Appalachian Mountain Club – Maine Chapter

Join Jan and Ray Ronan as they relive their 2008 hike across Northern England on the Coast to Coast Trail. Starting on the west coast at St. Bees’s they traveled 190 miles Inn to Inn in 17 days, ending in the quaint town of Robin Hood’s Bay. See the spectacular scenery of the Lakes district, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. They will share stories and information on transportation, accommodations, and other information sources. They’ll have maps, books, brochures and websites to share. The event will be at the Morrell Room, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, Maine. Parking is available on the street and off Union Street. A potluck dinner will begin at 6 pm followed by the presentation at 7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck item and their own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available.

Please download a Coast To Coast Trail Flyer.

As part of the “Wild Spaces” series, the Appalachian Trail (AT) will be featured on the National Geographic Channel on Tuesday November 10th at 8pm. Most other documentaries have focused on one hiker’s experiences, but this one explores both the hikers’ experiences from multiple people and the science and protection at work in the corridor. And overall, the documentary crew found Maine to have wildest feel of all the trail. This “5 million step journey” was a challenge to film as well.

Registration is now open for the 2010 AMC Annual Meeting! The meeting will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort in Danvers, Massachusetts. There will be workshops and committee meetings during the day, and then a dinner, business meeting, and presentation in the evening. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Jon Waterman, an adventurer, photographer, and author his latest book “Where Mountains are Nameless – Passion and Politics in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” relates his journeys into the Arctic Refuge. Registration is filling up quickly, especially for Saturday evening activities, so register soon! If you have any questions regarding the 2010 134th Annual Meeting, please call Cindy Martell, Event & Office Coordinator, at 617-391-6603, or e-mail her at cmar...@outdoors.org.

Looking for information on New England trail conditions? Check out New England Trail Conditions for reports on everything from access to the trailhead, parking arrangements, trail surface conditions, maintenance needs, water crossings, dog-related notes, and other valuable info. This four-season listing is searchable and the level of detail provided is configurable. In addition, you can submit your own trip reports!

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, author Steve Pinkham will present a talk and slideshow about the Mountains of Maine, drawing on his new book of that title. Steve has the real stories behind place names, fire towers, plane crashes, and mountain tragedies in Maine. As he hiked all over the state, Steve became fascinated with the unique names of mountains and features and wanted to learn their real stories. He talked with local historians and combed the libraries of the Maine State Historical Society, the Maine Archives, the University of Maine, Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and the Library of Congress. In the process, he found intriguing stories and local legends about Maine mountains and features, including some of the historical events and colorful mountain folk that led to their naming. Steve is a hiker and climber and has completed the New England 100 highest. The location is at the South Portland Library, 482 Broadway, South Portland, ME: parking is available off Highland Avenue. Dinner at 6 pm, presentation at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck item and their own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available.

The fifteenth edition of “The Official Appalachian Trail Guide to Maine” is now available for purchase on the Maine Appalachian Trail Club’s website. This new edition has enhanced maps as well as updates for new trail locations and details on the Grafton Loop Trail which is half maintained by the MATC. So get the latest copy of the maps and guide and start planning your AT adventures!

The Pemigewassset Ranger District released a “Decision Memo” on the proposed Pemigewasset Wilderness Bridge Removal project in the town of Lincoln New Hampshire. A decision was made to remove a foot bridge in the Pemigewasset Wilderness that was purported to pose a safety hazard and conflict with Wilderness values of the area. More information is available on the U.S. Forest Service White Mountain National Forest website. Implementation of this project was scheduled to start on September 21, 2009.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, author Steve Pinkham will present a talk and slideshow about the Mountains of Maine, drawing on his new book of that title. Steve has the real stories behind place names, fire towers, plane crashes, and mountain tragedies in Maine. As he hiked all over the state, Steve became fascinated with the unique names of mountains and features and wanted to learn their real stories. He talked with local historians and combed the libraries of the Maine State Historical Society, the Maine Archives, the University of Maine, Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, and the Library of Congress. In the process, he found intriguing stories and local legends about Maine mountains and features, including some of the historical events and colorful mountain folk that led to their naming. Steve is a hiker and climber and has completed the New England 100 highest. The location is at the South Portland Library, 482 Broadway, South Portland, ME: parking is available off Highland Avenue. Dinner at 6 pm, presentation at 7 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring a potluck item and their own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available.

The 2009 AMC Fall Gathering will be held in the beautiful Berkshires- October 16-18- during peak foliage season! Hosted by the Berkshire Chapter, at Becket-Chimney Corners in Becket, Mass., the event will run from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Hikes, bike rides, paddles, cliff/wall climbing, rope courses, workshops and presentations, Contra-dancing, campfires, socials- we’ll have it all! Bring the family- the program is “kid-friendly.” Visit their web page for more information, or e-mail at amcf...@gmail.com.