A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about my son, Adam, and me climbing Williams Mountain in western Maine. The trek occurred on the first day of winter and, as I described, we encountered strong winds and severe wind chills. One reader submitted a comment about the article: “Projected icy trails, high winds and […]
seniors
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Snowshoeing to Stratton Brook Hut
For many years, my wife, Nancy, and I contemplated spending a night at one of the huts in the Maine Huts and Trails network. About a decade ago, we snowshoed to Poplar Hut but didn’t stay. More recently, I skied there with friends. That visit stimulated a decision to plan an overnight trip. Our choice […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Skiing the Maine Huts and Trails
My friend, Brent Elwell, is a frequent skier in the Carrabassett Valley region and more familiar with the trails in that area than anyone I know. While we were skiing together at Rangeley Lakes Trails Center recently, a discussion about Maine Huts and Trails ensued. The conversation evolved into a decision to ski to Poplar […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Cold and blustery Burnt Mountain
My son, Adam, and I made several attempts to plan a climb of Burnt Mountain in Carrabassett Valley over a two-month period. At every juncture, our competing schedules interfered. Finally, on Jan. 21, we were able to connect. There was a downside: powerful winds and frigid wind chills were forecast. After some deliberation, we decided […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Nordic skiing finally arrives at Harris Farm
Fans of Nordic skiing at Harris Farm are legion. I’m one of them. After weeks of waiting through a succession of rainstorms and unusually warm weather, I was pleased to learn the family farm in Dayton was receiving heavy snowfall on Jan. 7. I checked the Harris Farm website during the day of the storm. […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Howe Hill — the little Camden Hill
The Camden Hills are a wonderful place to hike. I began trekking in the scenic, coastal mountain range with friends and family when I first moved to the Midcoast area almost 50 years ago. Like most hiking enthusiasts, we started out climbing Mounts Megunticook and Battie in Camden Hills State Park. Outings to Bald Rock, […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: A gusty adventure on Williams Mountain
Williams Mountain is situated about 15 miles southeast of Jackman in a remote area with the inhospitable name Misery Township. Everything in that area seems to be miserable. Misery Gore, Misery Ridge and Misery Knob are names assigned to nearby locations. Convinced there must be a miserable history behind the names, I did a little […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: Exploring waterfalls on the unique Cathance River Trails
Well-known in paddling circles for its Class III–V creeking, the Cathance River in Topsham is one of the more popular and challenging whitewater rivers in Maine. The Cathance River Trails provide a stimulating hiking alternative. The Cathance River Trails are located in the Cathance River Nature Preserve and Head of Tide Park. Developed and managed […]
Seniors Not Acting Their Age: An exciting opening day at Rangeley Lakes Trails Center
We’d been waiting for a couple of weeks for opening day at Rangeley Lakes Trails Center. I wanted to ski and my wife, Nancy, planned to snowshoe. Dec. 9 was the magical day. A phone call confirmed that many of the ski trails were groomed for classic and skate skiing and snowshoe trails packed by […]
Enrollment opens for Midcoast Senior College spring classes
Midcoast Senior College in Brunswick recently announced its lineup of courses for its Spring Term I. These courses for lifelong learners begin the week of Feb. 5 and run through April 7. Courses are four to seven weeks long with a selection of in-person and online classes via Zoom. No grades, no exams — just […]