for continued access to the high reaches of Rumford Whitecap, and that in return, we the caring public will continue to watch over your land just as you would, as we enjoy it and teach others to do the same.

You'll remember that last month we learned that the Cohos Trail, the magnificent 162-mile hiking route next door in New Hampshire, was being closed.

The reason: The lack of sufficient financial support necessary to keep the trail properly maintained and open, and to build the needed trail facilities such as shelters and the like.

Well, thankfully it was a short-lived closing!

Late last week I received the following uplifting message from Kim Nielsen, president and founder of the Cohos Trail Association:

"The Cohos Trail lives. We have reorganized the association and have some new blood--all volunteer blood... In fact, the notice of closure brought a storm of support from people who are in a position to make sure it doesn't close down again. So we will reopen the trail in 2007 and we will actually be expanding it another six or so miles and adding at least one cleared summit with a jaw-dropping view. Tell everyone, my good man!"

No problem there, Kim. I think I just did.

It's good news for all of us who love trails, whether they be here in Maine, New England or beyond.

Five bucks is five bucks!

Think $5 isn't much? It is when you gets hundreds and hundreds of caring trail enthusiasts to pull together and give a little.

The Cohos Trail Association is looking for as many trail supporters as possible to help with their $5 Fund Drive in the hopes of raising $5,000 to keep the Cohos Trail, "this big remote natural wonder of a trail moving forward."

Your $5 can be sent to: The Cohos Trail Association. 252 Westmoreland Rd., Spofford, NH 03462

I just sent mine. You?

Trails! They're good for you...
All photos by Carey Kish

Do you mountain bike or ride a road bike?

Then trails are important to you.

Do you hike, walk, run, jog?

Then trails are important to you.

Do you snowmobile or ride an ATV?

Then trails are important to you.

Do you enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing?

Then trails are important to you.

Are you an equestrian?

Then trails are important to you.

Are you a differently-abled person who likes to get outdoors?

Then trails are important to you.

Trails! They're good for me!

Where am I going with this?

I suspect that you already know.

Trails... They connect us to the past, carry us through the present, and represent a hopeful part of our future.

Regardless of how, when and where we recreate, we love them, we use them, we need them! And we might not even realize just how much, how important trails are to our lives, how good they are for us in so many ways.

But did you know that with current funding levels here in Maine it could take 75 to 100 years to build just the shared-use trails that have already been approved?

That's much too long.

And that's why the folks from the Trails for a Healthy Maine Coalition, together with hundreds of supporting organizations and concerned citizens are working hard to gain legislative support for a $10 million bond to fund these important shared-use trail projects sooner rather than later.

Trails! They're good for Maine's future!

Consider these facts from THM:

• Trails make for healthier Maine people because they combat physical inactivity by encouraging walking, bicycling, skating and running.
• Trails promote economic development and a higher quality of life in our communities. A trails bond is estimated to create more than 400 jobs.
• Trails encourage visitors to spend more time and money in Maine. MaineDOT figures show that bicycle tourism alone generates more than $66 million annually to the Maine economy.
• Trails connect our communities, homes and schools, and provide Maine people and visitors with safe and healthy transportation options.
• Trails that connect schools and neighborhoods encourage students to bike and walk more. It’s a fact that healthy, active kids grow up to become healthy, active adults.

It's time to make this most excellent and important investment that will pay big, big returns, don't you think?

I thought you'd agree.

So, what's the next step?

Trail enthusiasts of all stripes will be gathering for a press conference at the Maine State House next Tuesday, February 27 at 11:30am to support a $10 million Trails for a Healthy Maine Bond and to "highlight the importance of more funding for trails because more trails for Maine means a healthier people, economy, environment, transportation, and future."

Let's hope the good word gets heard by our decision makers! Just to be sure, if you think more shared-use trails are a good idea, maybe you'll want to contact your legislator and let he or she know.

If you're a resident of or visitor to the Greater Portland area then you are some lucky when it comes to urban trails.

We've got the best of the best here.

That's because Portland Trails, its staff, its wealth of volunteers, its trail friends and supporters, and its affiliated trail groups are the model for conservation, cooperation, and communication.

"It's all about building community," Portland Trails Executive Director Nan Cumming has told me so often.

Indeed it is. And how successful they have been!

Note above that I mentioned "Greater Portland" and not just Portland.

That's right. Portland Trails' efforts have gone so well that the organization is moving ahead with bigger plans to build and connect trails beyond the core city of Portland.

That means more work to be done, more relations to be developed in Westbrook, Falmouth, South Portland and maybe beyond.

An aggressive plan, but one that is undoubtedly within reach of this organization.

All of this good news was on display Tuesday evening at the Portland Trails 15th Annual Meeting held at the Space Gallery in downtown Portland.

Nan Cumming, Portland Trails executive Director, addresses PTs annual meeting Tuesday evening.
Photo by Carey Kish

Looking ahead, much of the focus will be on the Presumpscot River corridor, acocording to John Osborn, PT trails committee chair. The river is a key passageway through the area and the hope is to create a connected greenway along much of its length.

Other tasks include: Connecting the newly acquired Brickyard Point in Falmouth with Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm Sanctuary; more greenspace out by the old Portland city landfill; the hope of extending trails in the Fore River Sanctuary to open space associated with a new industrial park in Portland; and an extension of the tranquil Stroudwater Trail farther into Westbrook is in the works.

Whew!

The big news of the evening, following suit with all of the aforementioned trail work plans, was the change in Portland Trails mission statement.

According to a PT news release: With the construction of an additional mile of trail at Thompson’s Point last summer, the group met that 30-mile target. “It’s a great accomplishment,” said Roger Berle, Portland Trails’ board president, “but we’ve got plenty more trails to build.” Members assembled at the meeting endorsed the new mission statement which will now read, “To create and maintain a 50-mile network of multi-use trails within greater Portland.”

20 additional miles of trail... wow! You go PT!

Following the good news re Portland Trails, attention shifted to Dick Anderson, founder of the International Appalachian Trail.

Dick Anderson, IAT founder (left) and Dave Littel, former PT president and current Maine DEP commisioner (right) at PTs annual meeting.
Photo by Carey Kish

Through his delightful and informative slide program, "A Walk on The International Appalachian Trail: Katahdin to St. Anthony, Newfoundland," Anderson encouraged the audience to "think beyond borders" as the IAT has done so successfully.

"The basic idea originally," said Anderson, "was to use the mountains as a focal point to get Canada and Maine to work together on a common project."

Well, nearly 13 years after its inception, the IAT has extended all the way to the tip of the Appalachian Mountains at Belle Isle, Newfoundland. A model of international cooperation and goodwill.

But Anderson and his group aren't done yet. Owing to some surprising geology and a spirited determination, the IAT not only has plans to extend across Atlantic Canada to the tip of Nova Scotia, but to Europe and North Africa!

Stay tuned!

Needless to say it was a very entertaining and inspiring evening.

Both of these outstanding trail groups--Portland Trails and the IAT/SIA--need your support, both in terms of time and $$$. A check will do, but elbow grease may be better. Contact them to ask how you can help.

The Cohos Trail will soon be no more.

Billed as "the longest single foot trail venture in New Hampshire's history," the Cohos Trail Association will soon disband and most or all of its 162-mile trail system will be closed.

Morning view from the Panorama Lean-to, Cohos Trail NH.
Photo courtesy Cohos Trail Association.

The reason?

Money. Or the lack thereof.

Cohos Trail founder and chief advocate Kim Nilsen says the group doesn't have enough money to properly maintain this extensive wilderness trail.

How sad!

Never heard of the Cohos Trail, you say?

Maybe that's part of the problem.

This incredible hiking route is right next door to us Mainers and yet I'm betting that few know about it.

The Cohos Trail traverses the length of New Hampshire's Coos County (the trail takes its name form the original spelling). It begins at Crawford Notch and the Dry River Trail, peaks out atop Mount Eisenhower, and then runs north to the Canadian border at Pittsburg through some of the most remote and rugged backcountry in New England.

Wilderness shoreline, Second Connecticut Lake, Cohos Trail NH.
Photo courtesy Cohos Trail Association.

"The Cohos Trail is not a walk in the park. The Cohos Trail is not a trail for those in T-shirts and sneakers or dress shoes. It is an isolated, remote trail system that winds in some places for dozens and dozens of miles without ever encountering a town," so says the CTAs website.

Was the CT too much for the average Joe hiker? Taken in small day or weekend sections I find that hard to believe.

Inadequate marketing? Maybe, but the group has a terrific and very detailed website, plus maps and a guidebook to boot.

Poor money management? Who knows.

A lack of dedicated volunteers? Always a possibility. With all due respect, you know that the 80/20 rule or even the 90/10 all too often applies when it comes to true get-it-done volunteers.

Whatever the reason(s), the Cohos Trail is going away after only a decade in existence. And that can't make any of us in the hiking community happy.

I've only been on one part of the route--up to Mount Martha--and now wish I'd gotten to more. Ironically, in the interest of saving money on travel this year, I was seriously considering a thru-hike of the Cohos Trail this coming summer. And closed or not, maybe I still will!

The new Baldhead Lean-to, Cohos Trail NH.
Photo courtesy Cohos Trail Association.

So, my trail friends, I must ask: What can we do to save the Cohos Trail?

Money appears to be the immediate issue. But I haven't yet spoken to Nilsen to ascertain whether donations would even be accepted at this point. Perhaps, I'll try him and see what he says.

In the meantime, your ideas and comments on the Cohos Trail are welcome, whether or not you've hiked parts of it (or all of it) or not. Do you want to see the Cohos Trail remain open to the public? What to do?

I know it's Friday and you've got skiing or whatever on the brain for the weekend... But, if you're making plans for next week be sure to block out Tuesday night, January 23rd for the Portland Trails Annual Meeting.

The festivities will begin with refreshments at 5PM and include a review of the past year's accomplishments as well as a look ahead to what's planned for 2007.

Picturesque Jewell Falls in the Fore River Sanctuary, part of the Portland Trails system.
Photo by Carey Kish

Next up, Dick Anderson, founder and tireless ambassador of the International Appalachian Trail will present "A Walk on the International Appalachian Trail: Katahdin to St. Anthony, Newfoundland."

Dick Anderson, founder of the IAT.
Photo by Wilfred E. Richard, courtesy of Portland Trails

Dick and his dedicated group of IAT volunteers has been working diligently to solidify the trail route and extend the trail to new locales in Canada and beyond. You can be sure he'll have lots to say about the project and many fine photos to boot.

So join up with like-minded enthusiasts in the trail community and get a earful and eyeful of what's happening with your local Portland Trails and internationally with the IAT.

Along Portland Trails' Stroudwater River Trail.
Photo by Carey Kish

The PT event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Do so by contacting Isabel at 775-2411 or isabel@trails.org.

The Maine Huts and Trails System, a proposed recreation corridor stretching from Moosehead Lake to the Bethel area, just got another big fund raising boost.

The folks at New Balance just handed over a cool half mil to bring the total raised to date at $3.9 million.

Not bad a'tall.

I'm so excited to see this visionary project finally taking shape. And with some additional financial help, about $600K or so, the first phase of the hut system can proceed.

As a skier, hiker and paddler I can't wait to take advantage of this new, world class opportunity. I know many other outdoor enthusiasts feel the same.

So keep on rolling. Build it and we will come!

Do you plan to use the new huts and trails system when it's completed? By hiking, mountain biking, XC skiing or paddling?

Program note: If you want to get an up close and personal look at the Maine Huts and Trails system, consider attending the December 6th meeting of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club in Portland. Dave Herring, Executive Director of Maine Huts and Trails will be the featured speaker.

Just got wind late yesterday of a local trails project that needs warm bodies: Yours!

The scoop: The West End Trail Committee of the South Portland Land Trust is building a trail around Clark's Pond this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, from 8 am to 1 pm.

Donuts and coffee in the mornings and burgers and dogs on the grill in the afternoon are the rewards for your precious labor. Can't beat that!

Your RSVP is needed today, though. So please, if you have the time and energy, lend a hand. Trail work is good fun, you'll meet some cool new friends and make a big difference by helping to expand our trails network. All good.

The South Portland Land Trust has the complete details.

Thanks!

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...

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.

That's right.

Help is needed. This weekend. Your help.

Because Saturday is National Trails Day! And our trails can't get along without you.

You hike and camp on them. Bike on them. Walk and run on them. Ski and snowshoe on them.

You love them. Our trails.

So do more than just use them. Show 'em real love.

Anyone with the time and energy to hike on trails...

Has the time and energy to work on trails!

Join in on any of more than twenty National Trails Day events in Maine.

Get out there with others en masse. Wield a pair of brush clippers, a grub hoe, a bucksaw, a trash bag. Clear the trail. Clean the trail. Make it look some pretty.

It'll be fun. You'll love it. Guaranteed.

Your local trails group will love you, too, for volunteering some of your time for our trails.

Clearing the trail.

Moving logs for building a bog bridge (Photo courtesy Peter Roderick, Maine AMC).

A happy, tired MOAC trail crew.

But what about when National Trails Day has come and gone, what then?

Easy.

Keep up the good work, of course, by joining up with any of dozens of trails groups around Maine that can most assuredly use a few hours, a day, a couple of weekends of your time throughout the year to work on trails.

What are your plans for National Trails Day?

18,000-plus hours.

That's the amount of time that Maine Appalachian Trail Club members volunteered in support of Maine's Appalachian Trail in 2005.

It's an astounding statistic, and one I can't wait to hear every year at the MATC annual meeting, which was last weekend in Farmington.

18,000 hours devoted to everything from brush clearing, branch clipping, blowdown removal, bog bridge construction, blazing, signing and trash pick-up to administrative tasks, envelope stuffing, newsletter organization and printing, travel, meetings and whatever else that needs to get done.

All in the name of and devotion to the Appalachain Trail.

My hat is off to all MATC volunteers for a job well done.

And so I must ask you all: The next time you throw your pack on your back and hit the trail, please consider the enormous amount of volunteer hours that go quietly unnoticed throughout the year--each and every year--in support of trails in Maine.

Makes you want to give a little something back, doesn't it?

I thought so.

Here's how you can do it:

For starters, contact the good folks at the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Maine Land Trust Network, any organization listed on Healthy Maine Walks, MOAC.

Surely someone there will be able to direct you as to how you can help with trail work. And believe me, they need and want your help. There are NEVER enough volunteers to share the load of taking care of our trails.

So please pitch in a little of your time for the trails that you and I love.

You will not only get immense personal satisfaction from doing so, but you will be profusely thanked by the trail club or group that you volunteer for.

Thank you!

Consider volunteering to do some trail work this year. It'll come back to you in spades. Thanks!

If you were at last evening's meeting of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club in Portland, then you got a pretty good eyeful of the incredible natural beauty to be found by hikers along the International Appalachian Trail.

Dick Anderson, the founder and president of the IAT, detailed his organization's latest efforts at international trails collaboration with the extention of the trail across Newfoundland to the farthest natural reaches of the Appalachian Mountains (on this side of the North Atlantic Plate anyway) amid the icebergs of Belle Isle.

Dick's group is also negotiating with the good folks of Nova Scotia to bring an arm of the IAT through the lovely countryside of that province as far as windswept Cape Breton Island.

And here at home in Maine, the IAT is working with landowners to carve out a corridor and move more of the trail off road and into the woods.

It's an incredible effort, and if you listen to Dick and see the devoted group of advocates working tirelessly to make this concept a reality, you can understand just how it all came to be and why it will be successful in its bold vision.

Which, by the way, ultimately calls for IAT trail in Scotland and Ireland as well. Without going into plate tectonics and all that, suffice it to say that the IAT may one day indeed cover all of the original Appalachian Mountains, regardless of what side of the Atlantic Ocean they may now be.

I'm sending in my check today to become a member of the International Appalachian Trail. Maybe you'll want to also. This is an amazing and ever-evolving trans-cultural and trans-continental project. I not only want to support it, but now I want to hike it. All of it!

Thanks for your inspiration and leadership, Dick!

Dick Anderson (right), founder and president of the IAT, with IAT board members Jack Seigel (left) and Walter Anderson (middle) at last night's MOAC meeting in Portland.

A few more inspiring words from my friend Nimblewill Nomad, as he nears completion of the AT, the 3,000 mile mark of his journey from Newfoundland to Key West:

The evening has turned cold, so I linger by the fire till after dark, alone, as usual. As I stare into the dying embers, I'm set to pondering the interesting and utter difference between what, at times, we might embrace as near reverie, that oft sought after thing called solitude, and what, at other times, we might look upon as no more than the hopelessly despairing pangs of loneliness. I've seen no thru-hikers since Erwin [Tennessee], and only two day hikers today. As expressed in my ditty "Land of the Free," wanderlust can, indeed, deal us a "...cold, lonesome track."

As one who has spent his share of time "out there" alone, I can attest that's it's often a very fine line between the two. Solitude in the wilderness can bring incredible ecstasy. Other times being alone on the trail can bring you to tears.

Guess that's part of why we go. To feel. To see. To be alive and dancing along on that razor's edge of emotions.

Maybe it's the nice almost-spring weather. Could be the winter that never quite was.

Whatever the case, I'm ready for hiking season.

I know, I know, hiking season never really ends (especially this year).

But I'm itching for hiking season.

You know, shorts and T-shirt, light hikers on the feet, sun and blue skies and 70 degrees.

That hiking season.

There's still a few more ski runs to be taken. And there's Reggae Weekend and all that good stuff. Good fun, no doubt.

But it's the hiking I want now. Bad. And I'm ready to jump into it like I can't remember.

How about you? You ready to hit the trail?

It probably hasn't helped one damn bit that I've been reading about the 5,000-plus mile hiking odyssey of Nimblewill Nomad on the Eastern Continental Trail, a contrived route that takes in the International Appalachian Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Florida Trail and a few other shorter trails on its way from Newfoundland to Key West.

Can't imagine that's had any effect at all. You think?

Old Nomad is quite the storyteller for sure, and not a bad poet either. Here's just one of his inspirational poems from Where Less the Path is Worn that's really got me going:

Here's to all hearts of that cold, lonesome track,
To the life of the wanderlust, free.
To all who have gone and have never come back,
Here's a tribute to you and me.

With our feet in the dirt, we're the grit of earth,
Heads a-ridin' the heavens o'erhead.
And they won't find a nickel of value or worth,
When our fortunes are tallied and read.

But no richer has there ever been known,
Since the times of all ruin and wrack,
Than those of us lost to the dust outward blown,
Who have gone and have never come back.

--Nimblewill Nomad

Your words are beautiful and true, Nomad. Like others, I've gone too, and have never fully returned. The trail does that.

Carry on, my good man. Carry on.

I noticed in the latest issue of AT Journeys, the magazine of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, that the new A.T. Thru-Hike Planner is now on sale.

AT thru-hiker wannabees will certainly be interested in this helpful guide, and many of the other trail publications that the ATC makes available.

A caveat: You can overwhelm yourself with too much information. Especially when it comes to a major untaking such as an AT thru-hike. And that can lead to frustration and maybe questioning yourself and your motives.

So be careful.

If you aspire to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, all 2,150 miles of it, that's tremendous.

But be easy on yourself.

It's important not to let the details get in the way of your dream.

You might, even now, be thinking,"I've always wanted to do it, now would be a good time, but it's already late February. How can I possibly get ready in time for a late March or early April start?"

See, you're overwhelmed already.

Relax.

Buy the AT Planner, the Data Book and the trail maps and call it good. Get your gear together. Then go.

That's the important thing, the going part.

But first you have to make up your mind.

Commit yourself!

After that all else will happen as it should. I promise. You'll truly be on your way to fulfilling your life's dream of hiking the AT. Not next year, but now, this spring. And you'll feel so good about it.

Read the following quote. Then read it again. And again.

And believe.

Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Geothe’s couplets:
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
--W.H. Murray

Still uneasy?

I can fix that.

Call me. We'll go for a couple of drafts (you're buying, of course) and I'll sketch the whole AT trek out on a cocktail napkin (where most great adventures are born anyway). Everything from mail drops to equipment lists. A trail pep talk like you've never heard. I swear it's not that big a deal to make it happen.

Stop dreaming. Go do.

And in a handful of frenetic but satisfying weeks you'll be standing on the top of Springer Mountain, on a classic warm and sunny Georgia spring afternoon, ready to hike north with the seasons. North through your dreams. Which will no longer be dreams, but reality.

Sure, at that point, a bit nervous and unsure, you may ask yourself, "What the hell have I got myself into?"

But that's only natural. And thankfully it's too late by then.

Breathe deep. Smile. Take your first steps forward on the grand AT. Don't look back.

It's gonna be a heckuva an adventure!

Be sure to send me a postcard, OK?!

The dream. Hiking the entire AT.

The goal: Katahdin, a good, long, life-altering walk from Springer Mountain, Georgia.

Saturday passed in a whirlwind of "chores." You know the drill. Dishes piled up, laundry too. Papers and bills stacked high. Gear scattered from the car trunk up the hallway and through the kitchen. The bathroom--ugh! At some point you've just gotta address the mess.

And so went Saturday. And the stuff got done. But it came at a cost.

Turns out that, according to a friend, the skiing up at the Loaf was wonderful. Sunny and 45 degrees with good snow. Damn.

Oh well. I was banking on skiing on Sunday, and you probably know how that turned out. Timing is everything I guess.

Sunday morning I awoke at Chateau Pete's, my friend's sweet wood frame home on the shore of Pocasset Lake in Wayne, to a cold, drenching rain. After a pot of coffee, we opted for breakfast at Ned's Place in Winthrop. Then retired back to the toasty warm woodstove at the house with the KJ and MST.

Looking out to Pocasset Pond in Wayne through heavy rain and mist.

Reading and the crossword deteriorated into a slothy nap. Then a fuzzy semi-concious state of restlessness. So I bid my buddy Pete adieu, threw my duffle in the car, and headed south to make something of this lost ski day.

But what?

As I drew closer to Portland I knew. I stopped briefly at the house to drop off my goods and lace up my hiking boots. Then it was off to nearby Capisic Pond and the trailhead parking on Macy St., just off Capisic St.

It takes only a few minutes down the graveled path of the Capisic Pond Trail, part of the Portland Trails system, to dispel the gray-day gloomies. Give me some fresh air and some trees and most times I am transformed, like today.

And as I walk, the elixir that is Capisic Pond Park continues to uplift the spirit. The damp air draws into and refreshes my lungs. The breeze carves a smile on my face.

Birdsong delights from trailside thickets of hawthorn and willow, alder and witchhazel. Narrow side paths lead to revealing windows that lookout over the pond and its icy edges and waving cattails and muddy banks. I explore them all.

The pond sits in its own little valley between neighborhood houses. Traffic noise quickly fades and you are immersed in a patch of quiet and comfortable nature. Yes, you can see signs of the surrounding city, but even so, there are points where you can sit and look and travel in your mind beyond this haven.

Further on I slog along off trail along Capisic Brook and muck about among the reeds and brush and watch the steely gray waters rush by. Bright red berries on a shrub that I can't identify shock my optical senses on this gray-scale afternoon.

At Lucas St. I turn around and walk the half mile back to the car. Slowly. And when I reach it, I turn once more for a final quick look at pretty Capisic Pond.

In barely an hour on this afternoon of Super Bowl Sunday I am renewed. And can now return home to face the excesses of the pre-game. Or not.

Start of the Capisic Pond Trail, a lovely 1 mile round-trip walk along Portland's only freshwater pond.

Ice clings to edges of Capisic Pond.

The gravel path leads through open fields.

Capisic Brook rushes by.

The path ducks into the spindly hardwoods.

Capisic Pond provides a soothing respite from the city grind.

Cattails wave in the breeze at the pond's edge.

The winter issue of The Maintainer, the quarterly newsletter of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, was in my mail box when I went home for lunch today.

As I poured through it over my ham & cheese sandwich, a brief piece by MATC president Don Stack struck a chord with me.

It was, as is so often the case with small non-profit entities, about money. The need for money. To operate the club at even a meager level. To support trail maintenance activities and trail crews and caretakers and ridgerunners and the like.

Because, let's be honest, it takes money to keep up the trail. Our AT. Yours and mine.

So I got to thinking. And now I want to pose this question:

Who the heck cares about the Appalachian Trail? Please raise your hands.

Yep. Yep. I see. Uh huh.

Just as I thought.

I see about 10,000 hands in the air out there. Some of you are waving, jumping up and down. Wild with enthusiasm. I get it, I get it.

OK then, the point is settled.

YOU LOVE THE A.T.!

We all do. We read about it. We hike on it. We camp out on it. We adore it. We want to hike all of it. And we would do just about anything to help protect it.

So prove it. And I mean that in the nicest, most respectful way.

Become a member of the MATC. The club could sure use the cash and certainly the volunteer help on the many trail maintenance activities throughout the summer.

Membership is just $15. A wicked deal. The price of 18-pack, but way more satisfying.

Beyond that, do consider joining up for some trail work. It takes lots of warm bodies up and down the 280-some mile AT corridor in Maine to do the job each year. And--bonus--you'll meet and work with some of the friendliest folks around, who all care about and sleep and breathe the AT.

But beware: You might become an AT addict. I sure have. Happened long ago.

Final note: Membership, yes, Volunteer, yes. All good.

But, if you can, please consider contributing a little something extra to the MATCs annual appeal. The trail will appreciate it and you'll feel great about it. Donations may be made to: MATC, PO Box 1256, Auburn ME 04211-1256.

Many thanks. You rock. See you on the trail...

AT trail sign, Nesowadnehunk Tote Road, Baxter Park.

View of Doubletop Mtn. from the AT at Tracy Pond, Baxter Park.

Work party on the AT near East Carry Pond last spring.

My desk (and shelves and floors) here at home is piled high with stuff, and I've admittedly been lax in pouring through it, and winnowing out the good material from the junk.

But alas! I have. So you are about to become victims of a serious house cleaning.

But I promise that you'll pick up a useful tidbit or two of good info on outdoor items of interest. Promise!

So crack a cold one, get comfy, and let's go:

National Trails Day is June 3rd
Mark your outdoor calendar for the 14th annual National Trails Day coming up on Saturday, June 3rd. The event is nationally sponsored by the American Hiking Society and organized locally by trail groups. This year's theme is Experience Your Outdoors. Last year more than 1,000 events were held across the US involving some 125,000 people. And there was plenty going on in Maine and likely will be again this year. So please do get involved and give a little back to our trails and trail groups.

Portland Trails preserves 14 acres on the Presumpscot River in Falmouth
Portland Trails has announced their acquisition of 14 beautiful acres on Sandy Point that includes some 1,650 feet of Presumpscot River shoreline. PT plans to work together with MITA, the Maine Island Trail Association, to protect wildlife habitat and creat public access.

Bill Yeo to attempt Mount Everest climb this spring
Long time LL Beaner and local Yarmouth boy Bill Yeo is heading off on an expedition to climb Mount Everest from the Tibetan side. Bill is outta here on March 8th. Three-month Everest climbing gigs are hugely expensive affairs, so Bill's trying to raise some supporting cash by selling cool hats and T-shirts emblazoned with the expedition's logo and artwork. If you'd like to support Bill and his climbing team, order up your goods today. Hats are $15, T-shirts are $20 (plus $2 shipping). Address to order: 6 Serendipity Lane, N. Yarmouth ME 04097. Or contact Bill directly at yeomomma@aol.com to wish him well and a safe climb and return.

Eastern Trail Guide available
John Andrews of the Eastern Trail Alliance recently gave me a copy of the cool new guidebook to the Eastern Trail, the 62-mile long multi-use recreational route that extends from York all the way up to South Portland. Order your pocket-sized guide to this great resource for a whopping $10 directly from ETA. And while you're at it, please consider joining the ETA. They could certainly use both your financial and physical support. Then get on out there and enjoy!

Appalachian Trail Museum
Did you know there is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the AT? There is! Currently the museum is online, but there are plans to erect a physical structure somewhere near the ATs geographic center in PA. For anyone who loves the AT this will be an interesting project to follow and support. Check it out online today.

The 100 greatest adventure books of all time
Not only do we all like to get outside and pursue our favorite recreational pastimes, we also like read about others criss-crossing the globe hiking and climbing and exploring and pulling off daring adventures. So for the voracious reader in you all here's just one list of books to start in on. Happy reading! And if you decide to just up and quit your job and hit the dusty trail after a few of these books, well, who could blame you!

Campaign to preserve portions of Maine's western mountains
The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust is seeking to raise funds to protect 1,150 acres on Mount Abraham, including its spectacular alpine summit, and nearly 1,200 acres on the south side of Saddleback Mountain. Very ambitious, very worthy projects. Both need your support to become reality. Please do what you can, however large or small. And knowing how much these special places mean to us, it all helps.

Augusta Nature Center
The Augusta Nature Education Center just published a new map and guide to this wonderful 175-acre property with five miles of trails where you can walk, run, bike or ski free, every day. I haven't been yet, but it looks like a cool place for a visit, so it's on my short-term "to do" list. Get a free trail map and make a visit yourself soon.

Trails for a Healthy Maine Bond
The effort to get a $10 million trails bond on the ballot didn't quite make it last time around. But efforts by the Trails for Healthy Maine Coalition are underway to make another go at it in the future. Stay tuned to what is happening on this critical initiative for Maine trails and consider lending your support to the coalition too. We want to make certain this becomes a reality the next time around!

Another Triple Crown hiking year
A guy named "Squeaky" was, as of a month or so ago, well on his way to finishing hiking's Triple Crown: a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, after already having completed the Continental Divide Trail as well as the Pacific Crest Trail. To date he'd logged just over 6,900 miles of hiking, all in one year--2005. Not bad. Not bad at all. I'm impressed. Squeaky was supposed to finish atop Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT in late December. I can't seem to find evidence of that anywhere, yet. Maybe you can, and can let me know. In any case, hiking the Triple Crown of big hikes is an incredible achievement over the course of one's lifetime, much less in a single year. Way to go Squeaky! (But would you consider changing your trail name??).

New trail network open in Manchester
A great new trail network has just been opened to the public in the 708-acre Allen-Whitney Memorial Forest in Manchester, land owned and managed by the New England Forestry Foundation. Hikers and walkers, skiers and snowshoers, mountain bikers and horse riders--all are welcome to enjoy this beautiful property. The trails are well signed and maps are provided at trailside kiosks.

Sleep in a quinzee
I just learned from National Geographic Adventure magazine (February 2006 issue) that there's a place right here in coastal Maine where you can learn winter camping skills and build and sleep in your very own quinzee (it's likened to an igloo). Cool! The folks at Maine Multisport will take good care of you, treat you to lots of good winter fun, and do it for not a lot money, as I understand it. So check 'em out.

Uncle Carey wants YOU to get outdoors and have some FUN! Dammit!

The desert.

Its plants and trees--the yucca, prickly pear, cholla, the acacia, blackbrush--adorned with thorns and spines, hooks and needles, all seem to want to grab you or stick you or cut your skin with each passing footstep.

Its winds blow incessantly, gust ferociously, down canyons and across ridgetops and basins, wanting (maybe hoping) to knock you off your feet even on flat ground, and push you over precipitous cliff edges.

Its soil, that fine sandy grit, swirls in the air and invades your eyes and ears and mouth, irritating and choking you.

The sun, on most days unimpeded by atmospheric moisture and thus any sheltering clouds, burns your eyes and bakes your skin and quickly dehydrates your underprepared urban-oriented body.

But that's the desert. Wind and sun. Light and shadow. Rock and sky. Cactus and juniper. Space and distance. Color and contrasts. Simple yet complex. Harsh but beautiful.

And ever defending itself without impunity against all comers, man or beast, friend or foe. As it has for millenia.

A hard place to visit. A harder place to leave.

Note: As you might have guessed, I've just returned from another trip to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, 825,000 acres (that's four times the size of our own Baxter State Park) of magnificent desert landscape, 2/3 of it designated as wilderness and spanning 2 major ecological zones, the Mojave and Colorado deserts.

Baxter Woods is a 10-acre piece of wooded heaven between the busy arterials of Forest Avenue and Stevens Avenue in Portland.

Living rather close by, I have hiked and mountain-biked beneath the cool canopy of hemlocks lining its quiet trails for years now. And many thousands of others have regularly enjoyed this gem of precious green space.

Well, the trails through Baxter Woods need a helping hand or two (or several dozen) and that's why the city has organized two trail work days for this Friday and Saturday, October 28th and 29th from 8am to 1pm each day.

The city's Parks and Rec Dept. has been doing some drainage work on the trails, and volunteers (that's you and me) are needed to finish the job of spreading mulch, pruning trees, and clearing out brush.

Participants are asked to meet at the corner of Leland and Mabel Streets, and to bring whatever tools they have, such as shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, and pruners. Work gloves are necessary too.

For more info on how you can help with Baxter Woods trails this week, contact 756-7598.

Anytime I find out about a new trail--any kind of trail--well, I just get all excited!

The folks in Benton just opened the Rotary Centennial Trail this past Saturday (although it isn't specified just how many miles of trail) as part of a proposed 18-mile long trail along Messalonskee Stream and the Kennebec River.

Very cool. We like that.

The trail follows an old railroad grade and is suitable for multiple uses like walking, bicycling and, come winter, cross-country skiing too.

Going to have to make a pit stop in Benton next time I'm through and check it out!

More info and maps are available from Kennebec Messalonskee Trails.

This month's Backpacker magazine arrived in the mail yesterday, as did Outside.

And that pretty much killed whatever else I was going to do last night.

I cracked a cold one and sat down to devour each from cover to cover.

I always enjoy "the Big Question" in Backpacker, curious to see what the rest of the backpacking world thinks on various topics.

This month's poll question: Should national park entrance fees be raised?

Curiously, 34% voted YES, while 66% voted NO.

Hmmm. I wouldn't have expected that.

It is a fact, according to the National Parks and Conservation Association, that our National Park System operates at an annual deficit somewhere around $600 million.

Ouch!

But interestingly, it was Craig Obey, the VP for Government Affairs for the NPCA, that penned for the "no" side, citing that we already pay enough taxes, camping and permit fees, and that we don't want to price out more poorer Americans from our parks.

A reasonable take. But it still leaves the question of how to infuse the NPS with more needed cash. Obey indicated that more philanthropical giving would help ease the burden.

Maybe.

On the "yes" side, Don Leal of the Political Economy Research Center bluntly wrote that "the people who use the parks should pay".

Well, yeah. But how much?

We already pay $20 to enter Acadia National Park.

How much more will it take? $30, $40, $50?

I do know that in all areas of the federal government there is a good percentage of waste, fraud and abuse. And I can't imagine the NPS is immune from these blights.

So if even 10% of the waste and duplication and so forth could be identified and eliminated, wouldn't we be way ahead of the game? Without raising fees?

It's a tough question. And I'm not sure what the best solution(s) is?

What are your thoughts?

Andrew Thompson, aka Trail Dog, of Derry N.H., just set a new record for speed hiking the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia: 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes!

That figures to be an average of 45.7 miles per day to cover the entire 2,175 mile length of the AT.

Wow! That's moving!

It's quite a feat just to hike the whole trail in the normal amount of time--about five months--never mind a little over a month and a half.

Of course, you don't get to see much at that pace. And in the end, that's why most people are out there.

But a challenge is a challenge. And Trail Dog certainly mastered this one.

What did he take away from his accomplishment?

...his AT epiphany “made itself absolutely clear,” he said. “Everything in life boils down to motivation.”

No question.

One foot in front of the other. Day after day. It won't happen any other way. You gotta want it, go for it, and do it.

I met the original AT speed hiker, Warren Doyle, back in (gulp!) 1973 at the bridge over Bald Mountain Stream south of Monson.

He only had a minute to talk, but this 13-year old greenhorn hiker peppered him with questions in that short time. Needless to say, I was pretty awed. Then he looked at his watch, announced that my minute was up, and sped off.

He finished the trail in 66 1/2 days.

And now, 33 years later, the record has been shaved by almost 20 days.

Interestingly, I met Warren Doyle again in 1977 on Loft Mountain in the Shenandoahs on my very own thru-hike, which took me 162 days! Nobody ever accused me of being fast, that's for certain.

I've been feeling twinges in my right knee for several months now. But I've chosen to ignore the problem and keep on hiking.

I could take it easy and rest the knee, but I honestly don't think the result would be any different. Besides, it's summer and I want to hike dammit.

Well, descending the steep ledges of East Baldpate on Sunday, near the tail end of a 21-mile backpack along the Grafton Loop Trail, the knee went from bad to worse. The pain became intense and I figured it would give out at any moment.

The steep ledges on East Baldpate can be tough on the knees.

Looking back on East Baldpate along the AT/GLT.

Great! A matching set now. My left knee collapsed while descending the Firewarden's Trail on Bigelow five summers ago. That made for quite an ordeal, dragging myself six miles out to the highway on one leg. I was alone at the time, of course.

This time the knee, although painful, held out. Even as I twisted my right ankle nicely three times in the course of a mile coming down the brutal trail of West Baldpate.

But I made it out to Route 26 okay. And a couple of pints of Knuckleball Bock at the Sunday River Brew Pub afterward seemed to take the edge off the pain. Funny how that works.

So, just for yucks, I'll go see my doctor again. And he'll likely tell me the same thing as with my left knee, which, after a variety of tests, including an MRI (all negative), came up with no reasonable explanation other than, hey, you're over 40 and your parts are wearing out.

Just what you want to hear, but after 30 years of heavy trail use, what can you expect?

So I'll just keep plugging along. And popping the ibuprofen. And putting back the occasional medicinal pint of beer too.

Hiking just south of Daicey Pond on the Appalachian Trail in Baxter State Park last Friday afternoon, I ran into a thru-hiker on his next-to-least day on the AT.

His trail name was T-Rex and he'd started his long journey north from Georgia in late February. He looked in pretty good shape and fine spirits for all the wear and tear the hike puts on a person's body.

We chatted for a few moments, but you could just tell his feet were anxious to get on with it and his head and heart were aching to meet up family and friends just a few miles ahead at Katahdin Stream.

T-Rex hoped to summit Katahdin the next day and complete his 2,150 mile odyssey. We wished him a good climb and good weather and watched him turn and disappear up the trail.

T-Rex did indeed finish the AT on Saturday, a beautifully clear July day. Congrats, my good man. Congrats!

Here's his simple but moving journal entry from his final day on the trail...

Katahdin and the end of the AT from Daicey Pond, Baxter State Park.

Funny, but I too, after a long weekend in Baxter, ask the same question T-Rex: Why are there so many blood sucking insects in the world?

When the White Mountain National Forest implemented the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program back in 1996 I wasn't too thrilled.

Forking out additional cash for a trailhead parking sticker on top of the tax dollars I pay to the feds every year didn't seem to make sense. But I did, albeit grudgingly at first.

And now, nine years later, I've gotten used to the idea. And so have you I suspect. It's no biggie anymore.

But when I heard rumors recently that some changes were afoot to the parking program this year, I got curious. I found info on changes in the New Hampshire portion of the WMNF, but nothing specific about the Maine side.

So I talked with Tom Moore, the Recreation Enhancement Act Program Manager at the White Mountain National Forest office in Gorham, NH, who gave me the scoop on Maine.

Here's what I learned:

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act has replaced the old Recreation Fee Demo Program. The REA gives the US Forest Service a 10-year authority to collect fees, so it's a little more "permanent" (and therefore stable) if you will. It also simplifies the fee program and more clearly defines how fees are collected and distributed.

Bottom line for WMNF users here in Maine: No changes to the parking fees. All trailhead parking along the Route 113 corridor will remain fee sites, as well as Crocker Pond and Deer Hill.

Interestingly, Moore told me that the WMNF collects $650,000 annually in parking fees and some $4.8 million over the last 8 years. And an amazing 95% of these fees have been pumped right back into the WMNF for such essentials as facility improvements, visitor services, seasonal staff, wilderness patrols, Leave No Trace programs, amphitheater programs, and interpretive work.

So the lion's share of the fee money stays local to help fund local needs. Good job!

That's not a bad deal at all for my $20 (and yours!).

Imagine that... A user fee I can actually live with! Has hell frozen over?

Don't have your White Mountain Parking Pass? Here's the price list and vendor list. You can also pick one up at any WMNF office.

I was hiking up in the Weld area last weekend and figured I'd drive up toward Byron Notch and Tumbledown Mountain to check out the trouble at the trailhead on Morgan Road.

You'll recall that the landowner recently decided to plow up a berm to prevent vehicle access and ban camping in Tumbledown Field. This was apparently in response to a recent town vote to deny a gate across the road.

Well, it's true.

You can still drive the eight-tenths of a mile up Morgan Road from the Byron Notch Road, but you won't get any further. The birms are there, blocking access to the field at every point. And the "no camping" signs are up too.

The place was deserted on what would normally have been a Saturday afternoon busy with campers and hikers and general mayhem. It was eerie even.

I tried to locate the site of the old log shelter that was burned down recently. It was the landmark I traditionally used to find the trailheads for the Little Jackson and Parker Ridge Trails. But no luck, and no luck finding the blue and white signs for either trailhead, although I admit I didn't spend too much time searching as the mosquitoes were ravenous.

Parking is another issue. With the camping area closed off, there's no more parking. It appears the only way to go now is to pull as far off Morgan Road as possible and call it good.

So the trailhead that was always a bit confusing to locate has become even more so now.

I'll have to check with some of the local folks to see what's up and get back to you. If any of you have better info on the Tumbledown Field trailhead and parking situation, please do share.

If you're a hiker with some time and energy to spare this summer, I have a suggestion for you:

Volunteer for the MATC Maine Trail Crew!

Apparently the MATC has succeeded in filling only 30 of the 80 available volunteer positions this season, so bodies are sorely needed and will be greatly appreciated.

According to J.T. Horn, New England Regional Director of the Appalachian Trail
Conference:

"For this 2005 field season we are vastly undersubscribed for volunteers and are in danger of canceling numerous projects that the Maine Appalachian Trail Club has been planning for some time. These projects include treadway rehabilitation projects that are important to prevent erosion and ensure that generations of hikers will get to experience the Appalachian Trail in a safe and enjoyable manner."

That's not good news for the AT or the hiking community.

Maine Trail Crew activities run throughout the summer, so there's plenty of opportunity to help out. To volunteer, please contact the MATC at matc@localnet.com or

Margaret Snell
Crew Coordinator
Maine Trail Crew
PO Box 149
Dexter ME 04930
phone 924-0133

I hadn't heard a word about it until my friend Phil from Livermore Falls told me over the weekend.

Apparently the landowner who owns 2,200 acres and controls access to Tumbledown Field, a traditional camping area and trailhead for Tumbledown and Little Jackson Mountain trails, didn't much care for Weld residents recent vote to deny a proposal to erect a gate across Morgan Road.

So the landowner, Linda Bean Folkers, "blocked the road with several 3-foot mounds of dirt fronting 6-foot-deep ditches", "removed the three-walled lean-to", and erected "several signs prohibiting camping, fires and motorized vehicles."

OK. Now that's some slick public relations if I've ever seen it.

There's no question that the area had been heavily used and abused by campers and others over the years. So something had to be done eventually to clean up the place.

But that's pretty harsh, and unexpected, action. And I don't see any reason to poke a stick in the eye of local residents like that.

Tumbledown hikers will still have access as I understand it. Where they'll park, though, I don't know at this moment.

And how this will ultimately play out remains to be seen. Should be interesting. And unfortunately, ugly.

Saturday is National Trails Day so I hope that many of you trail enthusiasts will choose to spend the day outdoors giving a little something back to a receational resource we use and love so much.

There's a lot going on here in Maine on National Trails Day--32 events in fact. From hikes and walks and paddles to trail construction, clean-ups, workshops and demonstrations. And plenty of food, fun and good people to boot.

Hikers, mountain bikers, bicyclists, paddlers, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and many other trail users will all be out there working on and enjoying our trails. The more the merrier, so why not be one of them!

What are your plans for National Trails Day?

I was thumbing through the latest issue of The Maintainer, the quarterly newsletter of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the other day when I came upon an astounding statistic: Last year MATC volunteers contributed 18,496 hours of work.

18,496 hours! I damn near fell on the floor. That's a lot of volunteering. And all, one way or the other, in the interest of protecting and maintaining the Appalachian Trail.

Kudos to each and every MATC volunteer!

But amazingly, it's not ever enough.

Reading further on, I see that the MATC still needs many more volunteers to carry the load. There's trail work trips and caretaker pack-ins to be done. More section maintainers and corridor monitors are needed. And a variety of committee assignments are open.

And it's not just the MATC that needs more volunteers to make things happen. It's every trail and outdoor organization in Maine, big and small, that needs more dedicated people to put in some time and help out.

It's a busy life these days. Understood.

But I truly feel it's incumbent upon all of us trail users--hikers, bikers, x-c skiers, you name it--to give a little something back to our trails.

Think about it: That nicely cleared trail you walk over next weekend, the bog bridges that keep your boots dry, the signs that point the way, the shelters you sleep cozily in--all of that doesn't just happen by itself. It takes people and hours and work to get it done. Year after year.

Give it some thought. Contact your local trail club, outdoor group, land trust, conservation or recreation department. Ask what kind of help they need. They'll surely have something needing doing. Then kindly pitch in a few hours for them in the interest of our trails. It'll be rewarding for sure, and you'll never get so many thank you's.

So here's your first: Thanks to all of you for giving back to the trails we all use and love.

It's Murphy's Law, I swear. Never fails.

Out on the AT doing trail maintenance a week ago, my crew and I came to the end of my section, near the end of a busy and tiring day, and found one more tree that needed clearing.

It was a 15-inch spruce tree a few feet in from the shore of East Carry Pond. Internal rot had visibly weakened the tree at a point about eye level, and it was starting get a pretty good lean to it. Toward the trail. Not good.

It had to go. So I cranked up the chainsaw and started in on it.

The cutting was going pretty smoothly and I was most of the way through when the chain decided to come flying off, fortunately leaving my exposed hand intact.

Of course, did I happen to pack the tool for opening up the side of the saw and putting the chain back on so I could finish the job? Noooooooooooooo!

So now I have a big spruce tree half sawed through in a more dangerous position than when a I found it a few minutes earlier. And no chainsaw. Two miles from the truck and late in the day.

Great!

What to do?

Well, first off, laugh a little and then curse a little.

Then the MacGyver's in the group started in.

We pushed at it, hoping to knock it over. Uh huh. Right.

We hacked at it with Chris's hand axe.

We sawed at it some more with my buck saw.

We hacked some more.

We pushed some more.

We grumbled a bit more.

But the damn tree wouldn't fall over.

Finally, we hacked and sawed and pushed and shoved til the tree moved off its stump. And ended up standing straight up in the middle of the trail!

And that's right where we left it for the night...

And returned first thing in the morning (in the rain), where John made quick work of it with his big saw. The spruce tree was no more, and my section of trail was now officially clear.

Whew! Trail maintenance is some fun I tell ya.

A dozen of us headed north to the Carry Ponds region of the Appalachian Trail last weekend for some trail maintenance. A year ago I volunteered to maintain a 1.6 mile section of the AT from Sandy Stream to the north end of Easy Carry Pond. My good buddy Dana maintains the 3.3 mile section of trail immediately to the south, and has for ten years now.

So this is our second season doing joint maintenance trips up there. And it's working out pretty well. We camp each time in a gravel pit pretty near the middle of our sections. From our base there, we're positioned well to head off to our respective sections and start in on the work.

And that's just what we did last weekend.

As AT trail maintainers, we're charged with "opening" the trail in the spring sometime prior to Memorial Day. So we need to get in there and clear out all the blowdowns and brush from the pathway, thereby opening it for hikers coming through. We'll normally come back at least once or more during the summer season to check on it again and do more work.

Saturday morning we split the group into two teams, gathered up our chainsaws, gas and oil, clippers, bucksaws and the like and headed out.

A side note for later: Just before leaving to work, I watched Dana walk off toward Sandy Stream with a case of beer to let it chill in the water for the day. But I didn't take notice (can you imagine?) of exactly where he went to hide it. More on that later...

Anyway, my crew had a very enjoyable afternoon clearing some 15-20 major blowdowns along the route. It's tough work, but we had fun with it.

Bucking up some blowdowns on the AT.

Clipping back the encroaching brush.

It's a simply stunning piece of trail that leads through beautiful boreal forest for a mile before breaking out onto the shore of East Carry Pond, where it heads north for a spectacular half mile or more.

At the sand beach we stopped to rest and snack. There we met up with local camp owners Frank and Sheila who were out trout fishing. We got to talking about the trail and I learned that the old East Carry Pond shelter still existed on the other side of the pond, which is the route the AT took when I thru-hiked years ago.

Well, of course, this got me all excited, so Frank very kindly offered to take me over there in his boat to see it. Oh yeah! And off we went... And no doubt, there it was, in pretty poor condition, but still standing. Right there where I left it after having lunch on an incredible October day 27 years ago. A trip back in time for sure. (Thanks Frank!).

Getting a ride across the pond from Frank.

Checking out the old East Carry Pond shelter.

When I returned to the far shore and the trail, we had a little more work to do.

A big spruce tree had a break in it and was threatening to topple over onto the trail. So we went to work on it. The complete story on the spruce tree will have to wait, but for now, suffice it to say, we spent a damn long time working to remove that tree before we gave up, gathered our tools and hiked out.

Me and the spruce that just wouldn't go down.

My hard working crew at the north end of the pond.

Back at the trail junction, hot and sweaty and tired by now, we remembered that there was cold beer hidden nearby. Dana's beer. Soon to be our beer, if we could find it. So we spread out and started searching up one side of the stream and down the other.

Although it didn't look good for awhile, some in my group expressed complete confidence that, if anybody could find beer hidden in the woods (or anywhere for that matter), it would be me.

They were right. Upstream, hidden in a crook in the stream under a hemlock, I found the beer. And immediately removed five cold cans, one for each of us, and returned triumphantly to the others. And proceeeded to quench our serious trail maintenance thirsts.

We went back to camp and made ourselves at home. Dana's crew pulled in awhile later, having knocked out 45 major blowdowns on the route from Arnold Bog all the way to West Carry Pond. Good job!

It was an enjoyable evening sitting about around the campfire, and a well earned night's rest.

Surprise, surprise. It was raining when we awoke Sunday morning, so we decided to bag any more work for the weekend, with the exception of going back and getting that intractable spruce tree on my section, which we did.

Most of the big crew in the rain Sunday morning.

Then we packed the vehicles and headed directly for a well-earned big breakfast/lunch at the world famous Farmington Diner.

Pitcher plants.

A big, beautiful fungus.

An update on the recent Tumbledown gate controversy...

Weld residents held a special town meeting this week and voted to reject the gate proposed by the new landowner.

So the matter is decided for now. No gate. Hiker and vehicle access to the Tumbledown trailhead is preserved.

But it looks like a lot of changes--good changes--are in the offing.

An foot trail easement to the trailhead has been proposed. State offficials are working on a long-term forest management plan for the Tumbledown land unit. There will be improvements made to the existing road to correct erosion problems.

And there will be other restrictions that should help improve the use and appearance of the area: a host of firepits will be removed, and not only will campfires be banned, but no fire permits will be issued. I didn't note anything about any camping restrictions, but the new fire restrictions may naturally limit that.

All in all it looks like the local folks may get this matter solved in good order.

And ain't that the best way. I think so. Kudos.

A great many of our favorite hiking trails in Maine cross privately owned land. And it's oftentimes a tenuous relationship between landowners and hikers and other users.

Understandibly so.

Opening up your land to outdoor users is a Maine tradition, but it comes with its problems. Like trash and vandalism and the like. And all too often (but not always) it's not us hikers that cause such problems, but other less thoughtful users.

Regardless, whenever and wherever you hike, whether it's on private land or public land (and often you just won't know and it really doesn't matter), please tread lightly, be courteous and treat the land as if it were your own.

Follow the principles of Leave No Trace and we'll all have a more enjoyable hiking experience. And very likely, a lot fewer problems with kind, but wary landowners.

Easy access to some of the the most popular trails up Tumbledown Mountain in Weld is threatened by trash, but it's not hiker trash, that's for sure.

The timber company that recently bought the land doesn't want to bar hikers, but is fed up with the garbage and sanitation problems at the trailhead and wants to put up a gate.

I can't blame them.

The trailhead is at the edge of a large, unregulated camping area, and it's usually an absolute disgrace with large groups of 'yahoo' campers on the weekends camping willy-nilly all over the place. It's an unsightly mess with huge firepits, garbage, beer cans and the like littering the area, never mind the poor sanitation in the surrounding woods.

I hope the solution doesn't come down to a gate, which would force hikers to park a mile further down the road from the trailhead. But without any way to properly patrol the area and keep people and their trash under control, it may have to have happen.

I'll walk a mile further each way if it means the area gets cleaned up and stays that way.

The local folks are trying to work out a solution, so we'll see what shakes out.

More new trails. You know how excited that gets me.

What would you think about as much as 15 miles of new hiking trails through fields and woods along the coastline of the Back River on Westport Island?

You'd like that, wouldn't you? So would I.

And through a deal between the Chewonki Foundation and Maine Yankee, it looks like its going to happen.

In fact, construction is set to begin this summer on an initial five-mile stretch.

"It would be the coolest trail in the state of Maine," says Don Hudson, President of the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset.

Sounds great to me, Don.

Maybe you'll need a few helping hands to get all that trail work done? You just let us know.

Who among us isn't a big fan of the Appalachian Trail? And who among us doesn't spend a heckuva lot of time out there hiking on the A.T.?

Last Saturday I was at the annual meeting of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC), the managing agency for the A.T. in Maine, and came away with a few important thoughts:

The MATC is an incredibly dedicated group of people who simply love the Appalachian Trail and strongly believe in preserving it. It shows. They are an amazing group of people to be around.

But there are never enough dedicated volunteers. The A.T. needs you. In some small, medium, or big-sized way.

Here's what you can do:

* Join the MATC. Your dues go to support all that the MATC does (and that's a lot).

* Sign on to a trail maintenance trip or two this summer. Many hands make light work, and you don't need any experience. The trail maintainers will be happy to have you there.

* If you've got some trail maintenance experience, apply to adopt a section of the A.T. and take on the annual maintenance tasks. It's hugely rewarding and satisfying.

* Become a corridor monitor and keep tabs on the A.T. corridor boundaries.

* Or volunteer for one of the myriad of adminstrative tasks that need doing.

Bottom line: It takes a lot to manage the A.T. in Maine. Consider a contribution of your time and energy. It'lll come back to you in spades. The trail and all those who care for it will thank you.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"
--Winston Churchill

As you've no doubt noticed, it's been a week of reflecting on all things A.T. related.

Last evening, sitting in the cold at Hadlock Field watching tha Sea Dogs, I was having a few laughs with my good buddy Dana, also a veteran A.T. thru-hiker. Our conversations never fail to veer off onto the A.T. at one point or another. And I was reminded about "the jar of jelly."

Now, there's really nothing special about a jar of jelly.

Except, of course, if you are living off daily PB&J sandwiches. And if you purchase this jar of jelly in Duncannon, Pennsylvania in the middle of your A.T. thru-hike from Georgia to Maine.

A one pound jar of grape jelly. A heavy glass jar.

Normally, I would buy my trail provisions and then set outside the store, repack everything, then throw out the containers and other trash. And then head back to the trail.

Not this time. I must have been in a hurry to catch a lift back to the trail or something, so I tossed the one pound jar of jelly into my cavernous orange pack and off I went.

And that's the last I saw of the jar of jelly until I finished the trail in Maine, more than three months and 1,000 miles later.

It's hard to believe that in all that time I never dug down deep enough in my pack to find it, but then, I was a walking bag-lady, and regular housecleaning or any or other chore that smacked of effort just never happened. I got up each day and walked, carefree and unencumbered (except by the jar of jelly secretly weighing me down in the bowels of my pack). But I was a lot younger then and could carry a heavy pack like there's nobody's business.

Further up the trail, I arrived on the campus of Dartmouth College in NH during freshman orientation. That's when one of my trail friends decided to grab a bunch of lead ingots (used by mean upperclassmen to load down the packs of unsuspecting freshman when they took them out in the woods for the traditional orientation hikes) and loaded them in my pack. Oblivious, I carried about five pounds of lead ingots for almost a week before my friends, wracked with guilt, but laughing, decided to tell me.

Ha ha. But they couldn't have known about the jelly.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived home in October, long hair and beard, gear in tatters, and emptied my pack out on the living room floor. And out tumbled the glass jar of jelly. Unopened.

Still sporting a ravenous thru-hiker appetite, there was only one thing to do.

I made three PBJs and ate them all right then and there.

I got so jazzed thinking about the AT the past couple of days that I forgot to pass along a great quote about the trail. I'm sure many of you will recognize it. Enjoy!

Remote for detachment; Narrow for chosen company; Winding for leisure; Lonely for contemplation; The trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind and soul of man.
-- Harold Allen

Want to see the proposed 180-mile hut and trails system through the mountains and lakes of western Maine become a reality?

I sure do.

Wouldn't it be incredible to be able to cross-country ski in winter and hike in the summer along a new long distance route, and be able to stay overnight in rustic huts along the way?

Yes, but it won't be easy.

Opposing sides are arguing their case before the Maine legislature right now.

The Western Mountains Foundation is spearheading the project. The group argues that the trail and hut system will be a boon to the region, providing new recreational opportunities and bringing a much needed economic boost to an area of Maine that sorely needs it.

I agree.

The folks at Friends of Bigelow oppose the trail system, arguing that the proposal smacks of development and that passing across the state-owned lands of the Bigelow Preserve is a no-no. They also say the price tag for the project makes it unrealistic and unworkable.

I prefer to see it from a different angle.

Highly successful, well-managed trail and hut systems have been developed and are thriving in many other places around the world: in Europe, New Zealand, South America. I've trekked along a number of these trails systems in the Alps--through Switzerland and France--and stayed in the remote mountain huts there. I found it to be a very comfortable, friendly, low-impact and rewarding outdoor experience.

In the US, a few hut and trail systems already exist. In Colorado for one. And closer to home, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where the AMC has pretty much written the book on huts and trails, using the huts as a base for environmental education and stewardship among the public, as well as a revenue source to support their efforts.

Seems like a win-win to me. So why not here in Maine?

No reason.

The proposed Maine hut and trails system presents a satisfying blend of multiple-use recreation and economic development. A new means to explore the woods and waters. Another step toward eco-tourism. An exciting opportunity for outdoor education and awareness. Private sector partners working together with public agencies. All good. We should encourage more of this type of cooperative project, not less. I hope the idea can be supported.

Build it and they will come. And I'll be there too, skiing and hiking and tucking into a cozy hut bunk at night.

Dream big, and big things will happen...

For 15 years now, you and I and thousands of other urban adventurers have been walking the many scenic paths of the Portland Trails network. How fortunate we are to have these wonderful trails close by. For exercise, a bit of nature, a brief escape, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. Think of it: Back Cove, Fore River, Stroudwater, Eastern Prom, Presumpscot River... We're so fortunate that a such dedicated group of people had the vision and the stick-to-itiveness to make it all a reality.

Much has been done--an amazing amount, actually--but much more lies ahead. More exciting trail and conservation projects to negotiate, purchase and build.

You can get a good flavor for what's up at Portland Trails at their upcoming Annual Meeting on Monday, January 24th. Find out what's going on; join up to lend a hand. More volunteers are always needed and welcome.

At the meeting, this year's accomplishments as well as next year's plans will be highlighted. Portland Transportation Director Jeff Monroe will speak on exciting changes to the city's waterfront. And there will be dessert and coffee, of course.

RSVP to Portland Trails by January 19th at isabel@trails.org or 775-2411.

My good friend Dana just finished hiking the entire Long Trail last week. Congratulations Bud! You deserve a cold Long Trail Ale (or several!).

It's been a nine-year odyssey for Dana that began in 1995. That's the year the two of us hiked 200 miles of the Long Trail from the Massachusetts border to Smuggler's Notch over the course of twenty very hot, very rainy days. But that's when we both ran out of time (and energy, if the truth be known). It was a tough slog, but then, that's the Long Trail.

I went back later that fall and finished the final 65 miles to the Canadian border. Dana (a 1991 veteran AT thru-hiker) has made at least four more attempts to finish the LT since then, but has been rebuffed each time for a variety of reasons. He's got that 'stick-to-itive' mentality, though, that doesn't let him quit a project once he's begun. So he kept going back to Vermont and hiking a few more miles north.

And this year, he and his wife Janet hiked the last 15 miles over Jay Peak to the border in beautiful weather. It must have felt great! Way to go.

Spent yesterday doing some trail maintenance up on the Appalachian Trail in the Carry Ponds area with my good buddy Dana. Dana is a volunteer trail maintainer for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) , and has maintained a pretty 3-mile section of the AT from West Carry Pond to Arnold's Bog since 1995. I've spent a fair amount of time over the years helping out with brush clipping, cleaning water bars and building bog bridges. It's sweaty work but very satisfying when it's done.

Last spring I decided to become an MATC volunteer too, and adopt my own section of the AT. Incredibly, the section just north of Dana's was available so I grabbed it. It's a beautiful 2-mile stretch of trail that extends from near Middle Carry Pond to the north end of East Carry Pond. There's quiet woods, loons, eagles, a sand beach and some of the clearest, cleanest water in Maine.

On this trip, Dana loaded up his chainsaw and headed south on his section to drop some trees for future bog bridges. I took a pair of clippers and a bucksaw and headed north on my section. Spent the next four very peaceful hours alone, clearing the trail of encroaching brush and overhead branches. Stopped for lunch on East Carry Pond and watched two fishermen out in their boat lazily casting rods. Loons cried while I dozed.

With my trail chores complete for the day, I hiked over to meet Dana near Arnold's Point on West Carry Pond. His chainsaw was acting up so productivity had been pretty minimal. I stood and watched while his saw smoked and sputtered and eventually quit for good right in the middle of a big cut through a cedar tree. That pretty much put an end to our work day. Tired and hungry, we hiked back to the truck bound for a good meal and cold beer.