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 […]
Read MoreFrye Notch Privy
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.
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Request for Proposals for Training our Trail Crew in Trail Building for the Years 2024, 2025, 2026
Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) Request for Proposals for Training our Trail Crew in Trail Building for the Years 2024, 2025, 2026 Background – During the 2024, 2025, 2026 field seasons, the MATC’s Maine Trail Crew will work on remote sections of the Appalachian Trail. Projects will focus on rebuilding and restoring heavily impacted sections of the Appalachian Trail. The Trail Crew will utilize rigging equipment and hand tools to build stone steps, stone stairs, waterbars, and complete short relocations. Scope of Work – To provide five days of training each of the three years to the Maine Trail Crew […]
Read MoreMATC Annual Meeting
Please join us at the Annual Meeting, held in person for the first time since 2019. Saturday, April 22, 2023, 9 am – 4 pm Schair-Swenson-Watson Alumni Center, Colby College, Waterville, ME (Directions) Hear what’s going on in the club. Get ready for a successful season. Highlights include: 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 […]
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Advisory to Appalachian Trail Certified Sawyers on Battery-Electric Chainsaw Use
While corded electric chainsaws have been available for years, over the last decade, chainsaw construction design has evolved to include battery‐powered cordless designs. As these quieter, lighter tools have become increasingly available, there is increasing likelihood that A.T. Certified Sawyers would prefer to apply these tools in lieu of gas‐powered chainsaws in the course of their work to maintain the A.T.
This advisory aims to provide reasonable considerations to the benefits, drawbacks, and other considerations of these respective design models of saws, that all require adherence to accepted safety practices.
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Summer 2023 Trail Crew Projects
The Maine Trail Crew is a joint venture between the Maine AT Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy that is dedicated to repairing steep and washed-out sections of the AT.Volunteers are welcome to join us for one to six weeks from June 19 – August 24, 2023.Projects run from Monday morning (you must arrive Sunday by 4pm) to Thursday or Friday. Check out the Summer Project List below. For more information about Volunteering with the Maine Trail Crew click here.
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Maine Lobster Now Sponsors MATC
MATC is happy to announce that Maine Lobster Now is now a sponsor! Maine Lobster Now’s mission is to provide customers throughout the United States with access to fresh seafood. Located in Southern Maine, they are dedicated to establishing lasting relationships with local fishermen in an effort to support the local economy and to continue offering the best products available.
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MATC President Speaks with Senator Angus King About Outdoor Recreation
MATC President Tom Gorrill speaks with Maine Senator Angus King on the Senator’s podcast – Inside Maine. Tom can be heard from minute 19-39. Listen to other podcasts from Inside Maine here: https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/inside-maine-podcast
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2022 Kennebec River Ferry Schedule
The official way to cross the Kennebec River is the canoe ferry.
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Dave Field: “Loving the Trail”
MATC’s Dave Field was a featured author in the Winter 2022 edition of ATC’s “Journeys” magazine. Dave is a life-long volunteer on the A.T. and has witnessed and instigated many change over the years. The trail you know and love today is in in large part Dave’s doing. Please thank Dave for his dedication to and love of the trail! Check out the article: https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/loving-the-trail/
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