Maine Chapter Website

Are you an avid day hiker who has always dreamed of linking your trail-filled days together into a multiple-day journey? To see the stars at night from a remote campsite? To listen to a babbling stream lull you to sleep? To awake to chirping birds? On Thursday June 3, the Maine Chapter will be hosting an evening workshop on backpacking at the South Portland Public Library. Learn what you need to bring to safely hike multiple days in a row without returning to the parking lot at the end of the day! Information on backpacks, gear, clothing, stoves, food, water, hygiene, trip planning, and a variety of outdoor hints will be presented. This workshop is designed for experienced hikers ready to move into overnights on the trail or backpackers looking for new ideas. Please contact the leaders for more information or to sign up.

This annual, national event is sponsored by the American Hiking Society to promote awareness and cooperation among trail users. The event occurs this year on Saturday, June 5th and there are several ways you can get involved! Join the Maine Chapter of the AMC on June 5th for a work day on a new trail on Stone Mountain. Or, check out AMC’s web site for trail day events. Or, donate some of your own time to clean-up a favorite trail in your neck of the woods. And as they say, “Trails Day is EVERY day!” so check out the many opportunities to volunteer on Maine Chapter trail maintenance trips. There’s a job for everyone!

Welcome to Summer 2010, sponsored by the Outings Committee of the Maine Chapter! Jeff Aceto, Outings Chair, and the Chapter’s 50 leaders have been busy planning a number of terrific outings, which are organized into series in a non-progressive manner so members can select trips that meet their ability and schedule. There’s much more to do beside hiking and this summer’s series include:

- hiking and backpacking; dozens of trips of all abilities, on weekends and weekdays
- biking; weekly road rides in the Portland area
- sea kayaking; ocean trips with million dollar views of Maine’s scenic coast
- flat water paddling; trips for canoe or kayak on rivers, lakes, and ponds
- MWI trips; trips in the Greenville and Brownville area to experience the Maine Wilderness Initiative

So, we’ve got a great schedule for an awesome summer; all we need now is you! Please check out our calendar to review Maine Chapter trips and contact leaders directly to join in the fun.

A 13-year-old from California became the youngest climber to summit Mount Everest yesterday (May 22, 2010). Jordon Romero has also successfully summitted the highest peaks on 5 of the 6 other continents; just Vinson Massif at 16,067 feet in Antarctica remains. And it is on his list to-do in his quest for the Seven Summits that he started when he was 10 years old.

Would you be interested in talking to the public about AMC and outdoor recreation in Maine? AMC’s Conservation Policy office recently relocated to downtown Portland – 30 Exchange Street in the Old Port. To take full advantage of this pedestrian-friendly location, we would like to make the office a location where the public can come in and learn about AMC, the Chapter, our Maine Wilderness Lodges, and outdoor recreation opportunities in Maine’s north woods. In order to do this, we need enthusiastic AMC volunteers who can speak knowledgably about AMC and outdoor recreation. Volunteers may occasionally be working in the office without staff supervision. Training will be provided. We are looking for volunteers who can work in the office one to four shifts a week for 4-6 hours each day between June and September. If you are interested, please contact Bryan Wentzell or Lindsay Bourgoine in the Maine office at 899-0150.

Never been camping, but think it’s an activity you and your family would enjoy? Maine families can enter to win a FREE family camping weekend for first-time campers at one of twelve Maine State Parks- equipment included! 40 families in all will win! The weekends are a cooperative effort between Maine Bureau for Parks and Lands and Take it Outside. The Take it Outside initiative encourages Maine families to reconnect with nature and lead healthy, active lifestyles. The web site contains information on how to get started, continue

Looking to reduce your carbon footprint? Leaving your car at home is a great way to do this. So join other Mainers in this year’s big statewide transportation event the week of May 17 though 21. Commuters across Maine are welcome and encouraged to take part. Commute Another Way Week promotes healthy, economical and eco-friendly modes of commuting: Carpools, vanpools, transit (bus, ferry & rail), bicycling and walking to work.

Try “commuting another way” just one day or all five. Try one commuter mode of travel or a different one each day. The more days you try the more chances you have to win. This year’s prizes are U.S. Savings Bonds in amounts ranging from $100 to $1,000 as well as gift cards for dining, entertainment, and gas! So register today. continue

Get ready for the coming paddling season by brushing up on your kayak safety skills! The Maine Chapter will sponsor a Sea Kayak Rescue Workshop on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Whether a rookie paddler or experienced sea tourer, there’s something for all kayakers in this workshop. A professional instructor from Lincoln Canoe and Kayak in Freeport will demonstrate and coach both guided and independent practice of wet exits, self rescue, braces, and paired rescues. This material is great stuff-to-know-and-own-before-you-go for the Maine Chapter’s Summer 2010 sea kayaking trips.

The workshop will run from 1 pm to 4 pm at Highland Lake in Westbrook and has a fee of $10 for AMC members, $20 for non-members. Contact the leader for more information and to participate; Jeff Aceto 207-650-5674, outi...@amcmaine.org.

Headed to climb Katahdin this summer from trailheads at Abol, Roarding Brook, or Katahdin Stream? You will want to know about the new parking rules in place effective May 1. The reasoning from the park’s perspective “… is to continue to protect Katahdin trails and alpine habitat while removing the uncertainty in acquiring access to a Katahdin trailhead.” So, no more waiting in line in the wee hours of the morning wondering if you will have a spot to park! Day Use Parking Reservations (DUPR) can be made in advance (up until 3PM the day before the reservation) for $5.00 on the Baxter State Park website or by calling 207.723.3877 (DUPR). The park will post daily parking availability updates also on their website and on the information line as well.

Looking for a great paddling adventure? The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) traverses the roof of the Adirondacks and the Northern Forest following traditional Native American travel routes across 740-miles of inland water from New York through Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine. On Thursday, May 6th, the Maine Chapter of the AMC presents Kate Williams, NFCT Executive Director, for a virtual journey along this diverse and enchanting route. She will give an overview of the water trail, show slides of special places along the trail, and share her favorite ideas for day-tripping, for week-long adventures, and for through-paddling the entire route. continue