Mount Abraham GMOW Trip Report

Heading out.
Heading out.

Maine A.T. Land Trust’s Great Maine Outdoor Weekend hike took place on Saturday and as you can see from the photo above, we had a good sturdy crew on board tackle Mount Abraham via the Fire Warden Trail.  We had six members of the Colby College Outing Club (COC), longtime Maine land trust supporter James, and Maine A.T. Land Trust Vice President Pete McKinley.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer – temps in the low 80’s, low humidity with just a bit of haze on the horizon.

Pete McKinley, Climate Adaptation Ecologist with The Wilderness Society, talks about Red Spruce growth patterns.
Pete McKinley, Climate Adaptation Ecologist with The Wilderness Society, talks about Red Spruce growth patterns.

After crossing the two branches of Rapid Stream and leaving the ATV route that leads to the trailhead, we quickly headed up through the low-elevation hardwood forest and stopped for a break at the Maine Appalachian Trail Club-maintained campsite 3.5 miles from the parking lot.

Approaching the summit.
Approaching the summit.

We headed above treeline and some of us actually had to apply sunblock.  Everybody hiked at a different pace but we all made it to the summit for a much-deserved lunch break in the sunshine.

Lunchtime.
Lunchtime.

The trip down was uneventful and the easy terrain was easy on the knees in the waning afternoon sunshine.  The temperature dropped to about 70 degrees by the time we had to cross back over Rapid Stream.

Yes, he fell in.
Yes, he fell in.

We did have one hiker fall into the water, but he took it in stride since Maine A.T. Land Trust Executive Director Simon Rucker let him take home the leftover granola bars.  It was a great trip and COC is planning to attend the land trust’s winter Great Maine Outdoor Weekend hike as well.

More photos can be found here.

 

Great Maine Outdoor Weekend Mount Abraham Hike

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Our Great Maine Outdoor Weekend hike is set – Mount Abraham won the poll by a landslide so we will be heading up there on Saturday, September 27th at 9:30am.  You MUST RSVP for this hike either by emailing us at info@matlt.org or by RSVPing here at our Facebook page.

We will be posting lots of info about the fascinating ecological highlights of Mount Abraham, the mountain’s history, and Maine A.T. Land Trust’s work there over the past ten years.  A great place to start is the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land’s Management Plan for the area.

And of course we will be posting full directions and updates on the weather as we get closer to the date.  Don’t forget that we will have a limited supply of the wonderful GMOW posters to give away at the trailhead.

 

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.

 

 

 

Meet Our New Executive Director

After an exhaustive search, Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust hired a new executive director in March.  Simon Rucker grew up hiking in the mountains of Maine and after living in New York City for ten years, he decided he wanted to settle in a place with clean air, tall trees and over 281 miles of Appalachian Trail to hike on with his wife and two children.  He comes to Maine A.T. Land Trust from one of our partner organizations, The Trust for Public Land.  In his project work in New York, Simon saw first-hand how deeply development and incompatible uses can effect conservation land.  Land along the Appalachian Trail corridor in Maine is largely unprotected.  Under Simon’s leadership we hope Maine A.T. Land Trust can help to conserve vulnerable lands for use by future generations.  And we need your support!

Maine A.T. Land Trust President Bill Plouffe and new Executive Director Simon Rucker
Maine A.T. Land Trust President Bill Plouffe and new Executive Director Simon Rucker

Introduction to Hike Peaks Region Hike – August 31

We’ve finalized our date for the hike – Sunday, August 31st at 9am.  Normally our hikes are just for members who have donated in the past, but this will be open to all.  Meet in the parking area off East Madrid Road at the trailhead of the Perham Stream Birding Trail.  The location is roughly across from 658 East Madrid Road in Phillips.  Take Route 142 North from Phillips and then take a left on East Madrid Road.  The parking area is on the left side right after you cross over Perham Stream.  Please refer to the map below but continue north of the pin to the area opposite the large farmhouse, just across the stream.  RSVP on Facebook or by emailing us.