The Best of Maine

AMC Outdoors, January/February 2007

Hidden water, secluded vistas, and snowbound trails far off the beaten path. AMC’s 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works property, the cornerstone of its Maine Woods Initiative, is your gateway to fourseason adventure. What are you waiting for? Get Lost.

PADDLING
HIDDEN WATER

In the Know: Hunting for a remote vacation spot in 1961, Frank LeRoy dug out a map of Maine and looked for the largest roadless area he could find. His finger landed on the 100-Mile Wilderness region near Chesuncook Lake, a 22-mile-long body of water known for its unpredictable chop and  can’t-get-there-from-here isolation—Maine’s third largest lake is still best approached by float plane. LeRoy’s dead reckoning proved dead on. Chesuncook and its tributaries became a favorite destination for LeRoy and his family. “Every vacation was right back to Chesuncook,” says son Bob LeRoy, who spent his summers paddling the archipelago of ponds, rivers, and streams that dot the North Maine Woods. “I call this home.” The hook was set. Thirty years later the same landscape that enchanted generations of sportsmen drew LeRoy back for good. First as a sporting camp owner—LeRoy ran both Medawisla Wilderness Camps and Little Lyford Pond Camps—and recently as land stewardship manager for AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative. “I haven’t been anywhere that has so many possibilities.”

On the Ground: Chesuncook’s north-south axis puts boaters at the mercy of the prevailing winds for a serious open-water experience. Whitewater enthusiasts are within striking distance of the bumpy Allagash and Piscataquis rivers and Gulf Hagas, a 400-foot Class V gorge carved by the West Branch of the Pleasant River. But the region’s cache of hidden water is the real draw. Hundreds of pristine bodies of water shimmer the landscape. LeRoy counts 17 ponds on AMC’s 37,000-acre Katahdin Iron Works property, nine around Little Lyford Pond Camps alone. “With a canoe on every one,” he adds. But the real “magic,” he says, can be found on nearby Long Pond. There, paddlers can soak up mountain views of the Barren-Chairback Range and bed down at a primitive campsite in the narrows of the 3.5-mile-long pond. North of the property, the Roach River Drainage presents more quiet water opportunities. Named after a French missionary who spent time in the Maine woods, the six eponymous ponds number one through seven—“they lost fifth some place,” says LeRoy—and accommodate paddlers of all levels. The jewel is Second Roach, a 3.5-mile-long pond that serves as a backdrop to AMC’s Medawisla Wilderness Camps. Using Medawisla as their base, paddlers can access low deadwater areas teeming with wildlife (and birders working on life lists) or portage to the surrounding cluster of Roach ponds on multi-day excursions.

Beta: AMC River Guide, 3rd Edition (AMC Books); Quiet Water Maine, 2nd Edition (AMC Books); Medawisla Wilderness Camps

SKIING
NORDIC NIRVANA

In the Know: One hundred and thirteen miles of unplowed logging roads thread the KIW property in winter, a Nordic nirvana for skiers with mileage on the brain. “But we have a lot of guests who aren’t interested in trails,” says Bob LeRoy. “They come up, put on their big backcountry skis, and explore.” LeRoy prefers off-trail travel in winter, when an annual total snowfall of 100 inches blankets Maine’s North Woods. “I like to ski where I’m not going to see a person,” he says. Which shouldn’t be a problem on AMC’s backcountry trails network where “grooming” often means breaking trail on snowshoes. The region’s stash of lakes and ponds further expand the winter backcountry options. “When they get windblown, the surface snow gets packed down hard,” says Mike Boutin, owner of Greenville’s Northwoods Outfitters. “There are endless opportunities to explore their perimeters.”

On the Ground: Options have traditionally been few for overnight ski adventures in Maine. Apart from Baxter State Park’s winter bunkhouses, it was “Medawisla or nothing,” says Steve Spencer, who works in Maine’s Department of Conservation. Spencer is referring to Medawisla Wilderness Camps’ 18 miles of cross-country trails and extensive backcountry network. Seven years ago Medawisla began camp-to-camp ski touring, guiding skiers down to West Branch Pond Camps at the base of 3,644-foot White Cap Mountain. And from there down the Pleasant River valley to Little Lyford Pond Camps where today a home-cooked meal and sauna await. With AMC’s recent acquisition of Medawisla and Chairback Camps (open on a limited basis in 2007) the club has begun laying the groundwork for the most extensive camp-to-camp skiing network east of the Mississippi. “The idea of skiing with light packs, staying in a rustic camp with food awaiting you is pretty appealing,” says Spencer, one of Medawisla’s frequent winter visitors. “You get to focus on your skiing experience and less on the housekeeping of camping.” But the ski experience is only part of the appeal, says Shannon LeRoy, AMC’s camps and programs manager in Maine. “Often you can’t see out the windows of the cabins because snow comes off the roofs and igloos the camps,” says LeRoy. “You actually have to dig in to get to the doorway. It makes you feel snug and warm once you get inside.”

Beta: Medawisla Wilderness Camps; Little Lyford Pond Camps