It’s winter in Maine. For some, that means hunkering down by the fire. But for others, it means getting outside and enjoying the snow and the crisp, fresh air. ENCorps member, Don Nodine, is one such fellow.
A year-round outdoorsman, Don spends a good deal of his winter on the cross-country trails of Millinocket. Don, and other volunteers with the Northern Timber Cruisers Snowmobile and Cross Country Ski Club, groom and maintain about 20 miles of free cross-country trails in the Millinocket area. Don got involved about 19 years ago, and according to the Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce website, is considered, “one of the trail systems’ originators, architects, groomers and a die-hard x-c skier.”
One set of free trails is located at the Northern Timber Cruisers’ Clubhouse on the Baxter State Park Road, where light lunches are served on weekends. The cross country trails, groomed with tracks for traditional skiing, are maintained separately from the snowmobile trails.
Skiers may take 3-5 mile loops through the woods, where it’s sheltered from the wind, or extend their trip to about 9 miles across Little Smith Pond to a warming hut on the northern end. This open area offers views of Mt. Katahdin on a clear day, but only after the wet areas are well frozen.
Cross country skiers can find another set of free trails at the Bait Hole Area (named for a small pond baitfish were kept in, isolated from the larger nearby lake by a causeway.) Located on Route 11 South, just three miles out of town, the Bait Hole trails provide good views of Mt Katahdin and can be skied with a minimum of snow cover. The trails are wide, well-groomed, and mostly flat. Skiers and snow-shoers can take the 3 mile Bait Hole Loop or take short cuts or add side loops to reduce or increase the distance from 1-8 miles.
Don spends about 200 hours preparing the trails in the off-season. He utilizes his chain saw to cut up “blow-downs” and removes the debris from the trails. He also requested and received an ENCorps stipend to repair the parking lot. Don spends another 200 hours maintaining the trails during the winter. He uses the Northern Timber Cruisers’ snowmobile with a groomer/track setter after each snow storm of over six inches to groom the trails and he clears any debris he finds.
You can learn more about Millinocket’s free cross country ski trails by logging on to their website at www.katahdinmaine.com. Click Recreational Activities, then click X-Country Skiing. To make a donation, send your check to: Northern Timber Cruisers, P.O. Box 269, Millinocket, ME 04462, Attention “Ski Trails.”
For updated ski conditions on the trails, please call Don Nodine at 207-723-4329. Thank you, Don, for encouraging us to get outside and enjoy our Maine winters!
