MATC’s Position on Saddleback Ski Area Solar Project

Posted on October 22, 2020November 2, 2020 by admin

Regarding the Saddleback Ski Area Solar Project We encourage the owners of the Saddleback Ski Area (Arctaris Impact Fund) to move the location of its proposed grid-scale solar power generating facility to a location that would not impact the views from the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) on Saddleback Mountain. At just over three miles away, the proposed 35-acre solar array would become the dominant feature on the landscape view looking north from the A.T. Other than Katahdin, Saddleback offers the longest open ridge walk along the A.T. in Maine and about 1.5 miles of this section would have frequent views of […]

Illegal Fire Rings Concerning on AT

Posted on October 15, 2020October 15, 2020 by admin

ILLEGAL FIRE RINGS: In Maine, campfires in the woods require a fire permit or a permitted campsite to be legal. WIth the dry conditions this Fall, non-permitted campfires along the A.T. are especially concerning. A frequent task for maintainers is to dismantle and disperse fire rings which not only encourage more camp fires in inappropriate locations but also encourage trash accumulation. This particular fire ring just north of Orbeton Stream has been dismantled four times this season. Photo by @Tony Barrett

4-ft X 6-ft

Posted on October 12, 2020October 14, 2020 by admin

4-ft X 6-ft: Trail maintainers are tasked with keeping a 4 X 8 foot corridor along the tread way for clear hiker passage. “One should be able to carry a 4X8’ sheet of plywood upright through the woods”. That standard is a high bar to meet in some places. Photo by Tony Barrett

An Ideal Time for Corridor Monitoring

Posted on October 10, 2020October 10, 2020 by admin

THE FALL IS AN IDEAL TIME FOR CORRIDOR MONITORING: Simon Rucker, Mike Mahony, Mary Eagan and Kayla Gagner are happy to find a boundary marker without any digging. This section of A.T. corridor is just south of Long Falls Dam road. Photo by Tony Barrett

Kudos to Maintainers

Posted on October 5, 2020October 5, 2020 by admin

We received a nice note from a happy hiker…. I hiked from Gorham, NH to Caratunk, ME two weeks mid-Sept. and was very impressed at how well the trails were maintained. I was also impressed at how much planking there was along marshy areas, showing your respect of the underlying ecosystem. Please share my thanks to all the Trail Maintainers along these sections. – LightWalker

Dan Hale, ATC’s Natural Resource and Land Stewardship Manager

Corridor Monitoring on Bemis Mountain

Posted on October 3, 2020October 3, 2020 by admin

White Brook Trail Work Trip

Posted on September 25, 2020September 25, 2020 by admin

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?

Posted on September 13, 2020September 13, 2020 by admin

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 […]

Bald Mountain Pond Now Protected!

Posted on September 9, 2020September 13, 2020 by admin

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 […]

Long-Time MATC Volunteer Featured in ATC Blog

Posted on July 29, 2020August 9, 2020 by Laura Flight

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!