Appalachian Mountain Club Maine Woods Trails Supervisor Mike Cooper knows about trails.

The West Bethel, Maine, resident is in his fourth year sharing his trail-building talents and overseeing construction of new trails on the AMC’s Katahdin Iron Works property, where currently some 35 miles of recreational trails are in place, including 15 miles of recently constructed trail, in which Mike had a close hand.

The big project this season is construction of a new hiking and skiing trail designed to connect AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins with Chairback Mountain Camps, a distance of about seven miles. Already this season, the crew has installed five new bridges along the route, which is expected to open this winter.

Mike has plenty of experience in the outdoors, having worked for the Maine Bureau of Public Lands and Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. He also served as a private consultant on the Grafton Loop Trail project. He designed and laid out that 39-mile, multi-day backpacking route, which provides an alternative to the heavily used Appalachian Trail and takes hikers to some high points in the Mahoosucs that offer magnificent views.

Through his trail work on the Katahdin Iron Works property, Mike is helping AMC provide new recreational opportunities and public access to the property while conserving natural resources.

--Rob Burbank