The number one rule for any outdoor club that partners with Brunswick-based nonprofit Teens to Trails is simple: there should be no expectations. “Everyone has the approach of ‘We have to do these really grand adventures. We have to take our students up Katahdin. We need to go whitewater rafting with them. We need to go winter camping,’” says Sam Andrews, Teen to Trails’ program manager. “I think it’s important for [club advisors] to know it’s not about the big trips and the intimidating outdoor adventures.” More often than not, Andrews explains, students start by going apple picking with their peers, tossing a Frisbee with friends, or “walking out to the back of the school grounds and just seeing what is there.”

Teens to Trails breaks down the barriers that make it difficult for students to get outdoors, whether that’s due to a part-time job, playing a competitive sport, or not having the right gear. The organization partners with teachers to establish outdoor clubs; provides grants to the clubs as well as scholarships to individual teens; advocates for transportation services for their clubs; and collects donations of outdoor equipment that Maine students can freely use. It also organizes annual programs like the Outdoor Leadership Conference, traditionally held at the YMCA Camp of Maine in Winthrop every September, and Adventure Bound, a spring weekend of whitewater rafting and camping in Caratunk, one of Maine’s smallest towns (population: 81) just an hour south of the Canadian border.

In a group of nine high school students who attended a Teens to Trails program in Camden earlier this year, three had never camped before, and none had ever seen a sunrise. “For some of us, it’s no big deal,” says Alicia Heyburn, the nonprofit’s executive director. “Others are like, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe I’m doing this!’”

The idea behind Teens to Trails, which now supports more than 83 outdoors clubs at schools across the state, began in 2005 as a tribute to Sara Leone, a 15-year-old adventurer who tragically lost her life in a car accident. In the subsequent months and amid their grief, her parents, Carol and Bob Leone—who had left their jobs with the National Park Service in the Washington, D.C., area to move their family to Wiscasset in 1988—began a community-based fund called Sara’s Scholarship. Still maintained by the organization to this day, each year the scholarship enables one high school sophomore to attend a wilderness trip or outdoor leadership expedition in Maine.

The Leones, who had launched an outdoor club at Wiscasset High School, where Sara and her sister were enrolled, were flooded with support from their community and founded Teens to Trails to help other young adventurers get outside. The nonprofit continued to grow, one high school outdoor club at a time, before opening up its programs to middle schoolers; today, Teens to Trails is looking beyond school clubs and working with Maine’s Association of Parks and Recreation to pilot outdoor programs at six community centers across the state.

Teens to Trails’ mission is to erase the exclusivity of the outdoors by providing resources for young adults to connect with the natural world—and one another—in a noncompetitive environment regardless of their socioeconomic status or outdoor experience. “We don’t try to create the lone wolf or the solo expeditioner or the peak bagger,” says Heyburn. “It’s our vision statement: all teens have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together.”

Donate, volunteer, or get involved at teenstotrails.org.

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  48 Hours in Cape Elizabeth, South Portland + Scarborough
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  Brunswick in 48 Hours

The post Branching Out appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Kick off the weekend with appetizers and beers at Foulmouthed Brewing, a former auto garage turned into a brewpub in South Portland. Start with an order of crispy fries and a flight of dipping sauces—the malt vinegar mayo is a customer favorite. Nachos always pair well with beer, so scoop some corn tortilla chips with spicy queso, cumin lime crema, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, and black beans. And leave some room for the General Tso’s wings; they’re tangy with just a hint of spice and wash down perfectly with the Sir Squirrel brown ale.

For a well-deserved splurge, book a room at Inn by the Sea, located on Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth. Just seven miles from Portland, you’ll feel worlds away when you catch a glimpse of the expansive coastal landscape, the inspiration behind the inn’s architecture and design.

The two-bedroom suites are perfect for families or groups of friends. Stock your full-size fridge with essentials for the weekend and stay in and cook if you’re in the mood. Four-legged guests are supplied with their own bed, blanket, placemat, bowls, and a gigantic homemade biscuit. If your furry friend needs some extra pampering, you can preorder dinner from the gourmet pet menu. All the suites have incredible views from the living room, gas-burning fireplaces, and private decks or balconies.

The inn’s on-site restaurant, Sea Glass, is a destination of its own and is frequented by locals, so make a reservation. Executive chef David Brown recently revamped the menus with a primary focus on quality seasonal ingredients. Start with one of the specialty cocktails, like the Sea Glass Spritzer, and an order of mussels in bouillabaisse sauce paired with the house bread for dipping. Don’t overlook the unassuming Farmer’s Salad, which features shaved veggies, whipped ricotta, herb crumble, and a smooth champagne vinaigrette. The cavatelli with clams is an excellent entrée choice, but if you’re not into seafood, try the braised short ribs with a merlot reduction. Finish with the crème brûlée, and then stop by the lobby bar to enjoy a fireside nightcap.

Saturday
Antiques and eats

Roll out of bed, make yourself a Nespresso, and take an early-morning walk through Crescent Beach State Park. From October 1 through March 31, you can run with your leashed dog along the mile of white sand. The whole family will enjoy discovering saltwater coves and wooded pathways. When you return to the inn, order the apple French toast for breakfast, which will give you a good base for the day.

Cape Elizabeth has the longest growing season in Maine and hosts over 20 farms. If you’re there during the summer, make sure to stop by Maxwell’s Farm on Two Lights Road for strawberry picking. Cape Elizabeth also has one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, the Portland Head Light at Fort Williams Park. Commissioned by George Washington and completed in 1791, the oldest lighthouse in Maine is managed by the town and includes a museum within the former keepers’ quarters. It might look especially familiar since artist Edward Hopper captured it in one of his most renowned watercolors.

Time to get in a little stress-free shopping on Shore Road. Make your first stop The Artful Collector, where you can find Weller and Roseville pottery, along with well-preserved issues of the Saturday Evening Post dating back to the early 1920s. Modern gems might include a vintage Iittala Aalto Vase or an Arne Jacobsen Swan chair. Go next door to Fiddleheads Fine Flowers and Maine Gifts; this magical little shop creates sustainably sourced custom arrangements. Their small bouquets make great hostess gifts for the friend who has everything. If you walk just a few blocks down the road after, you can experience the delight of The Cookie Jar’s famous raspberry Bismarck pastry. And then why not decompress for a bit back at the inn with lunch? You can grab sandwiches and salads at C Salt Gourmet Market and enjoy them on your private deck while soaking up the ocean air.

A favorite destination in Scarborough is Higgins Beach. When the surf is up, surfers can be seen catching waves no matter the season. Enjoy walking the beach and admiring the classic New England cottages that date back to the 1800s. If you have kids, go farther south along the Scarborough coastline to Ferry Beach. It’s the perfect place for parents to relax because the water there is calm and shallow. Enjoy the sunset before heading to dinner at the Pine Point Grill. This cozy restaurant is just one mile from Pine Point Beach. You’ll want to order the French onion soup and wild haddock with rosemary potatoes.

Sunday
Beaches and Bug Light

Begin the morning with one last walk around the inn’s grounds. After that, head to Bonny Read in South Portland, where locals know you can score some fantastic midcentury and antique pieces for your home. After you finish perusing the shop, grab a coffee down the road at Cia Cafe and check out the jewelry by Maine makers. Now that you’re caffeinated, make your way over to Nonesuch Books and More, where they have new and gently used books for adults and children as well as a nice selection of Stonewall Kitchen soaps and jams.

Get back in the car and take a short drive to one of the smallest lighthouses in the state, Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, also referred to as Bug Light. Originally built of wood in the 1800s, the lighthouse was later rebuilt using cast-iron plates. Standing just 26 feet tall, it’s located on the eastern end of the Greenbelt Walkway with a view of the entrance to Portland Harbor. If it’s a windy day, take a kite with you. And make sure you allow yourself some time to explore the nearby Liberty Ship Memorial to learn about the ships built there during World War II.

Before you head out of town, grab snacks at the new Buena Vista Filipino Food Market. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a fresh batch of pancit noodles. For more take-home food, check out two Italian markets: Solo Cucina Market, where you’ll find Solo’s acclaimed pesto sauce, the same recipe served in their restaurant in downtown Portland, and Terra Cotta Pasta Co., whose delicious homemade ravioli with mushroom sauce also happens to freeze well. Last, stop over at Cape Whoopies for a final sweet treat. There’s an extensive menu, but well-known favorites include Maple Sunday and Birthday Suit—and don’t worry, they even have a gluten-free option.

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The post 48 Hours in Cape Elizabeth, South Portland + Scarborough appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Has cabin fever set in yet? Are you itching to get back outside? If you’re looking for an activity that gets your heart pumping more than snow-shoeing—but doesn’t require the long list of gear necessary for downhill skiing—cross-country (also known as Nordic) skiing might be your happy medium. Whether you prefer skate or classic, fish scales, skins, or klister (we know you’re still out there), brave the cold and hit the trails at these eight Maine trail systems.

Pineland Farms, New Gloucester

Located on 5,000 acres of farmland, the trails at Pineland Farms are open year-round, first for running, hiking, biking, and disc golf in the spring through fall, then transforming into a full-blown Nordic center in the winter. From wooded hills to rolling fields, there are trails for all levels of cross-country skiers. Looking to work on your form? Sign up for an hourlong lesson: choose a private one-on-one session, a semi-private class with two people, or a group lesson with three to five students. If you need to take a break, check out the warming huts along the trails or stop in at the Pineland Farms Market for a snack. Plus, if you have little ones along for the ride, you can rent a chariot for $16 an hour. Be sure to check the trail conditions before you go.

Tickets: $20 adult day pass, $15 afternoon pass (after 1 p.m.)
Rentals: $20 for adult classic passage, $24 for adult skate package
Trail mileage: 18

Carter’s XC Ski, Bethel

Offering a wide range of trails for everyone from beginner skiers to expert gliders, Carter’s XC Ski has fantastic views of Maine’s western mountains, in addition to picturesque snowy, wooded vistas. Visitors can book one-hour, private, semi-private, or group lessons for all levels of experience in both skate and classic skiing. Just be sure to call ahead and make a reservation, because they fill up fast! Want to keep the fun going? Consider renting an off-the-grid, wood-stove-heated cabin that’s only accessible by ski or snowshoe.

Tickets: $20 adult day pass
Rentals: $20 adult classic package, $25 adult skate package
Trail mileage: 34

Oxbow Beer Garden, Oxford

At the original location of the Carter’s XC Ski Center (before the Bethel location opened in 1992), these five miles of trails sit adjacent to Oxbow Brewing Company’s Beer Garden with rentals available from nonprofit Portland Gear Hub on Saturdays and Sundays. Rarely groomed, the trails offer a rustic experience of wandering through the woods, made even better by a warming hut where you can imbibe some of the brewery’s offerings before braving the cold once more. Once you finish up your trek, be sure to head to the beer garden to enjoy a pizza and a brew around a firepit or in one of the plexiglass A-frames equipped with heat lamps.

Tickets: Free
Rentals: $45 adult ski package
Trail mileage: 5

Acadia National Park Carriage Roads, Mount Desert Island

Popular with hikers and bikers during the summer and fall, once the snow flies, the carriage roads of Acadia National Park become a winter wonderland for cross-country skiers. Managed and maintained by nonprofit Friends of Acadia, use of the trails is limited to when the snow level exceeds six inches and the roadbeds are frozen, so be sure to check the trail conditions before you make the trip up the coast! If you time it right, you’ll see the best of Maine’s national park in its quietest season.

Tickets: Free with a park entrance fee
Rentals: Available at various MDI stores
Trail mileage: 45

Nordic Heritage Center, Presque Isle

Home to a world-class cross-country ski and biathlon venue, the Nordic Heritage Center represents the height of Nordic skiing in Maine. With a lodge, kitchen facilities, a ski waxing building, and on-site saunas, the center is primed to host elite and amateur athletes alike. With numerous easy, moderate, and difficult rated trails that take fun turns through snowy wooded scenes, skiers of all levels will be entertained for hours on end.

Tickets: $8 adult day pass
Rentals: $10 adult ski package
Trail mileage: 12

Fort Kent Outdoor Center, Fort Kent

The site of local, national, and international cross-country skiing competitions, the Fort Kent Outdoor Center was originally used as a training facility for elite Nordic athletes. Now open to the public, there are novice, intermediate, and advanced trails that range from half a mile to four miles in length. Need to warm up? Head over to the Tenth Mountain Lodge, which has a great room, a sauna, a kitchen, and a field-stone fireplace to relax by before you venture back out into the snow.

Tickets: $15 adult day pass
Rentals: $15 adult ski package
Trail mileage: 4.5

Rangeley Lakes Trails Center, Rangeley

A stone’s throw from the shores of Saddleback Lake and just down the road from Saddleback Mountain, the Rangeley Lakes Trail Center offers a wide range of year-round trails popular with hikers and mountain bikers in the summer and snowshoers and Nordic enthusiasts come winter. With mostly beginner and intermediate terrain, a warming yurt, and 20-plus gnome-homes (and their inhabitants) hidden throughout, this is a family-friendly trip any time of the year.

Tickets: $22 adult day pass
Rentals: $20 adult ski package
Trail mileage: 35

Black Mountain of Maine, Rumford

Featuring big climbs, fast downhills, and plenty of flowy sections, the cross-country ski trails at Black Mountain of Maine are popular with skiers of all ages and skill levels. Known for recreational skiing as well as competitions held by the Chisholm Ski Club, a trip to the Black Mountain trails is guaranteed to expose you to skiers of all levels. Take it easy on a beginner trail or challenge yourself on moderate to advanced terrain.

Tickets: $15 adult day pass
Rentals: $20 adult ski package
Trail mileage: 10.5

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The post Where to Cross-Country Ski This Winter appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Suspended over the Androscoggin River, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge is a historic pedestrian bridge that connects the towns of Brunswick and Topsham, and is a great first stop during your trip to Brunswick. Built by the same company responsible for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, this iconic landmark is the perfect spot to snap a few photos and immerse yourself in nature.

Across the street sits a curious sculpture of a large wooden head seemingly built into the landscape. A small carved sign claiming the “Gallery Is Open” directs you to take a right. The Barter Art House Gallery is a building that is as quirky as the sculptures that surround it, and features the works of artists Matt Barter, Philip Barter, and Tim Fischer. Around the corner, the Bayview Gallery is another great space to admire and purchase art from renowned artists across New England.

The Federal Hotel is just a short distance away, tucked into a quiet corner of town, steps away from Maine Street but far back enough to provide respite from the bustling retail district. Recently renovated, the hotel’s chic ambience mixed with vintage appeal and attentive, knowledgeable staff makes this the ideal home base for your trip to the southern midcoast. Located inside the hotel is the new 555 North, a Portland favorite (then under the name Five Fifty-Five) that has resettled into its new home a half hour north. The sophisticated tasting menu offers artistically plated dishes, like the popular pepper-crusted scallops or pork rib eye. Trendy, upscale, and delicious, it’s a dining spot any foodie spending time in Brunswick should make a priority.

If you’re craving something sweet after dinner, Gelato Fiasco’s flagship store is a short walk into town and features an array of gelato and sorbet made in-house daily. For a nightcap, head up the road to Pub 165. Take a seat on the cushy leather couch or pull up a chair beside the fireplace to bask in the cozy atmosphere and sip on one of the tasty craft cocktails from their pub menu.

Saturday
Bowdoin and boutiques

Start the morning off by claiming your spot in line at Dog Bar Jim. While the queue may be long, it moves fast, and the interior of the cafe has no shortage of unique decorations to keep you entertained, including a CRT television playing Seinfeld reruns. After you guzzle a Café Bombon with whipped condensed coconut milk and devour a warm pumpkin-curry muffin stuffed with spiced cream cheese, check out the huge display of artists’ murals that decorate the alleyway outside this eclectic local haunt.

Brunswick’s art scene doesn’t end with galleries and murals. Bowdoin College’s sprawling campus sits along Maine Street and is home to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. A glass and bronze pavilion marks the entrance of the museum, which has rotating art and anthropologic exhibitions and is free to the public. The museum is small but impressive, featuring works from artists including Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, and Katherine Bradford.

Head back into town and check out some of the shops while you ponder your next meal. The Lemont Block Collective has an inventory of goods made by local artisans, sustainable products, and antiques. Nest is another shop brimming with home goods to update your space. Pick up a bottle of wine and some artisanal cheese for later at Vessel and Vine. Make your way out to the back: the vines that enclose the porch create a dreamy vibe that pairs perfectly with one of their craft cocktails.

There is no shortage of lunch options downtown. Maiz Colombian Street Food has generously stuffed arepas with your choice of sauce, fried plantains filled with melted cheese, empanadas, and other Colombian dishes. Across the street, ZaoZe Cafe and Market offers Asian-inspired pastries and lunch fare featuring produce from the aquaponic farm located directly behind. The Big Top Delicatessen always satisfies with a menu that features both hot and cold deli classics; each sandwich comes with a side of potato chips and a sour pickle.

After lunch, spend some time treasure hunting at the Waterfront Flea Market. This massive indoor flea market is located inside Fort Andross. It’s easy to get lost among vintage records, piles of books, narrow corridors of furniture, and racks of clothes. If you’re looking for something a bit less chaotic and a bit more curated, Cabot Mill Antiques is also located in the mill, and is just as entertaining to explore without the risk of knocking over a pile of VHS tapes.

For dinner, reserve a table or grab a spot at the bar at Enoteca Athena, a rustic-chic Greek-Italian restaurant serving generous plates of homemade pasta and other Mediterranean dishes in a space that’s as homey as it is romantic. If you’re having a difficult time deciding on what to eat, the knowledgeable staff is eager to suggest dishes and cocktail pairings based on your taste. The Pesto Mediterraneo pasta dish is highly recommended to those who don’t mind a little heat. Don’t hesitate to indulge in a delicate slice of olive oil pistachio cake for dessert.

Sunday
Brunch and brews

Start your morning off at Flip Breakfast and Brunch Bar, where you can wake yourself up the right way with a mimosa pitcher and a lobster Benedict. For something on the sweeter side, Frosty’s Donuts is a Brunswick staple that’s been serving up fresh donuts and cinnamon rolls the size of hubcaps since 1965.

If you went a bit overboard at breakfast, enjoy a scenic walk or bike ride along the Androscoggin River Bicycle Path to work off some of that fuel. The trail is a 2.6-mile (one-way) path that winds along the Androscoggin River and offers plenty of spots to stop and admire the water or watch paddling kayakers.

Before you say goodbye to Brunswick, make time to stop at the popular Flight Deck Brewing and try some of their tasty craft beer offerings, like the Krosswind, a crisp, easy-to-drink Kolsch, or the hoppy Subhunter IPA. Located at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, the brewery is bright and airy, with plenty of seating options both inside and out.

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The post Brunswick in 48 Hours appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Maine’s winters are storied, and not just because they’re cold. (If you’ve ever spent time in the Midwest, you’ll know Maine has it pretty good.) But in Maine the season lasts, the snowfall is plenty, and the daylight hours are few. The trick to winter here is to plan: get the right boots, gloves, and a proper hat, and build extra time into your commute for salting, shoveling, and running the car five minutes before you hit the road.

But that’s just the short term. Long-term plans are about optimizing (or reframing) the months of deep darkness, because once the early seasonal festivities are out of the way, that’s when winter in Maine really begins. In January, February, and March it’s time to ski, skate, snowmobile, and snowshoe; to cut holes in the frozen lakes to fish, mush dogs across snow-padded trails, and cozy up under blankets on the seats of horse-drawn carriages. Unlike other famous winter destinations, if you’re here in February, you’re guaranteed the kind of chill that warrants a sauna and drinking mulled cider by a fire.

The upside is there’s so much to experience, you’ll have a hard time packing everything into one season. To help narrow down your winter-weather to-dos and to kick-off your long-term planning, we’ve rounded up some of the Pine Tree State’s most popular activities and winter events, along with a selection of our favorite cozy lodges and package deals. This is winter in Maine, after all —go enjoy yourself.

Snowmobiling 101

Each winter, outdoor enthusiasts flock to Maine to glide, skate, or motor their way across the frozen landscape. Motoring, in particular, is wildly popular. The snowmobile—a motorized sled guided by ski-like feet—allows its pilot to cover a ton of ground, and unlike other wintry pastimes, doesn’t require hills, lifts, or frozen ponds. Snowmobiling is so beloved, in fact, that it’s considered a lifestyle. The state’s consistently heavy snowfall (albeit less reliable these past few years), its robust network of trails, and 280-plus dedicated clubs make Maine the place to go for anyone looking to spend months in the snow, slipping between pines.

If you don’t have a snowmobile, you can rent from one of the state’s many licensed operations, found on the Maine.gov website. The licensing of renters helps to ensure rider safety while funneling funds to the upkeep of miles of trails. The Interconnected Trail System, or ITS, is a network of 4,000 “primary” miles that link to another 10,000 for a total of 14,000 miles of track to explore.

Aroostook County, Maine’s northern “hunting-cap-shaped” region (look at a map—you’ll see) that abuts Canada is snowmobile central. Other hotspots are Moosehead Lake and Kennebec Valley, where Coburn Mountain calls to the more experienced riders capable of climbing 3,700 feet to its summit.

New to the sport? Sign up for a safety course listed on Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Programs and Resources page. Visit the Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA)’s site for a downloadable safety pamphlet, and hire a guide or book a package that includes oversight by an expert. You can start your research by looking up a club in the area you’re hoping to visit, also available via the MSA.

Snowmobiles are not without their detractors. Among the complaints are noise and environmental pollution as well as disruption to animal habitat. But there are things you can do to minimize impact, like staying on marked trails and avoiding aftermarket add-ons that change emissions. All of this is part of being a good snowmobiler. The ground rules, as the MSA states, are: “Ride to the right. Ride sober. Ride at a reasonable speed. Stay on the marked trails. Use hand signals. Ride defensively.”

Lodges + Packages

Yes, you love to ski and snowmobile and ice skate. You’ve always wanted to sit in one of those huts on a frozen lake like the guys in Grumpy Old Men, catching fish through a hole, but equal to this is your desire to relax in a rough-hewn cabin next to a fire and read the hardback you bought at the airport. If this is you, consider the package deals offered by numerous hotels and resorts throughout the state. Not only do you get a cute place to stay, but you’ll also be connected to reputable guides who know the area and get premium access to gear rentals at some hard-to-beat prices. Here are a few good ones, for starters.

Luxurious

Pineland Farms, New Gloucester
This sprawling, working farm offers a quaint, comfortable, village-like experience. Wander through multiple gardens, check out the market, and stay in one of three guesthouses equipped with everything you need for a quiet, stately retreat. There’s also access to trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, as well as nearby gear rental, with day and season passes available. Sledding and skating on the farm’s 100- by 50-foot rink are free. Hot drinks and bites to take out are available in the Welcome Center.

Homey

Inn by the River, The Forks
This picturesque, white-paneled inn is set in Maine’s premier snowmobiling country. Choose from one of ten rooms in the inn or one of six winterized cabins. Hunt and snowmobile with a guide, and fuel up on-site. The inn partners with the Coburn Summit Riders Snowmobile Club and 201 PowerSports. Enjoy a proper meal and a drink at the inn’s restaurant and pub.

Remote

Carter’s XC Ski, Bethel
For the backwoods experience —think “glamping at a cabin”—check out Carter’s XC Ski, where the family-run and operated establishment manages a series of off-the-grid but well-curated and photo-ready cabins accessible by ski or snowshoe. Rentals, passes, and lessons are also available.

Adventure

Moose Mountain Inn, Greenville
For great package deals, head to central Maine’s Greenville and the Moose Mountain Inn, a hop and a skip from Moosehead, the second largest lake in New England. The inn is a tidy, two-story, motel-like strip with rustic decor. Choose from one of many deals, like two nights’ lodging plus a choice of two activities: a guided hike on snowshoes to a waterfall; a half-day, two-person snowmobile rental (pay extra to make it a guided tour); or a guided ice-fishing trip.

Rugged

New England Outdoor Center (NEOC), Millinocket
The NEOC lodge is situated on Millinocket Lake and faces Maine’s highest peak, Mount Katahdin, making it a perfect base camp for adventure. Choose from a series of winter-ready cabins, whether an eco-build or traditional log. Bring a group, plus your dog (for a $20 fee). There’s also an on-site restaurant and access to cross-country skiing, fat-tire bike, and snowshoe trails as well as ice fishing. If you’re looking to snowmobile, book a package that combines a cabin with rentals.

Valentine’s Day

For you disbelievers, consider this a culturally sanctioned excuse to get away from everyone except your spouse, partner, or special friend, or even by yourself, to eat a good meal (including chocolate-covered strawberries and sparkling wine) and stare at a fire. Here are a few ideas to get you going.

February is for lovers

Visit Kennebunkport’s entire-town celebration of the red and chocolate holiday. Last year, establishments participated in all kinds of ways, from dance parties at bars to spa and hotel packages. Check kennebunkportmainelodging.com for 2023 programming.

Horse-drawn sleigh rides

Several farms throughout the state offer romantic rides in horse-drawn buggies. Check out the Deepwood Farms carriage that leaves from the Bethel Inn or from Goranson Farm in Dresden.

Dog sledding for two

That’s right: Ultimate Dog Sledding Experience offers a dog-sled trek by a snowy lake that ends with a fire, “seating for two,” cookies, and cocoa (and for $135 extra, a charcuterie board).

Romantic dinners

The possibilities are endless if what you’re after is dinner by a fire with a view of ice crystals hanging from eves.

For straight-up Romance with a capital R, book a dinner at the Lovell Inn in Lovell to enjoy a fine meal replete with “soft lighting and an original wood-burning fireplace.”

If you’re after classic fine dining in a picturesque New England village, try Paul’s Steak House in Boothbay Harbor.

Looking for exceptional (and award-winning) local cuisine and contemporary atmosphere? Check out Wolfpeach in Camden.

Dinner on a boat? Go to DiMillo’s, where an old-school red sauce establishment meets the Old Port. DiMillo’s offers a special Valentine’s Day menu and wine list.

Go rustic at the White Barn Inn Restaurant in Kennebunkport, where you can dine in yes, a barn, albeit a well decorated one featuring a picture window.

Saunas

Winter is hard on the body. Daylight hours are scarce, and aside from the lucky few who are skiing daily or weekly, the rest of us are scraping by on our exercise mats and treadmills. The dry heat of heaters and stoves does its own damage. Few things combat these realities like a good sauna.

Destination Health
This infrared sauna in Bar Harbor is a different experience than the traditional wooden room version but is no less effective or enjoyable.

Washington Baths
Portland’s slick contemporary experience for all genders. There’s also a cafe with post-sweat snacks.

Richmond Sauna and B&B
A Richmond B&B that opened in 1976 and offers the rustic, Finnish style experience—wood-fired sauna, hot tubs, and a swimming pool. Note: This is a traditional, clothing-optional situation. Evening sauna is included in a stay.

Driftless Sauna
Based in Saco, this reasonably priced mobile sauna can be rented for the day, the weekend, or an entire week. It’s probably the best thing anyone with a winter birthday could possibly add to their party.

Native Sauna
A luxury mobile sauna experience, choose to rent a 13- or a 20-foot sauna or a wood-fired hot tub, and build onto the experience with Atlantic cedar camp chairs, robes, towels, and even a moveable firepit.

Read More:

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  48 Hours in Cape Elizabeth, South Portland + Scarborough
• 
  4 Unique Winter Weekends
• 
  Where to Cross-Country Ski This Winter
• 
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The post How to Winter in Maine appeared first on The Maine Mag.

You don’t have to be a “hut nut”—or take on the Tour du Mont Blanc—to experience the traditional European-style adventure of hut hiking. Just reserve one of the Maine Huts and Trails’ off-grid eco lodges along the 80-mile trail system in western Maine’s Kingfield/Carrabassett Valley Region. New to the hike-and-stay concept? Spend your whole getaway at one hut and enjoy fat tire biking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. For even more scenery, book three huts and traverse the trails between them. And don’t let the name fool you—these spacious and modern “huts” are equipped with woodstoves, hot showers, bunk beds, and composting toilets. From mid-December until the end of March, full-service days for overnight guests are available Thursday through Saturday and include robust family-style dinners and breakfasts, as well as bagged lunches for the trail.

mainehuts.org

Sleep in a Treehouse

Located on a forested finger of land that rises above the curving Back River tributary in Georgetown, the three minimalist dwellings that comprise Seguin Tree Dwellings—Madawaska, Isle au Haut, and Souhegan (all rentable on Airbnb)—contain expansive windows offering unobstructed views of the water through the conifers, as well as well-appointed amenities one wouldn’t expect to find in the treetops. From chunky jute rugs and L.L.Bean bathrobes to king-sized beds and private, wood-fired cedar hot tubs (one of which is accessible via a Neverland-like rope bridge), the inviting treehouses are perfect for a weekend filled with books, card games, and easy meals prepared in your own mini-kitchenette. Reset at a yoga class during the week in Seguin’s Gathering Space, or arrange a private class during a weekend stay.

seguinmaine.com

Book a Luxury Spa Weekend

With stunning ocean-view rooms, four distinct dining options, and a year-round, outdoor hot tub set above Cape Neddick’s moody cliffs (including a heated pathway to get you there), you don’t have to wait for the summer season to splurge on a visit to Cliff House Maine. In fact, winter’s snowy months might be the optimal time to indulge in the resort’s 9,000-square foot spa, where you can warm up in the circuit of saunas and steam rooms, nourish dry skin with treatments using high-quality organic botanicals, and recharge your system by booking a personal training session or fitness class. Unwind before and after your treatments and sessions in the Seaside Sanctuary, where you’ll find chaise lounge chairs, loose leaf Rishi teas, and sweeping vistas of the Atlantic.

cliffhousemaine.com

Take a Portland Music Tour

Portland is awash with exciting music venues and emerging artists experimenting with new sounds. From the venerable State Theatre, where you’ll find a mix of popular touring indie bands and local folksy favorites, to the intimate jazz bar Blue, to the offbeat favorite Space Gallery, it’s easy to create a show-filled weekend. If you’re visiting during one of the solstices or equinoxes, welcome the new season at the outdoor concert series Vigorous Tenderness, which showcases marginalized voices in classical music and takes place in stunning locations around the greater Portland area. Perhaps the best part about catching a gig (or several) in Portland is indulging in the pre-concert dining and post-concert cocktail options dotting this small yet renowned foodie town. New and exciting spots open year after year, including most recent late-night favorite The Danforth (by the innovative cocktail team behind Death & Co.), which is open nightly until 1AM.

statetheatreportland.com; portcityblue.com; space538.org; @vigorous.tenderness; thedanforth.me

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The post 4 Unique Winter Weekends appeared first on The Maine Mag.

“There’s a sense of freedom when I go up to the mountains. I always feel connected to myself,” says Zachary McCarthy, the 25-year-old founder and executive director of Inclusive Ski Touring. “To be able to go out and give someone that experience for the first time is really something special.”

In early winter of 2021, McCarthy started a casual meet-up group based around ski touring on Mt. Abram. His idea was to create a welcoming and supportive space for people to try out the sport, ask questions, get used to the gear, and meet others who shared similar interests. If someone didn’t have boots or skis, there was usually an extra pair in the community. But what started as a simple idea quickly snowballed into something bigger. That first year, over 200 participants came out to ski. The following summer McCarthy, seeing the potential for growth, organized the group as a nonprofit, bringing on a board of directors and collaborating with the Mt. Abram ski shop to make rentals available. “If someone wants to join, I want them to be able to come out and join,” he says. In the 2022 winter season, nearly 500 participants came through the program.

Ski touring—also referred to as skinning, alpine touring, splitboarding, or backcountry skiing—is a sport where people hike up a mountain and ski down. Skins attached to the waxy bottom of your skis or splitboard (a snowboard that splits into two skis for the uphill, and connects back into one board for the ride down) provide traction on the way up, and special bindings allow for heel mobility when climbing. At the top, you lock your heel into place for the ride down the mountain. The sport comes with significant barriers to entry. Ski touring gear can be expensive and confusing. Very few beginner-friendly spaces exist, and ski touring comes with an intimidating reputation; it’s often portrayed in extreme videos where athletes scale remote peaks and bomb down dramatic and consequential terrain. Misconceptions about what ski touring is—and who can do it—are common. “Skiing outside of resort settings is something attainable for anyone with some downhill skiing experience,” McCarthy writes on the Inclusive Ski Touring website. It is simply, he says, a means to have adventure and activity. And that adventure can be as easy or as aggressive as you want to make it.

A day with Inclusive Ski Touring goes something like this: you show up at Mt. Abram in the early morning. Gear is available for rent, if needed. A guide gives an overview of the day and a quick safety briefing, any questions are answered, and then you’re off. Summiting the mountain via the 1.4-mile alpine ski trail takes 90 minutes, with an elevation gain of a little over 1,000 feet. Gorgeous mountain vistas greet you at the top, and then you lock in your boots and ski back down, only to turn around and do it all again, if you choose. You’re off the beaten trail, away from the hustle of the resort. There’s an element of adventure, and wildness. Every turn is hard-earned.

McCarthy first fell in love with skiing as a child when his family, who lived in Saco, went in on a condo near Sunday River. At first, it was all about the downhill. But when McCarthy was 12 years old, his neighbor on the mountain, Paul LeBlanc, took his son and McCarthy on their first ski touring expedition, skinning up a mountain and skiing back down. “I always looked at what Paul was doing, and thought it was something so special. It was a different level of adventure than what everyone else was doing,” McCarthy says. “Uphill skiing is all about the adventure. To be able to get out, to get away from other people, to explore—it’s magical.”

More than a decade later, McCarthy still appreciates the support he had getting into ski touring. “I was very privileged to have the opportunities to go out and ski growing up, but even so, it was very hard to get into. Without someone else to show me the ropes and get me into the gear, it wouldn’t have been possible,” he says. While working at a ski shop in the winter of 2020/2021, McCarthy started casually tossing out tour invitations on social media—and people started showing up. He quickly saw the potential to pay that support forward to others. “It was halfway through the season when I realized there was something really there,” he says. “I fell in love with sharing it.”

“I haven’t seen anything else that makes it this easy to try this activity in Maine, and I would not do this on my own,” says Hayley SooHoo, who made the trek from Waterville with her partner, Ben Scharadin, to try uphill skiing with Inclusive Ski Touring for the first time in 2022. “It was unintimidating,” says Scharadin. “I came away with a good taste in my mouth. It was approachable, and I’m interested.”

Approachability is a great starting place, but as the organization’s name suggests, inclusivity is the ultimate aim. “The lack of diversity throughout the outdoor industry is a big problem,” says McCarthy. “We can’t change the industry, but we want to play what small part we can.” During the 2022 season, Inclusive Ski Touring ran six programs tailored for and guided by women, and partnered with Outdoor Afro and Mountain Shadow Adventures to support a tour for BIPOC skiers. “I’ve never seen so many people who look like me out skiing,” says Inclusive Ski Touring secretary Bryce Barnes in Ski Together, a short film created last year about the organization. “I don’t think there was one second of the day when I wasn’t smiling ear to ear.” In 2023, Inclusive Ski Touring leaders hope to create even more spaces for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ athletes.

“This program is for everybody,” McCarthy says. Though the program is still in its infancy and runs entirely on volunteer efforts, McCarthy hopes to see it reach sustainability. “What keeps me driving right now? It’s the hope,” he says. “This is a passion project. It’s something I want to grow and share with others. If I can get 15 people on skis next year who weren’t touring before, you can’t put a price tag on that.”

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The post This Nonprofit Fosters a Supportive Space for First-Time Backcountry Skiers appeared first on The Maine Mag.

I see them in the sea fog. Just a few surfers out there, and some bundled up people walking on the gray expanse of wet sand, off-leash dogs running ahead. Everyone’s silhouetted in the silvery mist. It’s mid-March, and the marsh grass along the tidal creeks won’t be summer-green for months in the Kennebunks. Trees are bare, and the salt air is so brisk it feels sharp. Forecasts are for flurries later in the week. And I’m leaning into it all. Mud season is underway—no carpet of snow, but you still need boots and sweaters. The frozen ground is thawing, and the scenery and crowds are spare.

These end-of-winter days are also known as “fake spring,” according to a woman at the White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, whom I meet a few minutes later, just after photographer Peter Frank Edwards and I check in. She’s right: there’s no sign of new leaves and blooms, but I swear the air smells green with the promise of what’s ahead. Besides, it’s perfectly warm by the brick hearth in the inn’s mid-1800s farmhouse, which is within a half-mile of the ocean, and even closer to Dock Square and the Kennebunk River.

I settle into a chair by the fireplace in the steel blue painted parlor where guests gather. I’m still thinking of that monochrome seascape down at the beach. A quieter scene is just what I’d hoped for on this trip, to better immerse myself in the landmark inn’s coziness, and maybe find some head-clearing peacefulness before the buzz of spring and summer.

Renewal Everywhere

The inn itself is likewise in a phase of renewal. During the pandemic, the original portions of the 150-plus-year-old property underwent a comprehensive design renovation, including the addition of Little Barn, a more casual option to the much-lauded, AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Five-Star dining at the White Barn Inn Restaurant.

Reflecting its evolving history as a saltwater farm, Civil War–era boarding house, ice creamery, and eventual inn, the rooflines of the original farmhouse, additions, and two barns meet in an L-shape set back from Beach Avenue. The tall barn was fully renovated into the White Barn Inn Restaurant by 1973, and actually is painted white on the outside (the main inn’s exterior is blue). Tall windows at the front and rear of the barn let in natural light, so you can already get a glimpse inside when walking up. Even the gray day brings light streaming onto massive vases of flowers and a baby grand piano, white-tablecloth-draped tables, and the original wooden floors, beams, and haylofts above. A large chandelier hangs above the entry beside a well-stocked bar. And because everything’s connected, it’s possible to walk from guest rooms upstairs at the inn to the spa, bar, restaurant, and Little Barn—all without going outdoors.

Shortly after we arrive, we’ve got spirit-free libations in hand and executive sous chef Wilson Suliveras stops by our fireside parlor seats with a tray of mini lobster rolls as a preview—each is a lobster bite on toasted brioche topped with caviar, truffle, and the tangy zip of rice vinegar mayonnaise. Originally from Puerto Rico, Suliveras trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and is known to be particularly good at pastas. Now I can’t wait for dinner. We have reservations at the restaurant for the following night. (Since our visit, Mathew Woolf has arrived to helm the kitchen at the White Barn and Little Barn. He moved to Maine from New York City, where he was the executive chef and pastry chef at the Rainbow Room, after beginning his culinary career in London.)

We continue exploring and making ourselves at home in the inn, which has 27 guest rooms, a spa, a pool, and gardens. Interior design firm Jenny Wolf Interiors of New York led the most recent design changes, including new Farrow and Ball paint colors, upholstery and curtains in soft velvets and some plaids, and throws of sheep’s wool. The style is rustic modern, European country estate meets New England. (The inn was recently acquired by Auberge Resorts Collection, which also has resorts in California wine country, the Colorado mountains, and at several Mexico beaches.) Comfort is everywhere at the White Barn, along with interesting details. I’m captivated by the art selections. Vintage and contemporary pieces include historic photographs, large seascape paintings by Frank Handlen of Kennebunkport, and a coastal forest mural on the Little Barn walls by Dean Barger, who has a studio on Mount Desert Island. The dream-like glow of the mural is familiar, and I later learn that I’d seen another of his works on visits to New York City: a Barger mural is behind the bar at the restaurant Le Coucou in SoHo.

Speaking of bars, a bartender is giving a cocktail-making lesson to a couple of guests when I walk past—a concoction with mint leaves and green-tea-infused gin that has everyone smiling and talking giddily. It looks like a good time, and is one of the optional food and drink activities guests can choose from when booking.

By now, it’s late afternoon, and Peter Frank and I have been smelling wonderful aromas from the kitchen since our arrival. We drop our bags in our room, freshen up, and both realize we’d rather stay in for dinner at Little Barn than go out. It’s a tavern-cozy room with soft light on the mural-painted walls and a fireplace at one end. We’re early, and only a few tables are filled, so when a man dining solo nearby says hello, we get to talking and fall into a conversation about travel and food. A corporate executive from Florida, he’s been staying frequently at the inn while checking on the house with guest rooms and a wine cellar that he’s building about a mile away on the oceanfront. He’s ordered the half-chicken, too, and when our orders arrive, we all remark on how perfectly roasted it is, with a bit of crisp to the skin. Peter Frank and I also share a side of turmeric-pickled cauliflower that’s tossed with feta cheese and a campanelle pasta with Bolognese sauce. It’s a terrific first meal, with the bonus of meeting a fellow guest, which makes it more like a small dinner party.

Watching Tides and Waves

Our room is not in the original farmhouse but in one of the White Barn’s newer cottages across the street, perched on a private landing along the Kennebunk River. Soft greens, blues, and sand colors are the palette of the furnishings here, and we leave the blinds open to watch the boats and the river rising and falling with the tides. The inn has stocked the room with snacks and drinks, and there’s wood stacked and ready for the fireplace, which we light after dinner. In the morning a thermos of hot coffee is delivered to the doorstep along with pastries. Breakfasts of made-to-order farm eggs, fruit-oat smoothies, and other specialties are also available in Little Barn. We could relax all morning, but we want to get out and explore.

Near the entrance of the White Barn, we see a group wearing backpacks, and they tell us they’re part of a local walking club nearing the midpoint of a six-mile coastal hike. Their lunch destination is the 60-acre grounds of the St. Anthony Franciscan Monastery on the river side of Beach Avenue, where they plan to unpack a picnic. It’s open to the public, and we’re headed there too, to wander the riverside walking paths and gardens designed by the Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects of the firm founded by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s Central Park. There we see tall evergreens framing the stone buildings and hear a variety of busy birdlife, including chickadees, mallard ducks, geese, and towhees.

The misting fog is setting in again, so we take a drive up Ocean Avenue along the rocky shorefront and stop for the view near the sea spout that splashes high above the rocks in a saltwater plume and again at the Walker’s Point lookout in Kennebunkport (compound of the Bush family). We don’t go far, though, and spend much of the day on a slow tour of the rolling, coast-hugging road to Cape Porpoise and back. In the afternoon, inspired by seasonal menus and the Maine outdoors we’ve been observing, we’re tempted by the “Nurture and Nourish” spa offerings at the White Barn: wraps, soaks, and massage treatments, plus special punch cocktails and treats made with ingredients such as local honey, berries, ginger, and maple syrup.

When it’s time to dine again, we’re headed for a lamplit table in the barn, to experience some of the traditions and flavors that have brought the White Barn so much acclaim. The specialness begins as soon as we sit down and get a close-up view of the rooster sculpture on the table—it’s made completely from fine silver cutlery, a work by French sculptor Gérard Bouvier. Each table is adorned with a similar custom piece. (On other tables are the glimmering forms of other roosters and wild-life, including toucans and crabs.) Chris Bayley, our table’s server, shares that it’s his twenty-ninth year at the White Barn, and he explains that the sculptures have been a guest favorite for decades. From a wine cellar of about 500 bottles, he pops open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne as we settle into the prix fixe menu—guests choose either four courses or a six-course lobster-focused menu. We taste seared scallops arranged with slivers of radish, a creamy butternut squash soup topped with pepitas, and tender tagliatelle pasta with Maine lobster. From a tour of the wine cellar—and a wonderful glass of cabernet franc—to coffees with the S’mores Baked Alaska dessert, it’s a night of indulgence and high service, including a visit from the sous chef, checking in at each table mid-meal.

The next morning, we wake again to Kennebunk views and the sound of gulls. I sense a gentleness outside, another day when the fog rarely lifts. It’s like there’s a hush over the world. Everyone’s awaiting spring—or, like me, reveling in the peace and rejuvenation of these in-between days.

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The post Renovations and Renewal at Kennebunk’s White Barn Inn appeared first on The Maine Mag.

When I mention that I’m about to put on a pair of snowshoes and walk out into the winter for three days, people like to dwell on the danger. It’s true that there are plenty of ways a body can freeze, or suffer harm in the cold. Anyone who’s been in Maine in February knows the precise way the wet Northeast chill cuts through your bones, or how icicles form in your nostrils in the early morning. But what nobody talks about is the peace.

For Mark Lessard, who grew up hunting along the Golden Road with his brother, peace is coming home to a place he used to know. “I’ve forgotten the way it feels to be out here,” he says, though there’s an extra spark in his eyes today, and I can tell he’s starting to remember. For my sister Caitlin, peace comes with a suspension of routine. “The things I’m thinking about on this trip are not the things I think about in the day-to-day,” she says. And she’s right: out in the winter woods, a simplification happens. Instead of, How do I fill my time? the question becomes, How do I care for myself? The answer is kindling a fire, donning a layer, chipping a water hole in the ice, warming boot liners.

For me, it’s the walking that does it. I’ve spent three days packing and planning, second-guessing and packing again, shopping for food, running my hands over the hatchet, the shovel, the first-aid kit, the stove. Everything we need to not die is strapped to our sleds. Once the trailhead is out of sight the hum of snowmobiles along the Golden Road fades, with it goes my unanswered emails, cell phone service, and all the effort it took to get here. The six of us fall quiet. There’s only the rhythmic crunch of snowshoes, the clicking of poles. My breath, a cloud in the icy air. I’m arriving.

We slide through slender birch forests, past lichen-crusted boulders capped with ice. Here, a moose has rubbed his antlers against the bark. There, a crunched spruce branch kicks up citrus on the breeze. Temperature is a familiar struggle: I’m too cold, and then I’m too hot. Cold, hot. I sweat through my shirt, but as soon as I stop to take off a layer, my sweat freezes, and I’m cold again. The snow on the trees brings the sound in close. The world is white, green, gray. It’s the slick red bark of a sapling, the sloping blue-purple ridge of Katahdin.

The land we’re traveling on is the unceded, ancestral territory of the Wabanaki people, the first stewards of the area (who, it feels important to note, have been omitted from the Baxter State Park website). The famed 5,269-foot mountain is sacred to the Penobscot tribe, who named it “Katahdin,” which we translate “Greatest Mountain.” Though every year roughly half of the park’s 60,000 visitors attempt to reach the summit, which marks the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, there are over 40 other peaks and ridges and 215 miles of trails in the park, which were patchworked together through a number of land purchases made by former governor Percival Baxter and donated to the State of Maine in 1931 under the condition that it be kept “forever wild.”

Up until 12,000 years ago, this whole area was buried under a glacier. As the Laurentide ice sheet melted, a boreal forest of spruce and fir grew in its place. A warming climate over the next 8,000 years allowed for the Acadian forest of birch, maple, white pine, hemlock, and balsam that we see today. Back in the present, the sun is dropping behind the mountains, tinting the snow orange. We step carefully across a frozen stream. The trail pitches and rolls gently through the spruces on its way to Kidney Pond, and for one glorious moment I am exactly the right temperature.

We are walking straight toward a snowstorm, and we know it. The meteorologists have been talking about it for days. This is causing a little bit of anxiety in our group, but snow doesn’t bother me. I learned how to live outside in the winter in 2014 when my outdoor mentor, Evan Perkins from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, asked me to guide a ten-day winter backpacking course with him in the sub-zero Adirondacks. Learning by doing—or throwing myself out of the nest and finding my wings on the way down—has always been my trademark style, but on that trip, I knew there would be less margin for error than usual. My parents, sick with worry, slept worse in their cozy home in the city than I did in the pit we dug out of snow and strung a tarp over each night. Those ten days in the frozen wilderness, the temperature often hovered around minus 14 degrees. But I learned much more than survival from Evan; I learned how to thrive, which really just meant paying attention and taking slow, careful time to attend to the little things. If I tucked my extra clothes and a Nalgene full of hot water down into my sleeping bag at night, I would sleep warm. If I kept my lighter in an inside pocket, it would never freeze. If my socks or gloves got wet, I could hike with them against my stomach to dry them out. I stashed granola bars in my pockets and ate them when I was cold or tired. I learned how to read the weather with my body—when my lips felt dry, or when short gusts of wind blew through, it meant a front was rolling in. Evan taught me how to identify trees without their leaves, and how to use the knowledge of which ones grow near water to help with navigation. I did not freeze. I did not die. I learned how to love the winter.

At Kidney Pond, the accommodations are a few notches up from Evan’s tarp in the snow. We’re staying in a rustic cabin lit by gas lamps and heated by a woodstove. Mark has made chicken tikka masala for dinner, and the sauce drips down our chins as we shovel steaming spoonfuls into our mouths, packing in extra calories in anticipation of a cold night. When we go outside to fetch water from the hole we’ve chipped in the pond, the sky has cleared and billions of stars settle over us like a curtain, glittering somehow brighter in the cold air.

After coffee the next morning, we take a Spikeball net out to the middle of the frozen pond and play, diving into the snow after a little yellow ball, until the sky fills with clouds and the storm rips in. It is, as promised, a big one: fat white snow flurries and howling wind. We strap on skis and snowshoes and walk out into the melee until the visibility drops and our cheeks are numb, then we turn and head for shelter. That night, we encounter the most unnerving task of the entire trip: finding the outhouse 40 yards away in the pitch-black during a blizzard. We have to get fully suited up just to pee. The snowdrifts are chest-high. Then we lie on our bunk beds with our eyes squeezed shut, pretending to sleep as cold, powdery snow drifts through the cracks in the log cabin and settles on our faces.

In the morning, the world looks brand-new, coated in two feet of fresh powder. We stoke the fire and make a plan. If the wind dies down, we’ll cut across the pond; if it doesn’t, we’ll stick to the trees and take the long way back to the car. It calms down just before we’re ready to leave. Sun sparkles on snow as we break trail across the frozen water.

Within every season there is an invitation. Summer in Maine is for action, for movement. It’s salty ocean air and warm lake swims, late-day picnics and a sun that doesn’t quit until nine. Fall is for transition, for soaking up the last of the light, for shedding what we no longer need. Spring stirs us, awakens us, promises us warmth again. And then there’s winter.

The wind has picked up again, but we’re across the pond, over the stream. As we reach our last mile, we pause at drama mapped out in the snow: a weasel trail abruptly interrupted by the imprint of owl wingtips. Our cheeks are flushed, and our eyes are bright. A small part of me is looking forward to a hot shower, but most of me wants to stay. I have spent plenty of cold, gray seasons just trying to muddle through, but somewhere along the way I have become a person who deeply, wildly loves the winter. Winter is an invitation to slow down, to sync up with the rhythms of quiet and dark, to go inward. I can cozy up with fellow travelers over a steaming bowl of dinner or walk out into a white, frozen landscape in search of new reserves of resilience. The challenge is always the same: to turn toward it. To open instead of close.

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The post Searching for Winter’s Gifts in Baxter State Park appeared first on The Maine Mag.

A flannel-shirted skier gripping a rope pulled by a white horse carves around markers in the snow and flies over a series of jumps.

“That’s the time to beat, folks,” shouts a man in a cowboy hat over the loudspeakers at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. “I don’t think we’ve seen a sub-25.”

This is skijoring.

When most racers and their horses arrive this morning, the temperature is in the single digits. Some horses are standing outside their trailers in the parking lot, getting acclimated to their surroundings. For animals that haven’t raced before, this may be the first time seeing people on skis or wearing goggles.

Hannah Novaria is riding Kazuki, a tan horse still in its trailer, and will pull her uncle, Bill Poulin. Novaria and Poulin have been racing in the Skijor Skowhegan since its inaugural year in 2019. Just a couple weeks before this race, they finished second in the Topsham Fair Association’s first skijoring event.

Novaria, who grew up and lives in Lisbon, has been riding horses her whole life, but she says nothing compares to skijoring. “I love the thrill of it, the adrenaline rush,” she says. “You get there, and there’s really no care other than to run your course as fast as you possibly can go.”

Typical equestrian events can be competitive and intense, while skijoring is just for fun, Novaria says. It also gives horse riders something to look forward to in the doldrums of winter. And unlike the structured, serious events of dressage and show jumping that Novaria participates in, competitors in skijoring can wear whatever they want—as evidenced by a racer in a red tutu and another in a get-up of metallic gold cape and briefs, tank top, white helmet, reflective ski goggles, gloves, and nothing else.

“As long as you cross the finish line, you’re good,” Novaria says.

The first recorded instance of a person being pulled on ski-like objects happened thousands of years ago in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia, according to Skijoring International, an organization founded in 2012 to promote the sport of equine skijoring. In more recent history, the Sámi people of northern Scandinavia have been harnessing reindeer and riding on Nordic skis for hundreds of years, according to the association.

Equine skijoring reached the United States in the early 1900s, and there are now around 30 racing events held in the United States and Canada each year.

When Skijor Skowhegan held its first race in 2019, it was Maine’s first and New England’s only equine skijoring event. Topsham now has the second.

At the Skowhegan event, horses pull skiers or snowboarders down the 1,000-foot groomed track at up to 30 miles per hour, and racers must navigate a series of gates and—if they’re in the pro division—jumps. Novice and junior novice racers are penalized for missing gates, and pro racers get a five-second penalty for missing a jump or gate. Teams can also earn a half-second deduction off their run time for each of two rings they can grab.

It’s part of the weeklong Somerset SnowFest, a celebration of winter activities in the Skowhegan region organized by Main Street Skowhegan and Lake George Regional Park. Along with skijoring, there is an ice-fishing derby, a kite-flying derby, a downhill kayak race, and a winter triathlon. Hight Family of Dealerships is the festival’s major sponsor, and Baxter Brewing Company sponsors the skijoring event.

The man in the cowboy hat talking over the speakers is Sam Hight, from the family-owned auto dealership group. The master of ceremonies for the event, Hight narrates the action and provides words of encouragement—“DQ, but not DQ in our hearts,” he says after a racer drops the rope on the final three jumps and is disqualified.

Along with the hat, Hight is wearing Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots with spurs. He announces locals he sees in the crowd as if they’re celebrities and then talks to them like they’ve just run into each other at the grocery store.

There are 46 teams competing today, up from 37 the year before and more than double the number of teams in the first year. By the time the pro division begins, the grandstands at the fairgrounds are starting to fill up. Kristina Cannon, executive director of Main Street Skowhegan, says the race has grown significantly since 2019, when around 500 people attended the inaugural event. About 2,000 attendees are here today, including out-of-staters and community members. “It’s something that locals can be proud of,” she says. “We hang our hats on it being one of our coolest events.”

Mary Haley had pitched the idea of the event during her interview with Main Street Skowhegan after seeing the popularity of the sport in Colorado. Haley now contracts with the town revitalization organization to run the event through her company, MXH Marketing. She also helped organize the Topsham skijoring event.

Grace Hilmer, a rider who won the Topsham race three weeks before with skier George Yodice and horse Hildi, first raced in 2021. She recruited her friend and fellow horseback rider Harry Akkerman to join the Topsham and Skowhegan races in 2022. Akkerman says he didn’t anticipate the events being so fun. “When you do that run, it’s like taking some kind of weird drug. You fly by the grandstand, and they just erupt,” he says. “For those 30 seconds, you’re one with the horse.”

2023 Skijor Skowhegan is scheduled for February 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds as part of the Somerset SnowFest, which runs February 18-26. | somersetsnowfest.org

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