Maine Chapter Website

Before you launch that sea kayak, have you assessed and prepared yourself for the trip? Here’s a recent article in the Bangor Daily News with some great advice for all sea kayakers, novice and experienced alike. Three members of the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors (MASKGI) from three different kayak guide firms offer excellent advice and rules to paddle by to make sure everyone makes it back to the launch. Remember: “Just sitting in a kayak doesn’t make you a kayaker!”

Maine Chapter bikers are encouraged to come join their fellow riders at the 2011 Bike Coalition of Maine Bike Rally. The Rally will be held in Brunswick from July 8 to 10, 2011 and include on road and off road riding, and other events.

Check out www.bikemaine.org for more information and to participate.

Come join us for Hiking 101, Step-by-Step! Step-by-Step is an inter-active introduction to hiking workshop on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at beautiful Wolfe’s Neck State Park in Freeport.

Did you join AMC because you were interested in hiking but have not hiked since or hiked only a little? Do you have a friend or family member you would like to introduce to hiking? Have you heard the phrase “get out more” but don’t know how to accomplish that? Let us help! Experienced AMC Maine Chapter leaders Peg and Joleen love to talk about everything hiking, gear, and eating-related! This moving workshop will allow for learning as we move and is intended to help prepare hikers for the summer hiking series. This event is open to the public. Contact Joleen Rice at 207-892-2685 before 9 pm to participate.

AMC Maine Chapter leaders Ginette Beaudoin and Don Parker will lead a major excursion to Austria from July 22, 2011 to August 6, 2011! Enjoy 14 days of intermediate to advanced intermediate hiking amidst the spectacular Tyrolean Alps south of Innsbruck, Austria. The trip includes day hiking from our hotel in the Stubai Alps which tower above many “Gemuetlich” villages. continue

Get ready for the upcoming paddling season by brushing up on your kayak safety skills! Whether a rookie paddler or experienced sea tourer, there’s something for everyone in this workshop. Professional instructors 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-before-you-go for the Maine Chapter’s Summer 2011 sea kayaking trips.

The workshop will run from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at Highland Lake in Windham on Saturday May 21. The cost is $10/members, $20/non-members. Contact Jeff Aceto at outi...@amcmaine.org for more information and to participate.

Come join us for a Lost Person Scenario Workshop during the evening of Thursday May 19. This class is intended for outdoor trip leaders, scout leaders, guides, outing club advisors, and anyone else who will be leading groups in the back country. Topics to be covered will include pre-trip planning, conducting hasty searches, caring for the rest of the group, coordinating with authorities, conducting a formal search and an overview of lost person behavior. Class material is drawn from local and national experts in search and rescue as well as lost person behavior. Information on how various types of outdoor recreationists statistically react when lost will also be discussed. continue

Come join us on Saturday, May 7, 2011 for a workshop offering fundamentals of map reading, identification of symbols, contour lines, terrain features, compass use, and triangulation. Once learned, these skills will enable participants to feel more confident with backcountry travel. After a morning classroom session, participants will put newfound skills to the test with an afternoon outdoor session. Go home with much more confidence in your ability to use a map and compass when it really counts!

This event is free and open to the public. Contact AMC Maine Chapter leader Roger David at 207-737-2933 or roge...@earthlink.net.

The Meetings and Education event scheduled for tonight at the South Portland Library has been postponed due to inclement weather. The Three Time Thru-Hiker Presentation will be rescheduled to a later date.

Flags on the 48 is a grass roots September 11 tribute hike held annually with the intention of flying the American Flag on all 48 four thousand foot peaks in New Hampshire. Maine Chapter leaders Debby Kantor and Tom Pettingill led a hike up Mount Pierce on September 11, 2010 to be part of this year’s event. The weather was sunny, clear, and warm and Debby, Tom, and Roger David (also a Maine leader) are shown in the summit photo below.

The Maine Island Trail Association has announced its annual paper Guide to the Maine Island Trail is now available on-line. A new website, located at guide.mita.org, provides this on-line guide which is only available to current members of the organization and access to the islands in the guide is a benefit of membership. Sea kayakers and canoers will appreciate the coast-wide interactive nautical charts, plus local weather and tide information.