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One day during August 8-11, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) will be working with a helicopter contractor to airlift 12,000 pounds of lumber and tools to the Cloud Pond Campsite, Chairback Gap Campsite, and Fourth Mountain bog. Materials will be used to build new privies at the campsite, and install new bog bridging through the bog.
The date will be the first good weather day during the period August 8-11. The activity will last about 1-2 hours at each location.
Several volunteers will be at the campsites and bog assisting with the effort. Please heed any instructions by volunteers to keep their activities running smoothly and everyone, including you, safe.
Sample three different sections of the famed Appalachian Trail as it winds through the Maine wilderness, with a look at some other fun activities to pursue along the way. This special episode stops in Carrabassett Valley for an overnight stay at the Horns Pond shelter in the Bigelow Range, followed by some mountain biking at Sugarloaf Mountain and kayaking on Flagstaff Lake. Next is a day hike to Pierce Pond in the Kennebec Valley Region, along with a whitewater rafting trip on the Kennebec River and an ATV ride at Northern Outdoors Lodge in The Forks. Wrapping things up is a hike up Barren Mountain in the 100-Mile Wilderness and a visit to the towns of Abbot and Monson, home to beautiful Lake Hebron.
MATC President Tom Gorrill is interviewed in Episode 2 of Borealis! You can watch it on Maine Public’s YouTube channel. Borealis is a new multi-media outdoors series hosted by Aislinn Sarnacki and produced by Maine Public highlighting. This episode also features Native Nyle “River” Sockbeson who thru hiked the AT this summer to inspire Wabanaki youth and raise awareness to indigenous lands and cultures along the Trail.
9/14/23 Update: The National Hurricane Center is predicting winds and rain from Hurricane Lee will impact Maine Friday evening (9/15) through Saturday night. The predicted track could change, so hikers should continue to monitor the forecast.
Stream flows are already challenging due to significant rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. As of 11:30 AM on 9/14, the USGS gage on the Piscataquis River in Blanchard was at 644 cfs, more than three times the flow at which we expect stream crossings to become challenging. The National Weather Service is predicting significant additional rain on Saturday. The rain will fall on saturated ground into already swollen streams increasing stream flows even further. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy Monson Visitor Center also has information. For more information about Hurricane Lee, visit the National Hurricane Center’s website.
A contractor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands will be working on the Stratton Brook Pond Road (popular access to the west side of the Bigelows) around the third week of September (mostly on weekdays). They will be brushing out the sides of the road and then pulling the wood to spots along the road where it can be chipped, and trucked out. This road is narrow and the construction equipment is large so some closure of the road and parking areas may occur during this time.
Persons looking to hike the AT or Fire Warden’s trail are asked to park at the Rt. 27 parking area and begin the hike from there instead of the Stratton Brook Pond Road.
On August 12th, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) will be airlifting lumber and tools to the Frye Notch campsite to build a new privy (NOBO mile 1,936.8).
Several MATC volunteers will be at the Frye Notch campsite assisting with the effort. Hikers should follow all instructions from volunteers and stay out of the immediate transport zone.
For questions or for more information, contact campsite@matc.org or 207-215-5306.
Lunch available at campus dining hall for $10. CREDIT CARD ONLY. Or bring your own.
On-campus parking.
Registration opens at 8 am.
Hear what’s going on in the club. Get ready for a successful season. Highlights include:
A conversation with keynote speaker Barry Dana, a former Penobscot chief and artist who runs the 100 Mile Wilderness. Bring your questions.
“Ask Me Anything” panel discussion with the ATC and the MATLT.
A Day in the Life of a Ridgerunner presentation
Annual club business
Ask Me Anything panel discussion with campsite, corridor monitoring, and trail maintenance managers
Raffle tickets – Cash only
Barry Dana
Barry Dana is a teacher, artist, and former chief of the Penobscot Nation. He grew up on Indian Island in the Penobscot River, where he learned traditional skills and values from tribal elders. Barry creates traditional styles of birchbark baskets, many etched with artwork or quill decoration. Credited with reviving the Katahdin 100, a Native spiritual run that combines a 100-mile trek by canoe, bike, and foot from Indian Island to Katahdin, Dana also runs the 100 Mile Wilderness to Katahdin. When he does he brings an energy drink he makes with a birch syrup from trees tapped in his backyard, trekking poles he carved from hophornbeam wood, a sheath knife, and an eagle feather, which connects him to his ancestors. “When I run,” he has said, “it’s not just for me. It’s for my people.”See the Annual Meeting webpage for details.
