Maine Chapter volunteer Jeff Aceto will be honored at this weekend’s AMC Annual Meeting in Boston when he will receive AMC’s Volunteer Leadership Award. This award recognizes “members with at least five years of active service who have made significant contributions to volunteer leadership within their club units. The recipients will have furthered the recreation, conservation, and education mission of the AMC in some way.” Jeff has served the Maine Chapter as a trip leader of hiking (all four seasons), biking, and paddling trips, he has served as the Meetings and Education Chair, and is currently the Outings Chair for the chapter. Thank you Jeff for all of your efforts and congratulations!

Saturday February 4, 2012 is the 7th annual 100-Mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race. The race starts in Greenville, crosses Moosehead Lake, and goes as far north as AMC’s Medawisla Lodge and Cabins. Sixty miles of the 100-mile race route will be on AMC lands and pass through their wilderness lodges. If you have never seen sled dogs in action, it is worth the trip!

Planning an outdoor adventure, be it a hike, ski, over-night trip, or just a walk through the woods? Winter weather is definitely something to consider. And, the weather out your back door may be drastically different from where you intend to recreate. An accurate local forecast is needed for proper planning, so you know if you will need the basic winter gear, or extra hand-warmers. If you are headed to the White Mountains, the trusted weather source is continue

Join us on Tuesday January 17th when Carey Kish will talk about his week-long backpacking trek along the West Coast Trail. (Please note: The topic for this presentation was previously “Ecological Recovery in Coastal Maine” but the presenter is now unavailable). This bold 50-mile oceanfront wilderness route (a former shipwreck life saving trail) leads from Port Renfrew to Bamfield in Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Join us on Tuesday January 17th at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick for a potluck dinner at 6pm and Carey Kish at 7pm. Parking is on Middle Street or in a public lot off Union Street. Bring a potluck item to share and your own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be available. For more information, email Kathy. All events are free and open to the public.

Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) wants you to know that many of Maine’s State Parks are open in the winter. And to entice you there, they are offering activities such as “Winter Family Fun Days” to help get you there. They are offering lessons in ice skating, cross country skiing, winter camping, and snowshoeing, as well as activities that include a fishing derby, animal tracking, nature programs, and dog sled rides. Don’t have equipment? BPL has 60 pairs of cross country skis for you to use, free of charge! Check out this article to learn more.

On January 7, 2012 the AMC announced its next president- John D. Judge. He brings to the AMC a background in executive and senior development, finance, and marketing, as well experience as an active community leader. John Judge currently lives in the Boston area, and starts his new duties as AMC’s president on February 1. For more information, read this press release.

The AMC Maine Chapter Winter Hiking Series for Winter 2011-2012 has begun! This series is organized into two separate ability levels: Beginner and Advanced. And we haven’t forgotten about you nordic folks either; check out the x-c ski trips we will be offering this winter too!

The Beginner Winter Series is intended as introductory winter experiences for experienced three-season hikers and prior winter experience is generally not required to participate. The series begins with trips which are relatively easy and gradually progresses to moderately difficult trips. It is not necessary to attend all trips in chronologic order, though later trips may require experience gained on earlier trips. Please download a flyer (168 KB PDF).

The Advanced Winter series is intended for experienced winter hikers who can demonstrate previous winter experience and knowledge in New England. The series includes trips which range from moderate to difficult in ability. It is not necessary to attend all trips, though each trip will have minimum requirements for previous experience, gear, and fitness level. Please download a flyer (188 KB PDF).

And for you folks who love to glide over the snow on long sticks, we have a nordic series this winter. There are a variety of trips across the state that will meet your wilderness or groomed trail desires. Check out the calendar page for a listing of trips.

The AMC Maine Chapter’s experienced leaders will organize and guide the trips, which are weather and conditions dependent. These trips are free and open to the public. Please see www.amcmaine.org/calendar for more information and contact the listed leaders to sign up for individual trips.

The 7th annual 100-Mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race is on Saturday February 4, 2012. Volunteers are needed the prior weekend (January 27-30) to help prepare the trails for the race. Local accommodations for volunteers are available as space permits. Stay at Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins and be among the first to enjoy the newly remodeled lodge and dining room. Intermediate cross country ski skills required. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Peter Roderick.

Looking for a high adventure close to home this winter? Check out the “Edu Trips” offered by the Mount Washington Observatory. There are weekend workshops on mountaineering skills, climate change, outdoor photography, bringing science into the classroom, women’s mountaineering skills, glacial geology, and more. The best part? Your classroom is the top of Mount Washington!

No, this is not an app your mother invented to remind you to wash your hands! If you have every taken any sort of Wilderness First Aid course from SOLO, you will certainly remember that a SOAP note (Subjective Objective Assessment Plan) is used to document and monitor a medical emergency in the wilderness. The SOAP note has now come into the 21st century in the form of an app for your iPad, iPhone, or Android device. This ensures all steps are followed, employs visual schematics of the body with injury locations, allows the user to prioritize and tracks treatments, and produces a legible output that can be transfered as patient care is transfered. The app requires an annual subscription and is available on the SOLO web page. Read more about the app and its specifics!