Rangeley Trail Town Festival!

Thru hikers mill around Rangeley with the rest of us.
Thru hikers mill around Rangeley with the rest of us.

The 2014 Rangeley Trail Town Festival, which is an annual celebration of towns along the Appalachian Trail that support hikers and work to protect the land and trails, was held this past Saturday in downtown Rangeley.  It was a beautiful day and lots of people came out to see what different groups who work on the trail do.  Among the crowd were many thru hikers who were happy to spend an afternoon off the trail.  Also, they got to join the ice cream eating contest for free (courtesy of Gifford’s).

Spectators watch A.T. thru hikers attempt to eat more than a pint of Gifford's ice cream at one sitting.
Spectators watch A.T. thru hikers attempt to eat more than a pint of Gifford’s ice cream at one sitting.

Special thanks to Linda Dexter of Ecopelagicon for organizing the festival.  This year will be hard to top but we can’t wait for next year!

Executive Director Simon Rucker mans the Maine A.T. Land Trust booth.
Executive Director Simon Rucker mans the Maine A.T. Land Trust booth.