Self-guided, Maine Woods camp-to-camp skiing and White Mountain lodge-to-hut snowshoeing and skiing itineraries offer unique experiences for enthusiasts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2007

Experienced outdoor adventurers this winter can take advantage of two unique, self-guided backcountry itineraries offered by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) in the Maine Woods and White Mountains of New Hampshire. The first excursion takes intermediate and advanced cross-country skiers deep into the Maine Woods for a trek between AMC’s full-service lodges, Little Lyford Pond Camps and Medawisla Wilderness Camps. In the White Mountains, AMC’s lodge-to-hut ski or snowshoe experience is another option for a less-remote, backcountry trip with just as much history. New this winter at the huts, every Saturday night AMC experts will offer informal evening talks and programs on backcountry safety, trails, and local natural and cultural history.

Other options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to build on their winter skills include workshops such as Wilderness First Aid, Introduction to Winter Mountaineering, Introduction to Ice Climbing, and Avalanche Safety.

Modeled after AMC’s hut-to-hut hiking in New Hampshire, AMC’s self-guided camp-to-camp tour for intermediate and advanced backcountry skiers reflects AMC’s vision to create new, multi-day recreational opportunities in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region. Lodging, meals, and gear shuttling are all included, making it possible to travel relatively light and combine a genuine backcountry experience with traditional Maine sporting camp hospitality after a long day on the trails. Each sporting camp features private cabins heated by wood stoves and freshly prepared meals in comfortable lodges.

The three-night, Maine Winter Adventure itinerary starts at AMC’s Medawisla Wilderness Camps, perched on the shores of Second Roach Pond with access to 30 miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails. For the second leg of the trip, AMC is partnering with West Branch Pond Camps. One ski route includes a nine-mile trip around Shaw Mountain, with scenic views of the Spencer Mountains, Mt. Katahdin, and White Cap Mountain – one of the highest in Maine. The second route traverses frozen Trout Pond and Fourth Roach Pond. The most remote, narrow stretch of trail awaits the next day, while skiing down the Pleasant River Valley and past views of Baker, Hay, Gulf Hagas, and Indian Mountains en route to AMC’s Little Lyford Pond Camps, located about nine miles away. Along the Pleasant River, the chance of seeing river otter, marten, and other winter wildlife increases. Spend the final evening relaxing in the camp’s sauna before skiing six to eight miles the next morning to conclude the trip.

A five-day, camp-to-camp dog sledding adventure with a professional guide is another way to experience the wintry landscape of the Maine Woods. The Camp-to-Camp Mushing Tour, offered January 29-February 3, is available through the Mahoosuc Guide Service.

AMC’s White Mountain Huts offer a mix of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing adventures for a winter overnight in the backcountry, and the huts are easily combined with AMC’s two frontcountry lodges, Highland Lodge and Joe Dodge Lodge. Lodge-to-hut itineraries offer the benefit of lodge amenities and freshly prepared meals on either side of a backcountry trip, plus access to weather reports, trail conditions, and other resources from AMC staff before heading out. The lodges are open year-round, and three of the huts, which are part of AMC’s nearly 120 year-old hut network, remain open to backcountry adventurers on a self-service basis all winter. Free evening talks and programs with an AMC expert on Saturday nights are new this winter, and the hut rate is just $27 per person/night, plus taxes, for AMC members ($30 non-members).

Backcountry adventurers not only have a choice of three huts and whether to ski or snowshoe, but there are also numerous routes. Zealand Falls Hut is the most accessible to cross-country skiers and offers easier and more challenging routes with steep and unbroken sections. Lonesome Lake Hut features lightly used and longer routes for both skiing and snowshoeing, including a stretch of the Appalachian Trail. With good snow depth, an easier snowshoe route doubles as a cross-country ski trail for advanced backcountry skiers with climbing skins. Carter Notch Hut is best known as a snowshoeing destination, with both intermediate to advanced options and less-traveled trails with difficult conditions. Challenging, more rugged tours are the draw for cross-country skiers. Backcountry alpine skiing runs near the huts add to the possibilities.

Winter outdoor skills are critically important to self-guided backcountry adventures, and AMC is offering numerous expert-led training programs as part of its AMC Outdoor Explorations. Based at AMC’s White Mountain lodges, Highland Lodge and Joe Dodge Lodge, skills training opportunities this winter will include Introduction to Winter Mountaineering, Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, Introduction to Mountaineering and Ice School, National Ski Patrol Level 1 Avalanche Course, and Introduction to Ice Climbing. All of these multi-day programs require advanced registration and are fee-based.

AMC's New Hampshire chapter is once again hosting its annual, volunteer-led Winter Workshops at AMC’s Cardigan Lodge in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire on January 11-13 and February 22-24. Both workshops offer instruction on every aspect of winter backcountry travel and safety, including essential gear and how to use it, clothing, route planning and navigation, and planning for the unexpected. Both weekends combine instruction, field exercises, lectures, and group discussions with extensive time outdoors.

For additional details about AMC winter outdoor adventure experiences, visit AMC’s Winter Planning Guide at www.outdoors.org/winterguide.

Rates and Reservations:
For rates and reservations, call 603-466-2727. Space is subject to availability for all packages. All AMC programs and destinations are open to AMC members and non-members, with additional discounts available to members. Membership is $75 for families and $50 for individuals. Specific package deals must be mentioned when booking, and packages cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.

Maine Winter Adventure package
AMC’s three-night, camp-to-camp Maine Winter Adventure package is $375 per person for AMC members ($405 for non-members), plus taxes. It includes one-night’s lodging at Medawisla Wilderness Camps, West Branch Pond Camps, and Little Lyford Pond Camps in a private cabin, all meals, and shuttling of overnight gear between lodges. The package is available February 1-March 31. Personal transportation is available for an additional cost through a local partnership with Northwoods Outfitters. The cost of the shuttle is $65/per person roundtrip and includes transportation to Medawisla from parking in Greenville and pickup following the ski out from Little Lyford. Northwoods also rents backcountry ski equipment.

Maine Camp-to-Camp Mushing Tour
Led by the experienced guides at Mahoosuc Guide Service, this package combines four nights’ lodging at AMC's Little Lyford Pond Camps and Medawisla Wilderness Camps, plus West Branch Pond Camps, with five days of mushing. The tour will be offered January 29-February 3, and the rate is $1600/person. For reservations, call Mahoosuc Guide Service at 207-824-2073.

AMC’s White Mountain Winter Huts
The self-service rate at AMC’s three winter huts is $27 per person/night, plus taxes, for AMC members ($30 non-members). During the self-service winter season, guests are responsible for bringing and preparing their own food, as well as providing their sleeping bags, toiletries, and towels. For lodge-to-hut itineraries, rates at Highland Lodge start at $67/person per night, plus taxes, for AMC members ($81 for non-members). Rates at Joe Dodge Lodge start at $58/person per night, plus taxes, for AMC members ($64 for non-members). Rates include room with shared bath, dinner, and breakfast.

AMC Outdoor Explorations Skills Training
Advance registration is required and fees vary. For a full schedule, visit www.outdoors.org/winterguide.

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.