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Volume XXXIII Number 4 Autumn 2010

MATC Barbara Gorrill, memberships PO Box 55 Gray, ME 04039

NONPROFIT ORGPOSTAGE PAIDGRAY MAINE

PERMIT 55

Maine Appalachian Trail Club

Lester reports on seven successful trail projectsAnother great trail crew season

By Lester C KenwayThe Maine Appalachian Trail Club once

again had a successful season repairing andrebuilding problem sections of the AppalachianTrail in Maine. MATC returned to its partnershipwith Student Conservation Association for the2010 season. MTC supported two teams, eachwith one leader, two SCA interns and three ATC-MATC recruited volunteers. Enrollment wasbetter that in past years, weather was mostlygood, and accomplishments were high for thesetwo teams. They worked on seven projects fromBaldpate Mt. to Katahdin. Eighteen weeks werededicated to the trail.

MATC and MCC have collaborated on ATprojects since the mid 1980s. Three MCC teamswere based in Hallowell, and worked on fiveprojects from Baldpate Mt. to Whitecap Mt. Atotal of 30 weeks of crew time was committed tothe projects, funded through the National ParkService – Public Lands Corps program.WORK PROJECTS:

Moody Mountain – Chris Binder andMatt Coughlan

This was an emergency project due to alandslide that had destroyed the original sectionof trail. The crew was able to complete thenecessary work to open the quartermile rerouteand close the old section. Additional work isrecommended to improve the relocation.Work Accomplished:• 61 stone steps

• Cut back brush and blow-downs on ½ mile oftrail

• Cleaned 6 waterbars• Stump removal in reroute

Continued on page 2

Below: Setting Rock on the Moody Mountainreroute. Lester’s report continues on Page 2.

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• 5 ft. retaining wall (3 courses)• 12 ft. retaining wall (2 courses)• 8 ft. wooden plank/ramp• 1 waterbar• 90 ft. side hill benching• 2 step stones• 5 steel rungs & 2 steel banisters• 12 ft. pinned log ramp

Bigelow Mountain – Chris Binder andMatt Coughlan

Bigelow was a successful and productiveproject site. The work site covered a half-milelong section on the southwestern approach toBigelow Mt. Here we built numerous erosion andwater control structures as designated by theoverseer for that section, Richard Fecteau. Wealso cut a small reroute to avoid a muddy seep in

the original trail.Work Accomplished:• 44 Stone steps• 12 Waterbars• 2 Step stones• Cleared 50 ft. switchback reroute• Cut back brush and blow-downs on 1½

miles of trail• Leveled bog bridging and reset all spikes

Nesuntabunt Mountain – ChrisBinder

This project continued work that wasstarted in the mid 1990s. The trail on the southside of Nesuntabunt Mt. suffers from heavyflows of water during rainy times. The projectwas worked on for one week due to briefshortfall in volunteers. The crew finished a setof steps started in 2009, and continued up thetrail with an additional waterbar and steps.This location is recommended for furtherwork.

Work Accomplished:• 20 stone steps• 1 waterbar

The Hunt Trail – Chris BinderThe Crew had a very effective and produc-

tive three weeks working on the Hunt Trail inBaxter State Park. The project began with settingup a rigging system using a tripod and over 200feet of wire rope to transport stone that had beenquarried and left next to the trail. The stone wasused to continue a staircase that had been startedby MTC in 2009. The crew was able to move allof the stone except for two larger ones. Handpoints, a bullset, and rifting hammers were usedto eliminate or disguise rock drill marks on allsteps and edge stones, as well as on many stepsand edge stones installed by previous crews.This project has been ongoing since 1991, and isapproaching completion.Work Accomplished:• 68 stone steps• 1 plated waterbar• 3 step stones

West Peak of Baldpate Mt. – MattCoughlan

This was a most challenging project. Thework site was located southwest from the sum-mit of Baldpate’s West Peak at the top of anongoing half-mile reroute that has been underconstruction since 2003. Poor and thin soils oversloping ledge made for slow work building stonesteps. The progress made this year with bothMTC and MCC crews working on this jobmakes it likely that the relocation will be com-pleted in 2011.Work Accomplished:• 15 Stone steps with 3 layers of edge stones• 10 ft. Retaining wall with 3 courses• 8 ft. Retaining wall with 4 courses• 20 ft. of side hill tread reinforced with crush

West Peak of Whitecap – ChrisBinder

Three weeks on West Peak were very suc-cessful. The crew continued prior years work ofrebuilding the trail. Most of the work occurredbelow last year’s relocation. A smaller amount ofstone step work was done above the relocation.The maintainer for the section of the trail fromGulf Hagas Mountain to the top of West Peakasked for our assistance, so we cleared the trailof blowdowns, cut back brush, blazed a sectionof trail, and cleaned waterbars from SydneyTappan campsite to the top of West Peak.Work Accomplished:• 70 stone steps• Resurfaced 25 feet of trail• 4 plated waterbars• Cleaned 13 waterbars• Cut back brush and blow-downs on 1.5 miles

Continued from page 1

Crew that built stone steps on Katahdin’s Hunt Trail last summer

Trail crew report

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of trail• Blazed trees on last year’s reroute

Old Blue Mt. – Matt CoughlanThe installation of waterbars from South

Arm Road to the summit of Old Blue wassubstantially completed during the 2009 season,the Maine Trail Crew started the process ofhardening the trail with stone steps, beginning atthe South Arm Road.

Stone steps were built up the continuouslysteep slope until the first set of steel rungs wasreached.Work Accomplished• 52 Stone steps• 8 ft. Retaining wall with 3 courses• Cleared brush and overhanging branches from

1 mile of trailTotal work accomplished• Stone Steps (each) 269• Water bars (each) 40• Clean water bars (each) 13• Retaining wall (linear foot) 43• Step Stones (each) 7• Clear trail (miles) 4• Side Hill Bench (linear foot) 110• Bridge/ramp (linear foot) 8• Steel Rungs (each) 5• Steel Handrail (each) 2• Pinned log ramp (linear foot) 12

MCC – Gulf Hagas Rim Trail – An-drea Bachynsky

The MCC crew stabilized a steep slope onthe Rim Trail. The project is located a fewhundred feet west of the Screw Auger Fallsviewing area. Stone Waterbars had been installedduring the 2008 season, so the crew focused onputting in stone steps.Work Accomplished:• 50 Stone steps

MCC – West Peak of Baldpate Mt. –Aaron Mathias

This MCC crew continued building stonesteps on the Relocation project. Steep andshallow soils made the work slow, but the crewpersevered and met expectations. This projectwas continued by the MTC later in the season.Work Accomplished:• 50 Stone steps

MCC – Hay Mountain – AaronMathias

This project was directed at hardening wetsections of trail with step stones, providingdrainage with waterbars and building stone stepson the steeper sections. Much of the trail on theeast side of Hay Mountain was improved. Thecrew was productive and did good work on thishigh mountain trail.Work Accomplished:• 28 Stone steps

• 2 stone waterbars• 89 Step stones

MCC – White Brook Trail towardsWhite Cap Summit – Andrea Bachynsky

This crew worked on some wet areas in theHay Mt. sag, and then built waterbars and stonesteps on the steeper and more vulnerable trail onthe west Ridge of White Cap Mountain.Work Accomplished:• 46 Stone steps• 10 stone waterbars• 25 Step stones

MCC – North Slope of White Cap –Mike Ferry

This crew had the privilege of completing astone staircase started 17 years earlier in 1993.Progress was slowed by dense spruce/fir thick-ets and a lack of good anchor trees for theGriphoist equipment. The crew built more stonesteps, bringing the total to 757 steps with a fewmore installed near the Logan Brook Leanto.

This stone work should provide a stable trailfor many years to come.Work Accomplished:• 52 Stone StepsTotal work accomplished• Stone Steps (each) 226

• Water bars (each) 12• Step Stones (each) 114STAFFING

Recruiting – Holly Sheehan handled thewinter applications, interviews and sign- ups.

Lester initiated advertising to supplement therecruiting done by ATC; Holly utilized therecruiting features of the ATC volunteer databaseand processed applications that were submittedvia the ATC website. Amanda Royce took overwhen she started at Garland in May.

These innovations resulted in more volun-teers joining the crew that we have had in recentyears. We plan to continue or increase this effortin 2011.

Coordinator – Amanda Royce of Randolph,Maine served as Coordinator. Her backgroundincluded having a degree in Recreation Manage-ment and previous jobs programming leisuretime activities at resorts in western states.Amanda’s skills, organization and enthusiasm forthe Maine Trail Crew helped make this one ofour most successful seasons ever. In particular,Amanda developed food planning techniquesthat provided the crews with the foods theywanted, in sufficient quantities and within our

Continued on page 4

Cutting rock Old Blue

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Continued from page 3budget.

Team Leaders –Chris Binder of Ridgefield, Ct, returned for

his second season with the Maine Trail Crew.Chris continued to complete his projects in goodstyle. His crews were productive, and made goodcontributions to the AT.

Matt Coughlan of Randolph, had previousexperience with the US Forest Service, and withMountain Bike Trail construction both in NewEngland and in the West. Matt transferred skillsto the Maine AT very well, and had highlyproductive work sessions as well.SCA Interns

Darren Candello, Lucas Harris, TaylorMcDonnell, and Abby Seymour worked on theMaine Trail Crew for the full season. Theycompleted trail skills training and chainsawtraining and provided valuable skills to thecrews. The Crew Leaders made a point to givethe four interns extensive opportunities to buildtheir trail skills and their experience training andworking with volunteers.MTC StaffChristopher Binder, 42 Standish Drive,

Ridgefield CT 06877 – Crew LeaderMatthew R. Coughlan, 52 Kinderhook Road,

Randolph ME 04346 – Crew LeaderAmanda Royce, 52 Kinderhook Street Apt #2,

Randolph ME 04346 – Camp CoordinatorSCA InternsDarren Candello, 104 South Road, Swanzey NH

03446Lucas Harris, 20 Hammondwood Road, Chestnut

Hill MA 02467Taylor McDonnell, 1275 Spring Oak Way,

Cumming GA 30041Abby Seymour, 42 Westwood Road, West Hart-

ford CT 06117MCC – Gulf Hagas and White BrookAndrea Bachynsky, 8 Honeysuckle Way,

Flenington NJ 08822Ross Kendrick, 34 Spar Circle, Yarmouth ME

04096Nicole Evers, 304 West Main Street, Yarmouth

ME 04096Jessie Turner, 1 Pine Point Road, Bryant Pond

ME 04219Bryan Matsumoto, PO box 548, Temple City CA

91780Elizabeth Detwiler, 220 Franklini

Ave.,Souclerton PA 18964MCC – West Baldpate Mt. and Hay Mt.Aaron Mathias, 7103 South County Road 45,

Carey OH 43316Hans Melhus, 116 Pleasant Street, Norway ME

04268

Chad Aylesworth, 8593 Boniyan Blvd.,Loxahatchee FL 53470

Charlie Ylijoki, 117 Landing Drive, Brewster,MA 02631

Peter Nordby, 125 Hunt Club Lane Apt F,Raleigh NC 27606

Albert M Sotolo, 202 N Avenue 58 Apt #202,Los Angeles CA 90042

MCC – North White Cap Mt.Michael Ferry, 85 Market Street Apt 410, Port-

land ME 04101Sasha Matroianni, 39 Tracy Circle, Amherst MA

01002Shirami Kakdi, 1976 Tait Circle Road, Kettering

OH 45429Rosa Hayes, 680 East Broadway, Haverhill MA

01850Matt Trapeni, 492 Summer Avenue, Reading

MA 01867Roy Kresage, 458 Squantum Road, Jaffrey NH

034524 of 18 (22%) MCC members were from

MaineCrew Volunteers - 26Kendall Annetti, 1121 Garden St., Park Ridge,

IL 60068Matt Bates, 188 New Boston Rd., Hermon, MEJanice Clain, PO Box 89, Levant, ME 04456Hannah Claytor, 1612 Valley Ave., Winchester,

VA 22601Daniel Garatea, 624 Hillside Ave., Rochester,

NY 14610Zack Grabijas, 913 S. Aldine, Park Ridge, IL

60068Nathan Harris, 20 Hammondswood Rd., Chest-

nut Hill, MA 02467Caitlyn Horose, 97 B Munjoy St., Portland, ME

04101Kate McCarty, 97 B Munjoy St., Portland, ME

04101Andrew Pearson, 138 Letchmore Rd.,

Stevenage, UK SG1 3PTCraig Rightmire, 231 Channel Dr., Loudon, TN

37774Will Hunter, 1472 Stillwater Ave., Bangor, ME

04401Steve Foley, 17 School St., Bowdoinham, ME

04008Brad Viles, 259 Main St., Ellsworth, ME 04605Bethany Avera, 103 Sugar Mill Rd., Greer, SC

29650Paul Bernard, 3 Place Halma Grand, Orleans,

FR 45000Joe Coughlan, 52 Kinderhook St., Randolph,

ME 04346Wendy Davis, 33 Clifton Rd., Bristol, RI 02809Paul Hadala, PO Box 127, Gatlinburg, TN

37738Evan Harris, 20 Hammondswood Rd., Chestnut

Hill, MA 02467Sarah Jones, Apartment 5, Camlad House,

forden, Welshpool, Powys SY21 8NZVivian Phillips, 260 Harbor Dr., Bass Harbor,

ME 04653Mazin Rayes, 908 Constellation Dr., Great Falls,

VA 22066Brittany Sheridan, 1815 Marie Peine St,.

Wentzville, MO 63385Kelly Servick, 4310 Laurel Summit Ct., Smyrna,

GA 30082Sue Lussier, 139 Puddledock Rd, Charleston,

ME 0442210 of 26 volunteers (38%) were from Maine

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:Volunteer Enrollment

Recruiting volunteers for the 2010 seasonwent exceptionally well. Many volunteers stayedfor multiple weeks, had great personalities, andwere hard workers. The only real shortfall wastrying to fill slots on the 4th of July short week.Due to lack of volunteers on the short week July5-7 we canceled the Nesuntabunt trip

We had a total of 30 volunteers signed upand on the roster for at least one week. We hadan additional six volunteers who were eitherMATC members or friends of members thatcame for a weekend trip. Of the 30 volunteerssigned up we had eight people drop out; onedrop out was due to the Nesuntabunt trip that gotcancelled. Reasons for canceling includedstarting grad school, having surgery, starting anew job, and someone’s mom passed away. Withvolunteers, interns and a crew leader the averagecrew size was 6 people with as few as 5 and asmany as 8. Our goal was to fill 48 one weekslots and we filled a total of 45 slots.Summary:• 45/48 slots filled – 94%!• 30 volunteers• 8 cancellations• Average Crew Size 6• Maximum Crew size 8• Minimum Crew Size 5• 6 MATC Members volunteered for a weekend

MATC ParticipationOne MATC member, Janice Clain, joined the

MTC for a week, and 15 others helped set upand take down the Basecamp. Six MATC mem-bers joined the teams for pack-ins and a week-end of work. This participation is equivalent towhat we saw in 2009.

VehiclesTwo 5 x 8 cargo trailers continued to provide

good service. We can keep up with the repairs

Continued on page 5

2010 Trail Crew report

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and keep them working well for us.We returned the Dodge Van to service after

not using it for three seasons. We had it cleanedand discovered that it would not start. Afterhaving it towed to a garage, it was determinedthat the fuel pump was not working. After a newfuel pump, the van ran well for about six weeks,and then the problem recurred. It was fixed againafter the end of the season.

Our second van was rented from “Rent aWreck” in Hampden. We had no problems withit, and rental rate was reasonable. We hope toobtain another van from this company nextseason.

Base CampMTC continued to lease space at Jim Bunn’s

sheep farm in Garland. We made some improve-ments:New tarps for the wall tents.2 new food cabinetsNew stainless steel pots for the kitchen and crewsMany new fiberglass handles for the various

hammers and stone tools.With only two crews, we needed to set up only

nine wall tents this year.

Food and ProvisionsThere were no reports of inadequate food

during the season. MTC lived up to its goal offeeding people well.

CommunicationsFairPoint DSL continues to help because it

allows telephone and internet access simulta-neously. Computer communications are muchfaster now. Cell phone service has improved, andpeople can now make calls throughout the facil-ity. The flatbed scanner-copier continues to behelpful.

CONCLUSIONSWith only two crews, and the enrollment of

four SCA interns, we came very close to havingas many volunteers as we planned on. We aver-aged six people per crew per week, which meetsa goal set many years ago. Having several volun-teers stay for more than one week certainlyhelped us keep the crews full.

Having Maine Trail Crew and MCC -PublicLands Corps operating simultaneously, but nottogether has worked well. Each program canoperate independently, and on its own schedule.

One goal of having MATC partner with MCCis to introduce local young people to the trail.

While MCC had fewer Maine residents jointheir crews in 2010, MTC had more, so thatgoal is still being met. More than eight MCCmembers/alumni are currently maintainingsections of trail and two others are serving as aDistrict Overseer and a Director with MATC.

Thanks are due to the Trail Crew Commit-tee, The Maine Conservation Corps, Appala-chian Trail Conservancy, National Park Service,Maine Department of Conservation – Recre-ational Trails, the Maine Outdoor HeritageFund and all the people who worked on thecrews for making this a successful year.

Sincerely,Lester C. KenwayPresidentMaine Appalachian Trail Club

Continued from page 4

Right: MCC trail crew members surveytheir Hay Mountain rock work. Below:

Julian Wiggins and Chris Binderperform the ribbon cutting for the GulfHagas Mountain trail. Technique not

recommended for home use.

2010 Maine Trail CrewReport

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Since MATC entered into a 99-year leaseagreement with the Somerset Woods Trusteesin July, our Base Camp Committee has contin-ued work on this project.

The Committee selected Richard RennerArchitects to help us develop schematic plansfor the buildings and cost estimates that can beused to guide our fundraising campaign.

Several principles have been incorporatedinto this process:• The facility will be designed to accommo-

date the Club’s trail crew, but will alsoinclude flexibility to host other club func-tions when the time comes.

• Buildings will have a rustic and practicalcharacter. Materials will be selected that areboth appealing and reasonable in cost.Durability and ease of care will be priorities.

• Overnight capacity with range from 20 to 30beds will be provided in 3 separate cabins.

• The facility will be suitable for use in coldweather and be easily shut down for periodswhen it will not be in use.

• The club will develop a plan to maximizethe use of the Base Camp within the missionof the MATC.After two meetings with Rick Renner, the

following designs have been proposed:• A 38 ft by 76 ft main building with meeting

room, kitchen, pantry, showers and bath-rooms. The building will benefit from solardesign features and will have a partialbasement for plumbing and heating equip-ment.

• A 34 ft by 60 ft barn/garage with storage,workshop, and gear drying area.

• The two buildings will be connected with abreezeway, allowing trail crews to load andunload vehicles day or night or during badweather.

• Three 30 ft x 40 ft bunkhouses that willsleep 10 people each. One bunkhouse willsleep fewer people and contain quarters forthe crew coordinator.The next step will be to develop cost

estimates for the buildings and the driveway/parking/utilities.

We are beginning to search for afundraising consultant who can help us build asuccessful campaign to raise the money wewill need to bring this idea to reality.

MATC makesTrail Crew basecamp progress

Holly Sheehan accepts on behalf of MATC a grant from the Quimby Family Foundation for helpingto support the CARE committee's work along the AT in Maine. Holly accepted the award check

from Roxanne Quimby as Dick Anderson, a foundation director, looks on.Tony Barrett photo.

MATC lost an exceptional friend and sup-porter with the death of Hal Hanson last sum-mer. Hal was a veteran maintainer, and a longterm director, officer, and overseer.

Hal kept our tools, hosted executive commit-tee meetings, and was a regular at our annualmeetings.

Steve Clark recalls Hal being “deeply in-volved in the relocation of the trail during thelate 1970s and 1980s.” Steve writes, “we willmiss him and his special ‘touch’ that he so oftenbrought to trail activities and his fellow mem-bers. You will be missed, Hal.”

Hal Hanson passed away at his home inFairfield after a brief illness on August 12. Hewas born in Minneapolis, Minnesota April 22,1927, but his family moved to Presque Isleshortly afterwards, where his father was managerof the State Agricultural Experiment Station. Heserved in World War II and Korea, and graduatedfrom the University of Maine in 1950. He retiredfrom Maine Biological Laboratories in Winslowin 1992.

MATC loses a good friend with the death of Hal HansonSurviving are his wife Bea, also a long time

MATC worker and supporter, and two sons,Bruce and Don Hanson.

Keep those scenic overlooks openA reminder to maintainers. Keep those

scenic overlooks free of obstructing brush andsaplings. And keep an eye out for opportunitiesto create new views of the scenic attractionsoffered by the Maine trail.

That was the message at the Novembermeeting of the MATC executive committee.

Vice President Tony Barrett brought up thematter. Overseer of lands, Dave Field, did aquick search of the management plan and re-ported that opening vistas are not only allowed,but are recommended as an important part ofgood trail maintenance.

The issue is especially important now thatthe trail region is being eyed again as primelocations for industrial wind development.

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I received trip reports this past season from29 maintainers who turned in 2080 volunteerhours. A total of 83 individuals worked on 84trips in the district this past year.

Highlights include;We were fortunate to have had Piazza Rock

caretaker David Gantz on site this past season.David was an A.T. thru-hiker, as well as havinghiked the Long Trail in VT and the Pacific CrestTrail on the west coast. David was very effectiveas a caretaker and ridge runner in the area, plusbeing a friendly and helpful host to many hikers.

About 160 feet of bog bridging was replacedalong the trail near Eddy Pond last June. Theprecut cedar planks were hauled in to the site bylocal ATV club members under the direction ofAmericorp volunteer Ben Godsoe and installedin one afternoon by MATC volunteers.

As reported in the previous Mainetainer, anew moldering privy was installed at theSpaulding shelter with the help of the CampTeki boys.

The Sugarloaf side trail, along with the 2.3mile section from the Caribou Valley Road to thejunction with the Sugarloaf side trail was as-signed to the Carrabassett Valley OutdoorAssociation under the direction of PaulTrueworthy.

An untended fire at a bootleg campsitebetween the Summits of North and SouthCrocker caused a visit from a district fire ranger.Ridgerunner David Gantz called for rangerbackup after he was unable to put out the firewith water alone. The fire had burned under-ground and had to be dug out.

Untended fires were also found several timesagain this season by caretaker Geoff Shadman atthe Cranberry Stream Campsite and a bootlegsite near the junction of the Range Trail. It isillegal to build campfires anywhere in Maineexcept at Forest Service approved sites.

The Maine Trail Crew and MATC volunteersworked for 3 weeks last June under the directionof Lester Kenway to install waterbars and stonesteps on the AT between Cranberry Stream andthe Range Trail.

Geoff Shadman returned as Horns Pondcaretaker this past season. In addition to hisnumerous caretaking duties he did extensiveridgerunning and kept all the privies along theAT in the Bigelows clean on a weekly basis.Geoff was the sole caretaker at this site whichwas a departure from past seasons when MATCin partnership with the Maine Bureau of Parksand Lands funded two caretakers at the HornsPond site.

Geoff is also the volunteer campsite main-tainer for the Horns Pond area and maintains the

83 volunteers devote 2,080 hours to Bigelow DistrictBy Dick Fecteau AT section from the Range trail to the summit of

South Horn. This section is 2.7 miles long withan elevation gain of 1600'. Geoff used his offduty time to do extensive rock work along histrail section in addition to clipping and blazing.It is a pleasure to see the 27 waterbars and 176steps he expertly installed this past season.

The Camp Teki girls built a new campsite onFlagstaff Lake as mentioned in the previousMaintainer.

On Sept. 7, 2010 the MATC exec committeeapproved accepting the old Firewarden’s trailfrom the Rapid Stream Valley to the summit ofMt. Abraham as an official blue blazed side trailto the AT. This land now belongs to the State andsome trail reconstruction money has been pro-vided by the Land for Maine Future. The Bureauof Parks and Lands will manage the propertymostly as an ecological reserve and will hire aprivate contractor to build stone waterbars andsteps as needed along the entire 4 mile section oftrail.

When completed, the trail will be assignedby MATC to the Maine Chapter of AMC whocurrently partners with the Bates Outing Club onthis trail. Volunteers have already clearedblowdowns, cut brush and painted blazes on theupper 2.7 miles of trail. The lower 1.3 miles oftrail require about 1/3 mile of relocation alongwith blowdown removal, brushing and blazing

which will be done the lastweekend of October.

A new campsite near theold Firewarden’s cabin at thebase of Mt. Abraham isplanned for construction nextsummer along with a newprivy. This will likely beanother Camp Teki serviceproject.

Have a great winter,Richard FecteauBigelow District OverseerFarmington, Me.207-778-0870rfecteau@midmaine.com

Left: Bigelow Range fromCranberry Peak. Horns

Pond, center foreground.

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By Laura FlightWelcome to Part III of the Chairback Gap

lean-to saga. Many of you read about last year’stwo trips to the lean-to to level the structure,replace the front logs, and replace the bunk floor.

This year we did one work trip from Septem-ber 9-11 to replace the roof. The roof lackedmany of the properties and functions associatedwith what the name might imply; specifically itdid not adequately protect the building (in thiscase one of a 3-sided variety) and its contents (inthis case thru-hikers) from outside elements.

At some point in the last 50 years there musthave been a fierce storm with grapefruit-sizedhail that was responsible for the resulting holes inthe overhanging portion of the roof. And abreadbox-sized patch on the main roof spelled thestory of a tree limb jousting through.

A combination of 7 MATC volunteers and 8volunteers from “Hard Core” thru hikers workedto complete this project September 9-11.

Special thanks goes to Paul Renaud whoorganized the “Trails End Festival” in Millinocketthat weekend. He not only recruited 7 of thisyear’s thru-hikers to help with the campsiteproject as part of “Hard Core,” but also trans-ported them from the trail, to the work site,worked with everyone, then got hikers back to thetrail, and fed them, the latter of which is not a feat

to underestimate!On Thursday, Lester Kenway, Adi Levy (a

young man from Israel!), and Laura Flight hikedinto the lean-to armed to remove the existingroof. A late start prompted a late finish (read:headlamps required for the hike out), but stub-born nails were extracted and the old roofingsheets were removed.

As a nice gesture to possible campers thatevening and the next, a tarp was fitted over thestructure to provide some shelter from possibleshowers, and it likely also provided a lovelythwapping noise in the wind (as only tarps cando) to lull tired hikers to sleep.

On Friday, the thru-hikers helped the otherMATC volunteers (Bruce Grant and his brotherGary had now joined the crew) carry in theroofing materials as well as many of the toolsneeded to install the new roof. Many hands doindeed make light work!

Each of the sheets of roofing was curled to ahalf-tube shape with ropes, inverted over theheads of a pair of volunteers (see picture), andhiked the 2.5 miles into the site. If you have neverhad tunnel vision, get on the back-end of thisparade for a taste. Special care was required tolower the sheets down over the “cliffs” the traildescends about 0.1 miles south of the lean-to.Marring a corner or edge of a sheet would earn

2010 thru hikers help reroof Chairback Gap lean-toyou leers from Lester and a more difficult task ofinstallation to prevent leaks.

Arrival at the site proved only to be half ofthe load for the day. The new roofing materialwas stacked, a quick lunch was consumed in thecool, drizzly weather, and then the old roofingmaterial was bundled for a trip out of the woods.

However its condition was not of concern, sotime was spent folding, bending, stomping on,and otherwise configuring the sheets into moremanageable items to portage 2.5 miles throughthe woods. Later that evening, Lester, Adi, andLaura used an estimated 134 bungee cords toaffix the materials to the top of Lester’s truck;Red Green would be proud!

Continued on facing pageBelow, right, and facing page: Volunteersreplace roof on Chairback Gap Lean-to. LauraFlight photos.

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Maintainer NeededKennebec DistrictSummit of Pleasant Pond Mountain toBoise Cascade RoadWe have a vacancy for this maintainer

position for this 1.7 mile section of the AT nearPleasant Pond and Caratunk. Don S. Parker isstepping down after 10 years of excellent main-tenance to lessen his carbon footprint by work-ing on trails nearer to his Steep Falls home.

This assignment includes the .1 side trail tothe Pleasant Pond lean-to and responsibility formaintaining the lean-to as well.

Please contact:Peter RoderickKennebec District Overseer293-2704roderick1027@fairpoint.net

Saturday Lester, Adi, and I hiked back intothe lean-to and installed the new roof. JulianWiggans and Kate Locke joined the three of us.We first had to build “staging” in order to reachthe front of the roof. Miscellaneous trees,boards, rope, and spikes were used to accom-plish this task. Upon completion and initialtesting, it was OSHA certified for 1 individual of250 pounds or less, unless said person waswithin 12 inches of an end, when 2 individualswere required, the second providing the counter-weights on the opposite end.

The roofing went on well, and the five of usall developed into roles as we worked throughthe first sheet. Lester was the master of ceremo-nies, ensuring each sheet was squarely placedand properly aligned. I was responsible forpredrilling holes for the nails since the roofingmaterial, especially where the sheets overlapped,proved to bend any common nail we had at-tempted to hammer a pilot hole with. Adi spentmost of the day lying on his stomach, headtowards the ground and toes clinging to theridgepole. In this position he was able to securethe upper nails without blemishing the shinynew sheets. Kate had the magic touch to poundin each nail just so the roofing material wasdimpled, but not so much that the nail headwould pop off. Julian earned the title “AdvancedNail Guider Technician” to ensure the roofingnails went into the actual purlins. He was ulti-mately at the mercy of me since my pilot holedictated the nail location (it’s all in the angle).He graciously extracted numerous nails thatinitially did not find a home in a purlin.

All in all, a job well done. Thank you to allof the volunteers who made this trip a success!

Continued from facing page

Eliza Townsend, Commissioner of the MaineDepaartment of Conservation, is in the processof producing a map to serve as an introduction toMaine public lands and is looking for photos.

She writes, “Specifically I am looking forphotos of the public lands, and since the Appala-chian Trail crosses so many of our properties, Ithought you folks might have photos from theproperties it crosses: the Mahoosucs PL,Bigelow Preserve, Katahdin Iron Works PL,Sebois PL and Nahmakanta.

“We are looking for the mix of photos thatdemonstrate how wonderful these places are, inall seasons. Scenic vistas, people recreating,animals, plants, human imprint in the form of

trails, structures, etc.“Please forward your images of public lands

along or near the AT to Mackenzi Keliher at theDept. of Conservation.

“Mackenzi and I would really like to com-plete this project before we leave DOC at theend of the year, so time is short. Any help youcan give will be gratefully accepted.

‘Thanks so much.”Eliza TownsendCommissionerDepartment of ConservationSHS #22Augusta, ME 04333287-4901

Photos needed to introduce people toMaine’s public lands

Roofing replacement project

MAINEtainer Page 10

Editor’s note: The following is an articlethat first appeared in AT Journeys thisfall.

Base Camp for the RuggedOn June 18, 1935, Maine native and A.T.

visionary, Myron Avery founded the MaineAppalachian Trail Club (MATC). This pastsummer, during a celebration of the clubs 75thbirthday in Skowhegan, Maine, Governor JohnBaldacci declared that June 19 was “MaineAppalachian Trail Club Day.”

MATC marked their anniversary with aunique conservation partnership with one ofMaine’s oldest land trusts, the Somerset WoodsTrustees (SWT). A long-term lease was signed,which secures a 60-acre site to build a home forthe club’s rugged Maine Trail Crew. SomersetWoods Trustees is providing this land initially atno cost. This cooperative arrangement with theMaine Appalachian Trail Club complements themission of both nonprofit organizations.

THE NEW BASE CAMP PROPERTY iscentrally located within the state in abeautiful grove of huge white pines —

with major highways nearby. Crew members caneasily walk to downtown Skowhegan, theSomerset County seat.

Maine Trail Crew members work and hikeinto some of the wildest places left in the East-ern United States. Projects focus on rebuildingand restoring heavily impacted sections of theAppalachian Trail.

Crews utilize rigging equipment, rock drills,and hand tools to build stone steps, waterbars,and retaining walls to repair the Trail. Theirwork supplements the regular Trail maintenancelabor carried out by the hundreds of MATCvolunteers.

The envisioned base camp will serve as atraining site, equipment depot, and living quar-ters for crew members and other volunteers ondays that they are not working at backcountryTrail locations.

CURRENTLY, crews live in tents on anabandoned sheep farm which, whilerustic, is not very comfortable, nor

conveniently located to the entire Trail. Al-though land was available adjacent to the A.T.,such a location would not be efficient for access-ing the 267 miles of Trail other than near thatlocation.

“The Trustees are very pleased to be enteringthis partnership with a like-minded conservationorganization like MATC. This Trail Crew baseand training facility will result in improvedaccess and more sustainable trails on our proper-

Maine Trail Crew memberswork and hike into someof the wildest places left

in the eastern United States.

ties as well as provide economic developmentfor the town of Skowhegan,” said SWT presi-dent Jack Gibson.

“We envision that an environmentally-friendly, low-impact facility will be built on asmall portion of the land,” said Lester Kenway,MATC president. “The remaining land will beused for chainsaw safety and Trail constructiontraining. We feel that this SWT land is an idealsetting for MATC’s Trail conservation andmaintenance mission.”

Kenway expects that other outdoor, youth,and community-outreach programs will use thefacility as well, and the club plans to commencea Capital Campaign this year to raise the neces-sary funds for construction.

Here’s ATC take on our proposed Skowhegan base camp

MAINEtainer Page 11

Bates Builds Bog Bridges on Bemis. As part of a year-long celebrationof its 90th anniversary, the Bates Outing Club ran a joint student/alumni

work trip to its assigned section of the AT on the north side of BemisMountain in October. Photos by Ken Spalding (Bates ’73, tripcoordinator and co-chair BOC 90th Anniversary Celebration).

MAINEtainer Page 12

is the newsletter of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Opinionsexpressed herein do not necessarily reflects the views of MATC, itsmembers, officers, or directors. The Mainetainer is published fivetimes a year. Our mission as a club is to construct, maintain, andprotect the section of the Appalachian Trail extending from Katahdinto Route 26 in Grafton Notch, and those side trails, campsites, andshelters accepted for maintenance by the club. We seek to makeaccessible for hiking the wild region of Maine through which thetrail passes. The Mainetainer welcomes letters, feedback, andinformation from members and friends of the trail. Send your com-ments, photos, and information to:

Bob Cummings616 Main Road

Phippsburg, Maine 04562drummore@gmail.com

PRESIDENT: Lester Kenway, 15Westwood Rd.,. Bangor, 04401-8087, 207-947-2723(h),745-8826(cell)trailser@myfairpoint.net

VICE PRESIDENT, Tony Barrett,185 Long Pt. Rd, Harpswell04079, 833-0939,abarrett@suscom-maine.net

SECRETARY: Janice Clain, PO Box89, Levant, 04456,884-8237, jclain@aol.com

TREASURER: Elsa Sanborn, POBox 8087. Bangor, 04402-8087,947-2723, ejask@myfairpoint.net

CORRESPONDING SECRE-TARY: Phil Pepin, 60 Main St.,Bradford 04410-3326.philpepin@infionline.net

OVERSEER OF LANDS: David B.Field, 191 Emerson Mill Rd.,Hampden, 04444, 862-3674,852-7644(c),meeser3@roadrunner.com

OVERSEERS OF TRAILKATAHDIN DISTRICT: Rick Ste.

Croix, 17 Kenneth St., Augusta,04330, 621-1791,ricknrachel@local.net

WHITECAP DISTRICT: JulianWiggins, 79 Bennoch, Rd, Orono,04473, 975-2011,julianwiggins@gmail.com

KENNEBEC DISTRICT: PeterRoderick ,1027 Watson PondRoad, Rome, ME 04963,293-2704,Roderick1027@fairpoint.net

BIGELOW DISTRICT: RichardFecteau, 284 Ramsdell Rd.,Farmington, 04938, 778-0870,rfecteau@midmaine.com

MATC Executive CommitteeBALDPATE DISTRICT: Tom Gorrill,

27 Wildwood Ln., Gray, Maine04039, 657-4249(h), 657-6910(w),tgorrill@maine.rr.com

ATC New England Office, KelloggConservation Center. PO Box 264,South Egremont, MA 01258, 62Undermountain Road, GreatBarrington, MA., 01230 413-528-8002

DIRECTORSDennis Andrews, 87 Gage St Apt 3,

Augusta, ME 04330-6451, 215-7005, bostondork@roadrunner.com

Bob Cummings, 616 Main Rd.,Phippsburg, 04562, 443-2925,drummore@gmail.com

William Eddy: PO Box 1011Rangeley,04970-1011, 864-5782,eddy52@myfairpoint.net

Steve Gaffney, 161 Bob Road,Vassalboro 04989, 624-6088 (w),soggycarhartts@hotmail.com

Bruce Grant, 396 Board Eddy Rd.,Dover-Foxcroft, 04426, 564-3098,343-0918(c)brucegme@localnet.com

Willard Millis (Bill), 421 Azalea Lane,Sidney, 04330, 465-7038,mbm@airolink.net

Craig Dickstein, Box 128, Caratunk,04925-0207, 672-4983,craig.donna@wildblue.net

Donald Stack, 11 Patten Farm Road,Buxton, 04093, 929-5773, 749-0370(c), 883-8155(w),Donstack@sacoriver.net

CLUB COORDINATOR, HollySheehan, 231 Maine Ave. Portland,04103, 615-5794, backup phone,400-6352, matc@gwi.net

Invite a friend to join MATCPlease check the membership category and the

amount of contribution you wish to make.

Individual ($15) ____ Family ($20)____ Organization ($25) ____

Additional Contribution __________________

Name ___________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________

Town ______________________________ State________ Zip _____

Telephone ___________________ Email ______________________(both optional)

Family member names for membership cards

_____________________________________________________________________________

Check activities of special interest:

Trail Maintenance ___, committee work___, Other:

________________________________________________________

Send form or just a note with your dues or contributionto:

Barbara Gorrill, MATC,PO Box 55, Gray, ME 04039-211

Heavy rain did little to deter the participants of the 2010 ATC/MATCPartnership Hike from walking along the relocated AT along the Easternshore of Flagstaff Lake. Two ATC (Hawk Metheny & Matt Stevens), six clubmembers (Lester Kenway, Elsa Sanborn, Peter Roderick, Tony Barrett,Bruce Grant, Geoff Shadman & Holly Sheehan) and seven partnerrepresentatives (Wolfe Tone-TPL, Steve Swatling-BPL’s Bigelow PreserveManager., Rex Turner - Department of Conservation, Carol Leone - Teens toTrails, Sara Knowles - Maine Conservation Corps & Dave Herring - MaineHuts & Trails) all weathered heavy showers to walk a 3-mile loop along theshore of Flagstaff Lake. Hike leaders were Lester Kenway and SteveSwatling. Tony Barrett photo.