Read the latest issue of the MAINEtainer, MATC’s newsletter.
You can view the current year’s issues as well as look into the MAINEtainer archives.
Read the Summer 2021 MAINEtainer Newsletter
Author Archive: admin
MATC Maine AT Maps Are Now Available for Your Mobile Device
MATC has partnered with Avenza Maps to make our 7 Maine Appalachian Trail maps available to download to your mobile device. The maps can be used on the trail without Internet access or cell reception and will pinpoint your current position on the map using your device’s GPS system.
To get started download Avenza’s free app and set up a free account. Search for the “Maine Appalachian Trail Club” and you will see a listing of our 7 Maine AT maps that are available for purchase at $5.99 each. We also have a bundle of all 7 Maine AT maps for $27.99 or a “100 Mile Wilderness” bundle of 3 maps for $15.99.
Check out our website for more information: https://www.matc.org/index.php/digital-trail-maps-on-mobile-devices/
We still also offer printed maps at our MATC Store:
https://www.matc.org/index.php/matc-store/#!/
Joint Ridgerunner Training at BSP
Ridgerunners from both Maine Appalachian Trail Club and Appalachian Trail Conservancy, along with staff from the A.T. Visitor Center, in Monson, spent time at Baxter State Park with Park staff as part of their training. This strengthened ties and communication between the three organizations as they work together this season to educate hikers on the Trail and troubleshoot challenges.
Volunteer Service Awards
INTRODUCTION
The Comprehensive Plan for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail includes a definition of the Appalachian Trail that states: “ThebodyoftheTrailisprovidedbythelandit traverses, and its soul is in the living stewardship of thevolunteers and workers of the Appalachian TrailCommunity.” ATC and the federal agencies are very proud of the volunteer commitment to protect and manage the Trail. This recognition program is offered by ATC and the NPS- Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO) as a means of thanking A.T. volunteers for their contributions.
HOURS OF SERVICE PROGRAM
The Hours of Service recognition program is based on the cumulative hourly contributions of volunteers to the Appalachian Trail and is administered by ATC, primarily through local Trail clubs. Trail clubs may decide whether or not to participate in this program as a resource for recognizing volunteers, and if it augments other volunteer recognition programs within the club.
AWARDS
The following MATC members were recognized at the Annual Meeting held on April 17, 2020 for their hours of volunteer service.
To collect your award, please contact Peter Roderick at roderick1027@gmail.com
Minimum of 1,000 hrs – Vest (Black Fleece)
▪ Dana Humphrey
▪ Patricia Harding
Minimum of 500 hrs – Cap (Khaki – Embroidered)
▪ Emily Zimmerman
▪ John Robichaud
▪ Priscilla Seimer
▪ Brad Deane
▪ David Theoharides
Minimum of 100 hrs – Patch
| ▪ Brian Kaczor ▪ Clint Buzzell ▪ Alan Bellows ▪ Cliff Young ▪ Mike Davis ▪ Donna Dickstein ▪ •Nancy Stewart ▪ Karon Salch ▪ Dave Hacker ▪ Barbara Zimmerman ▪ David Brooks ▪ Ned Porter ▪ Paul Fopeano | ▪ Don McDade ▪ Kathleen Cardi ▪ Nevin Miller ▪ Jay Seiler ▪ Kenlyn Clark ▪ Dick Doucette ▪ Tom Jamrog ▪ Roger Smith ▪ Mark Boucher ▪ Ben Hale ▪ Bonnie Litchfield ▪ Charles Moody ▪ Susan Stemper ▪ Ardie Hacker | ▪ Peter Gagne ▪ David Wilson ▪ Bobby Campbe ▪ Joe Kerr ▪ Greg Blanchette ▪ Chris Reid ▪ Bob Barrett ▪ Ross Mitchel ▪ Keith Corson ▪ Logan Wilson ▪ Becky Adams ▪ Bud Lemieux ▪ Katherine Fortin ▪ Vicky Collins | ▪ Steve Niles ▪ Jeffrey Smith ▪ Mike Pulk ▪ David Vachon ▪ Benton Schwartz ▪ Dan Simonds ▪ Sam Prindall ▪ Eric Rose ▪ Dawn Towey ▪ Ron Balistre ▪ Stuart Whiteman ▪ Tim Healy ▪ Kevin Thomas ▪ Stephen Bumps | ▪ Gordon Small ▪ Laurie Ewing ▪ Peter Wright ▪ Lori Johnson ▪ Scott Tomlinson ▪ Hannah Stevens ▪ Doug Hermann ▪ Jonathan Cohen ▪ Daniel Dauphinee ▪ Dave McCarthy ▪ Ariel Miller ▪ Linda Dyer |
Mike Blais
Bigelow District Manager
New Gloucester, ME
EMAIL: bigelow@matc.org
Mike is a foundry man and business owner of the Auburn Stove Foundry Company, Inc., in New Gloucester. Mike served as the Maintainer for Frye Notch, in the Baldpate District, for ten years, one of the most difficult sections to access and maintain. Prior to becoming at maintainer for MATC he maintained trails for Appalachian Mountain Club, in NH.
Laura Flight
Manager of Campsites
EMAIL: campsite@matc.org
Laura grew up in Winthrop, Maine and was privileged to be introduced to the outdoors at a young age. Her first big adventure on the A.T. was in 1986, at the age of 11, when she hiked White Cap Mountain via the old Fire Warden’s trail while staying at West Branch Pond Camps. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 1997 with a BS in Environmental Science and has enjoyed a career with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1995. In 2005, she became a trail maintainer on the Grafton Loop Trail, and in 2015 shifted to maintain a section of the A.T. on Wyman Mountain which she still stewards today. Currently, Laura serves at the Campsite Manager on the Executive Committee as well as a member of the Communications Committee.
Ryan Linn
Director
EMAIL: rlinn@matc.org
Ryan hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2007. He later worked for several Appalachian Mountain Club camps and as Group Outreach Coordinator for the Green Mountain Club. Eventually, he created the Guthook Guides app for various trails, including the AT, and continues to work on that from his home in Portland. He’s been the volunteer maintainer of the Mt Abraham blue-blaze trail since 2015.
Ron Tebbetts
Baldpate District Manager
EMAIL: baldpate@matc.org
Ron has been a maintainer on the Grafton Loop Trail since 2020. He was on the UMO faculty from 1979 to 1984 as an Instructor of Forest Resources, and holds a BS Forest Management degree from LSU. Ron has been a hiker for years, first stepping foot on the Appalachian Trail in 1973. Now that he is retired, he wants to spend more time on the trail while also “giving back” to the trail community. Ron will have two assistants, Emily Zimmerman and Dave Welbourn, who were appointed by the Executive Committee on January 9, 2021.
Jonathan Ellis
Treasurer
Brentwood, NH
EMAIL: treasurer@matc.org
Jonathan has been the Treasurer since April 2018. He has been a Club member since 1993, a corridor monitor since 2009, and has helped construct the Horns Pond lean-tos and several recent accessible moldering privies. A native of Augusta, Maine, he graduated from Swarthmore College in 1969 with a BA in Economics. After serving in the Army, he enjoyed a 35-year career in commercial banking. Since retirement in 2007 he has served as the Treasurer of his hometown, Brentwood, NH.
Dave Dore
Kennebec District Manager
EMAIL: kennebec@matc.org
Dave has been a maintainer with the club for 4 years. Along with his wife, they have maintained a 3.5-mile section of trail that runs from the South bank of the Kennebec River to Bowtown Road; this section includes two blue-blaze side trails and half of the Kennebec River crossing. Dave has been an active hiker and has section-hiked a large portion of the Maine AT and can be found out hiking somewhere in Maine almost every weekend. Volunteering is something he is passionate about as a way to give back to the trails that have given him so much enjoyment. Dave is currently employed at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta as a Radiology Equipment Specialist maintaining the x-ray and ultrasound equipment.