Outdoors

Published
October 7, 2012

Carey Kish: Exploring Vaughan Woods

Three miles of wide, well-used trails crisscross the park-like forests of Vaughan Woods Memorial State Park, a 250-acre tract on the Salmon Falls River in South Berwick, offering hikers hours of exploration and a window into the natural and human history of the area. The park was bequeathed to the state in 1949 by Elizabeth […]
Published
October 7, 2012

Canoeing: In Wilton lies a perfect paddle spot

For magnificent mountain scenery and prolific wildlife viewing, consider a visit to Wilson Pond in Wilton this autumn. Wilson Pond has many camps along its shoreline, but this time of year things are quiet. A 6-mile circumnavigation of the pond will take about four hours, given lots of stops along the way. The large public […]
Published
October 7, 2012

Worth the Trip: Rangeley’s range of outdoor activities makes it a favorite

In just a few weeks, I’ll be getting married at Saddleback in Rangeley. Planning for the event has meant frequent trips into the western mountains, and it’s given me a chance to get reacquainted with one of my favorite parts of the state. Legendary skiing, snowmobile trails and ice fishing have long attracted visitors to […]
Published
September 29, 2012

Keeping the Appalachian Trail spiffy

Hundreds of volunteers spend countless hours making sure the trail remains in tiptop shape in Maine.
Published
September 29, 2012

Deirdre Fleming: Winter’s coming, and there just might be plenty of snow this time

Will Old Man Winter come storming back this year? That’s the question upon us as the nights grow chilly, the days become shorter and the forest makes another Maine fall feel like showtime. Well, between those acorn shells raining down and Freeport’s favorite osprey pair heading south earlier, some outdoors folks believe nature might be […]

Published
September 29, 2012

North Cairn: Fire in the belly? You will endure

The wood stove arrived this week. You could tell winter was coming on, what with the edge to the nights, the cold sleep, the kerosene heater burbling its complaints as the sunset settled and the work of keeping the day’s end warm enough for comfort awakened in the dark. Over the weekend, I found myself […]
Published
September 29, 2012

Birding: Who knew – pigeons are actually called ‘rock doves’

I have been reading great reports of interesting fall migrants on Monhegan Island and at other migration hotspots. Any Maine birder would be thrilled to see a white-eyed vireo or a lark sparrow, both of which have been reported this autumn. But there is pleasure in seeing the everyday birds as well, even pigeons. The […]
Published
September 29, 2012

What’s Up in October: Spellbound at an annual New Hampshire festival

This is the month that the colorful fall foliage in New England starts transforming our landscape even as our skies shift into their fall and winter constellations. The winter hexagon starts emerging over our eastern horizon a little earlier each night. The bigger picture of cosmology that provides the context within which everything happens that […]
Published
September 29, 2012

Worth the Trip: Schoodic Peninsula’s a scenic spot

A less-frequented, but nonetheless spectacular section of Acadia National Park lies about an hour’s drive east of Mount Desert Island on the other side of Frenchman Bay. There the Schoodic Peninsula is home to the only portion of Acadia on the mainland of Maine, featuring granite headlands, rocky beaches and spruce-fir forests. In fact, many […]
Published
September 29, 2012

Hunting: Supplemental feeding of deer can be a benefit

Maine’s deer herd is in trouble, a fact acknowledged last year by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s development of a “Game Plan for Deer.” One of the biggest issues is the lack of quality of winter habitat — both food and cover. Possible remedies exist, but only if applied properly. Winter is […]

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