Corridor Monitoring on Bemis Mountain
White Brook Trail Work Trip
The current White Brook trail is an official Appalachian Trail side-trail. It goes up the south side of White Cap Mountain. The trail itself is a remnant of the original AT when it went up the White Brook from the KI road. There is a steep, badly eroded section that is 3 feet deep in places. A relocation of this section has been approved for a couple of years. It will do a 900′ foot bypass to the West of the current section.
What is Corridor Monitoring?
From Michelle Moody via MATC Facebook
Corridor monitoring…What is that you ask…I call it a walk on the wild side. It means following the property boundaries of a property. In our case, the Appalachian Trail in Maine. We are responsible for a section from Big Wilson Stream to Long Pond Stream in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Sometimes you get great views and sometimes you just enjoy the little things nature has to share with you. It’s like going on a geocaching hunt except you are looking to follow the survey line and find monuments marking the line or corners. Some are well hidden, some you easily seen. If you enjoy a wild walk, this may be just the thing for you to join in on. Great isolation. If not on the AT, maybe with your local land trust. It’s a great way to give back to those trails you love. Click here for more info on MATC’s work in Maine.
Bald Mountain Pond Now Protected!
We have some BIG news to share. One of the Appalachian Trail’s most iconic stretches is now permanently protected.
Cold, clear Bald Mountain Pond in Northern Maine welcomes paddlers and anglers from across the country. Hikers on the Appalachian Trail skirt the far shore, threading through century-old forests, taking in views of Mount Katahdin, and bedding down for a night in the sturdy hikers’ shelter just a few steps from the pond’s banks. Many thru-hikers even call reaching this spot the highlight of their journey.
The timber companies that once owned the pond and the surrounding forest historically allowed recreational access to the area—but that arrangement was more of a tradition than a guarantee.
When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity emerged to protect this extraordinary place, we teamed up with more than a dozen partners to permanently open access to this spectacular stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Now, a locked gate will never stop future visitors. The 2,620 acres surrounding Bald Mountain Pond’s rugged shoreline, and an iconic stretch of the Appalachian Trail, will remain protected from development and open to the public forever.
Check out the new video celebrating this victory.
Appalachian Trail Guide in Maine
For Sale at the MATC On-line Store
Book and 7 maps:
$24.00 MATC Members (20% discount)
$30.00 Non-members
Book with no maps:
$12.00 MATC Members. (20% discount)
$15.00 Non-members
The Maine edition covers 282 miles from Katahdin in Baxter State Park to the New Hampshire state line in one planning guide and seven water- and tear-resistant maps. The pocket-sized planning guide contains background information, points of interest, and road-access directions. Each map is focused on the Appalachian Trail and overlaps with the neighboring maps. The surrounding area and additional side trails are also included. An easy-to-use elevation profile shows the ups and downs and the distance to the next campsite or shelter, side trails, and water sources. For added interest, maps indicate road crossings, waterfalls, and scenic areas. Maps are both water- and tear-resistant.
- Map 1: Katahdin to South End of Nahmakanta Lake Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 2: Nahmakanta Lake to West Branch of the Pleasant River Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 3: West Branch of the Pleasant River to Monson Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 4: Monson to the Kennebec River Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 5: Kennebec River to Maine Highway 27 Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 6: Maine Highway 27 to Maine Highway 17 Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
- Map 7: Maine Highway 17 to Maine/New Hampshire State Line Published by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Four-color, 1:62,500-scale topographic maps with 50 feet contour intervals. Revised in 2009.
Maps can also be ordered individually under the Maps tab above.
Shipping and handling (with or without maps):
$6.00 for 1 copy
$10.00 for 2-6 copies
Submit a Trail Report
Did you observe a maintenance or issue on trail while hiking the AT in Maine?
Please send MATC a Trail Report providing details and a photo if available regarding an issue or maintenance need on the Maine AT. We will send your report on to our district managers.
You can also view current submitted Trail Reports.
Thanks for your help.
Report Trail maintenance needs to MATC
Latest Facebook Post
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MATC Store On-Line
Check out the MATC Store On-line by clicking this link.
You can find Books, Maps and MATC patches, pins and decals.
Along Maine’s Appalachian Trail 
Pin – $7.00 Actual Size 7/8″ 
Long-Time MATC Volunteer Featured in ATC Blog
ATC’s blog post from July 28 tells the story of a day in the life of an A.T. volunteer; getting up early on a day off to move rocks, cut brush, and swat bugs. All for a whopping paycheck with lots of zeros, including a leading zero… But the rewards are tremendous and have lasting impacts. Featured in the ATC blog post is MATC legend Dave Field; he’s been maintaining and protecting the A.T. for over 50 years! Be sure to scroll down the page to read about Dave, and watch the “myATstory” short film on his lifetime of efforts!
COVID-19 Guidelines for Maintainers and Monitors
The National Park Service has issued guidelines that allow us to resume our trail and campsite maintenance as well as boundary monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is great news! However, there are a few tasks to complete before heading out, and guidance to work within while on the trail so that we remain as safe as possible.
Volunteers need to watch a video and complete an on-line acknowledgement form to demonstrate that you have read, acknowledge, and agree to follow actions to improve safety found in the COVID-19 JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) and training. This means that before you can work on the trail, campsites, or boundary, every maintainer and monitor needs to go to ATC’s “Volunteer Protocols During COVID-19†page (https://appalachiantrail.org/get-involved/volunteer/safety/covid-19/) and:
- View the 17-minute on-line training video
- Read and be familiar with the guidelines and links including the one-page reference chart
- Complete the online “Re-Engagement Acknowledgement – COVID-19†form
This is required not only ourselves, but any person that goes out on the trail, campsite, or boundary with us.
If you are not comfortable performing your maintainer or monitor duties in these conditions, you are under no obligation to complete them. Please let us know so we can adjust.
Campsite maintainers: Please use the revised campsite maintainer tip sheet for campsite tasks (https://www.matc.org/assets/Campsite-Maintainer-Tip-Sheet_COVID-19.pdf). Please do not perform the following:
- Privy maintenance
- Lean-to maintenance
- Trash clean-up
If you are going out by yourself or with someone from your “household†to maintain the trail, campsites, or boundary then it is a little easier to make sure you are safe. If you have someone from outside of your “household†accompany you, which is recommended in general, then you become a “trip leader†and have to take some additional precautions. These include:
- No sharing tools
- No carpooling
- No sharing food or drinks
- Maintaining social distancing
Please contact your Overseer with any questions.
Thank you for your dedication to the AT!