Appalachian Mountain Club – Maine Chapter

Another year has gone by. What will a new one bring?

Recreation: Trails to hike, bike, and ski? Peaks to bag? Rivers and lakes to paddle? Be sure to keep in touch with ongoing Maine Chapter activities on our calendar.

Conservation: Any resolutions to be more conservation-minded or reduce your impact on our environment? Join AMC’s Conservation Action Network (CAN) e-mail alerts. New subscriptions will be entered into a monthly drawing and January’s winner will receive a free year of AMC membership.

Education: Would you like to learn a new outdoor skill? Check out AMC’s Education page for a complete listing. Or attend Mountain Leadership School, which will be in its 51st year!

Recreation, conservation, education- the three principles of the AMC. I hope they will be a part of your New Year’s resolutions!

Join us on Tuesday, January 19, to hear Jon Tierney, Owner and Head Guide of Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School, talk about ice climbing, equipment, safety, local routes, and the joy of spending winter on snow and ice in a safe and invigorating environment. Jon is a registered Maine Guide, the Founding Director of the University of Maine outdoor education program, the Founding Director of the Professional Climbing Instructors Association (PCIA), PCIA Educational Director, and past member of the Board of Directors, Friends of Baxter State Park. The event will be at the South Portland Library, 482 Broadway, South Portland, ME. Parking is available off Highland Avenue. Come early for the potluck dinner at 6 pm followed by the presentation at 7 pm Bring a potluck item to share and your own dinnerware (plate, utensils etc.). Drinks will be provided and plastic-ware will be available. For more information, please contact John Mullens(207-361-1210), visit our calendar page, or download a flyer (PDF).

On December 13, the Hill-Dale High School Outing Club participated in a Maine Chapter Youth Program winter hike. It was cold, clear and beautiful–a spectacular day to be out in the woods. From the top of Bradbury Mountain the outing club agreed to share a little holiday cheer with an impromptu chorus of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Continue Reading »

Are you planning a multi-day winter trip to Baxter State Park? Bagging those 4,000-footers, a ski traverse, enjoying the silence. There are some new winter use rules that you should know about! Overall, the application process to get a permit is easier, there is no longer a minimum group size, the gear list is less rigid, and the weather coding system is now just a recommendation, not a requirement. If you are planning a day trip below tree-line, no special permissions are needed. Visit the Baxter State Park website or a news summary for more information. Enjoy Baxter in the winter!

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.

Mt Abram ski area has generously agreed to again include AMC in their corporate program. The discounted rates are $39 for adults and $28 for students (thru age 17) and seniors (60 and up) any day, a nice savings from the regular rates of $49 and $37! A member need only present the AMC membership card with an up-to-date sticker to receive these rates for the member and that member’s immediate family. Mt. Abram is in Greenwood, just north of Bryant Pond on route 26. It is a favorite for telemark skiers, and also has snowboarding, and a tubing park. Mt. Abram has remained relatively small, folksy, and unhurried. Parking is right behind the rustic lodge. The full services are available, including rentals, instruction, day care center, retail shop, and an après ski lounge. Tasty soups and a nice range of other goodies are available for lunch. We are pleased to have this relationship with Mt. Abram. So, wax up those ‘boards’, gather up some fellow Appies, and get out to enjoy the 44 trails Mt. Abram has to offer! Contact Carolyn Welch for more information.

LURC (Land Use Regulation Commission) is seeking feedback on their effectiveness as an agency and to determine areas for customer concerns and improvements. LURC is the planning and zoning authority for the Maine’s unorganized territories which cover more than 10.4 million acres and nearly half of the land area in the state. The online survey takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete; the first part focuses on quality of customer service and interaction with commission staff; the second part focuses on the type of interaction that the customer had with the agency. LURC wants your input, so please take the survey!

On Saturday February 6, 2010 there will be a sled dog race starting in Greenville and proceeding to AMC’s Gorman-Chairback Camps on Long Pond, via West Branch Pond Camps, and onward to AMC’s Medawisla Camps on Second Roach Pond. Much of the 100-mile race route will be on AMC lands and pass through their wilderness lodges. Volunteers are needed to help with race duties including helping with the dogs, directing traffic, and other logistics. Local accommodations for volunteers are available as space permits. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Peter Roderick.

The Maine Chapter’s Winter Hiking Series for Winter 2009 – 2010 starts this weekend! This series is organized into two separate ability levels: Beginner and Advanced.

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 Beginner 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 Beginner Winter Series Flyer.

The Advanced Winter series is intended for experienced winter hikers who can demonstrate previous winter experience and knowledge in New England. The Advanced 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 Advanced Winter Series Flyer.

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.

Summit of Katahdin, March 2009.

Please join us on Monday December 7 as we learn about the proposal for a Maine Woods National Park & Preserve. Ken Burns called the national parks our best idea in his recent Public Broadcasting Service TV series. Is this proposed park a good idea for Maine? Jym St. Pierre, Maine Director of RESTORE: The North Woods will be leading the presentation, which will be colorful and detailed. Light refreshments will be served. The location is the Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick beginning at 7PM. Contact Bob Goldman(207-831-5929) for more information.