AMC in the 100-mile-wilderness

[weary]

Here's an article from the Bangor (Maine) Daily News about the opening of the latest AMC facility in the 66,000 acres the club has purchased in the heart of the so called wilderness.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/...ad-lake-region

[10-K]

Here's an article from the Bangor (Maine) Daily News about the opening of the latest AMC facility in the 66,000 acres the club has purchased in the heart of the so called wilderness.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/02/11/outdoors/amc-opens-maine’s-first-leed-registered-sporting-camp-lodge-in-moosehead-lake-region

I didn't find the "100 mile wilderness" to be wild not one bit. I camped near a road one night where there was a campground not too far from where the AT crossed it and heard a car at least every few hours except for the middle of the night.

Then there was Whitehouse Landing too.

[bishopj]

i think all the facility in the whites should be close they do more harm then good
they very liitl for the trail itself they are worrie about yuppies. And leting them get lost
because they let them go out with out maps and a compass and knowing how to use them. just my 2cents worth

[hikerboy57]

i think all the facility in the whites should be close they do more harm then good
they very liitl for the trail itself they are worrie about yuppies. And leting them get lost
because they let them go out with out maps and a compass and knowing how to use them. just my 2cents worth

I am an AMC member, I know how to use a map and compass, know how to start a fire from scratch. Without the support of the AMC, you'll have to start a new organization to maintain the trail between the whites and southern maine.these guys do a great job of maintianing the trails throughout the whites.

[bishopj]

I was talking about the folks that come their for the week end an so on they come with our the right gear for where they are the weather in the whites can change very fast and with out the right gear you are in real trouble. and the huts should warn folks about this. Just read some of the post here on whiteblaze about folks geting lost in the whites

[hikerboy57]

I have mixed feelings about "tourists".In one sense, I agree with you about inexperienced hikers and their preparedness. But in another sense, these trips into the "wilderness" can expand awareness of how to protect the environment> I've found most AMC workers helpful in advising customers. a caretaker in the Mahoosucs was able to give a nOBO a lifet into town after getting hurt in Mahoosuc Notch. And there are plenty of signs in the Whites warning of the danger above treeline.the unprepared dont just stick to the huts, they can be found everywhere.

[emerald]

I didn't find the "100 mile wilderness" to be wild not one bit. I camped near a road one night where there was a campground not too far from where the AT crossed it and heard a car at least every few hours except for the middle of the night.

Then there was Whitehouse Landing too.

Were you disagreeing with weary's comment or not? Nonsensical words on people's screens do little to inform them about what the term wilderness means or how to employ it properly. It only serves to incite pointless and repetitive augmentation.

The A.T. was conceived as a footpath in the wilderness and it still is in a relative sense, more in some locations than others. Contributors who want us to believe there is no real wilderness in east of the Great Plains and want to tell us all about what's beyond them should keep in mind Lewis and Clark met indigenous peoples and Alaska is not without them either.

As I recall, Lewis and Clark were glad for the opportunity and may not have survived without their assistance.

[takethisbread]

The condition of the trail in Maine is deplorable. Anything to improve that I am for. Erosion has left the 100 mile into a tire drill of roots and rocks. It's not a trail.

I think the amc can be overbearing and costly, but the trail needs to be improved, hope this is a step in that direction

[earlyriser26]

The condition of the trail in Maine is deplorable. Anything to improve that I am for. Erosion has left the 100 mile into a tire drill of roots and rocks. It's not a trail.

I think the amc can be overbearing and costly, but the trail needs to be improved, hope this is a step in that direction

"Tire drill of rocks and roots" yea that's true, but that's Maine

[peakbagger]

FYI, the AMC currently has nothing officially to do with trail maintenance on the AT in Maine that I can establish. The Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) is in charge of the trail from RT 26 to Katahdin and in my opinion does a real nice job keeping the trail open in a remote area that doesnt have a big population base to support it.

If AMC wants to assist with AT maintenance, I expect MATC will welcome the help, but I expect AMC will be busy establishing a connecting trail network in the area for a few years between their new facilities. As some have commented, the 100 mile "wilderness" isnt that wild, and I expect some folks might appreciate the option of some higher end accomodations in the area than offered on the AT. For those who object, all they have to do is stay on the AT corridor and not skip the connecting trails. Ultimately their protection of the area surrounding the AT is going to lead to less extensive cutting and a better viewshed so I dont see where there is an problem with their involvement in the area.

[hikerboy57]

AMC does maintain the sites between Grafton Notch and gorham, I'll defer to you as to MATC actually maintaining the trail.

[weary]

FYI, the AMC currently has nothing officially to do with trail maintenance on the AT in Maine that I can establish. The Maine Appalachian Trail Club (MATC) is in charge of the trail from RT 26 to Katahdin and in my opinion does a real nice job keeping the trail open in a remote area that doesnt have a big population base to support it.

If AMC wants to assist with AT maintenance, I expect MATC will welcome the help, but I expect AMC will be busy establishing a connecting trail network in the area for a few years between their new facilities. As some have commented, the 100 mile "wilderness" isnt that wild, and I expect some folks might appreciate the option of some higher end accomodations in the area than offered on the AT. For those who object, all they have to do is stay on the AT corridor and not skip the connecting trails. Ultimately their protection of the area surrounding the AT is going to lead to less extensive cutting and a better viewshed so I dont see where there is an problem with their involvement in the area.

And nothing unofficially, either. The two groups share membership. But their roles are distinct. AMC is building new trails on their 66,000 acres, and has negotiated with MATC for connecting trails.

But the AT remains under the jurisdiction of the MATC in the 100-mile-wilderness.

As for the quality of our maintenance. MATC, a tiny club with a total dues income of $9,000 devotes around $100,000 a year to maintaining and improving the trail in Maine.

You can help. Just open www.matc.org and make a contribution.

[Cookerhiker]

The condition of the trail in Maine is deplorable. Anything to improve that I am for. Erosion has left the 100 mile into a tire drill of roots and rocks. It's not a trail.

I think the amc can be overbearing and costly, but the trail needs to be improved, hope this is a step in that direction

Perhaps this deterioration you speak of has all occurred in the 5 years since I hiked Maine. All I know is when I hiked the state I thought the Trail was in fine shape, including the 100 Mile Wilderness. Especially when you consider the rugged terrain, the small membership size of the MATC, the fact that much of the Trail is not close to the state's population centers where maintainers live, - all these factors make trail maintenance a considerable challenge, one which IMO the MATC has met admirably.

You're complaining about rocks & roots? Hello, this is Northern New England!

[weary]

Most of the roots and rocks that some complain about stem from Maine's reluctance to accept federal dollars for the trail corridor. We delayed the intrusion by the National Park Service for years, in hopes of working out our own agreements with the major landowners. We were dreaming. But whatever.

We finally faced reality and began a crash program to hastily relocate the trail to the high ridges as mandated by the federal legislation. We've been rebuilding these hastily conceived relocations ever since.

All new trails take time to age. two-thirds of Maine was relocated in the past quarter century. And almost exclusively on glacier-carved slopes with minimal top soil.

Have patience. With enough footsteps. With enough new stone steps, the Maine trail will mellow into one of the outstanding trail systems in the world. Well, it will if we can keep the developers at bay -- a real threat now that most of the land surrounded by the narrow federal corridor has been sold to developers, and land speculators.

I've not been a great fan of AMC over the decades. But I welcome the club to Maine. Much better a non profit -- even what some perceive as an elite non profit, than a developer of luxury resorts and golf courses in what we once thought of as a wilderness.

[Powder River]

I am an AMC member, I know how to use a map and compass, know how to start a fire from scratch. Without the support of the AMC, you'll have to start a new organization to maintain the trail between the whites and southern maine.these guys do a great job of maintianing the trails throughout the whites.

That can be done, and has, everywhere else on the trail. It would be nice to have an organization that wasn't milking the trail for all its worth. I find it curious that with all the thousands of acres of woods in Maine they built these lodges right next to the Appalachian Trail, and in the 100 mile wilderness. Reminds me of those developers that used to pollute Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon with toll booths and hotels. They were driven out, but the AMC was not because they were smart enough to do a little trail work on the side.

[peakbagger]

I think the dividing point between AMC and MATC is Grafton Notch (which is RT 26). Logistically it makes sense for AMC to maintain the Mahoosucs.

BTW, I have supported MATC financially for many years via their low key appeals. I think I even kicked in some for the Mt Abraham purchase.

If someone were to look at the trail corridor through Maine they would realize that with the exception of a very thin ribbon, the majority of the trail in Maine runs through private land. Unlike most of the rest of the AT, there are really no major federal land units in Maine (except for Acadia). There is a long term resistance in the state to the federal government buying up land. That worked for years when the land was managed for timber and was open for recreation, but in the last 20 years, most of the timber companies have sold out to landowners that are in it for what makes the most bucks and that includes high value development. I beleive at least some of the AMC land was purchased from Plum Creek which is a large land developer that has just gotten permitted for a large series of developments in the area west of the 100 mile wilderness. One of Plum Creeks first things after buying the land was to cut up the undeveloped east shore of Roach lake into camp lots. I would rather AMC have limited recreational development adjacent to the AT than a Plum Creek development.

[takethisbread]

And nothing unofficially, either. The two groups share membership. But their roles are distinct. AMC is building new trails on their 66,000 acres, and has negotiated with MATC for connecting trails.

But the AT remains under the jurisdiction of the MATC in the 100-mile-wilderness.

As for the quality of our maintenance. MATC, a tiny club with a total dues income of $9,000 devotes around $100,000 a year to maintaining and improving the trail in Maine.

You can help. Just open www.matc.org and make a contribution.

I appreciate local clubs that do the work selflessly. and you explain the failed political routes that led to the current situation.

Personally i dont care about the hostels or the hotels that the AMC runs or boating trips or ski adventures, or land development or protection. To me all that is important is the tiny 24 inch strip that i walk on. that is the essential part. painting a white blaze on a tree does not make it a trail, it more of a aggravant, and in some cases i find the path in Maine to be dangerous, and there are a lot of ankle foot injuries to support that i would imagine. There are obstacles to this i am sure, overuse is not helping the erosion, for sure.

just like to see a better trail so that when i am hiking the beautiful state of Maine, i can see it and not spend the entire time watching my footing. If The AMC will help that, all the better. although i have my doubts as they are likely there to plunder the resources for profit (in a non profit is more cushy do nothing jobs and wider expansion)

[10-K]

just like to see a better trail so that when i am hiking the beautiful state of Maine, i can see it and not spend the entire time watching my footing.

You're probably not a big fan of Vermont either are you?

I thought VT had longer stretches of roots than ME.... maybe a perception error on my part but I didn't think ME was *that* bad until towards the end of the 100 mile wilderness.

[Cookerhiker]

I appreciate local clubs that do the work selflessly. and you explain the failed political routes that led to the current situation.

Personally i dont care about the hostels or the hotels that the AMC runs or boating trips or ski adventures, or land development or protection. To me all that is important is the tiny 24 inch strip that i walk on. that is the essential part. painting a white blaze on a tree does not make it a trail, it more of a aggravant, and in some cases i find the path in Maine to be dangerous, and there are a lot of ankle foot injuries to support that i would imagine. There are obstacles to this i am sure, overuse is not helping the erosion, for sure.

just like to see a better trail so that when i am hiking the beautiful state of Maine, i can see it and not spend the entire time watching my footing. If The AMC will help that, all the better. although i have my doubts as they are likely there to plunder the resources for profit (in a non profit is more cushy do nothing jobs and wider expansion)

So since you don't care about "land development or protection," then it matters not to you if the lands outside your 24 inch strip consists of housing developments, WalMarts, golf courses, fences with "Private Property - No Trespassing" signs et. al.? You're perfectly happy with coming to a viewpoint that looks down on a "planned resort community" where once acres of hardwoods stood?

No, I didn't think so.

To you, the most important priority appears to be busting rocks to make your walking easier. To me, the most important priority is ensuring the AT corridor (much wider than 24"!) is preserved and protected so that we and future generations may enjoy the beauty of the Appalachian forestlands and eveything this eco-region entails - the trees, plants, bodies of water, wildlife, and yes, the rocks.

Re. the AMC, their role and their approach has been discussed ad nauseam on WB over the years. All I'll say now is that on balance, I thnk they've been a force for good. That's not to say they're perfect or I agree with everything they do. IMO, more of their facilities should have low-cost options e.g. tenting areas for hikers and others who don't want to fork over the big $$$. Mizpah Springs Hut in the Whites with its tent platforms is an example which could be replicated at other facilities. Not only would this serve many trail users, it would also temper AMC's elitist image.

[TJ aka Teej]

Here's an article from the Bangor (Maine) Daily News about the opening of the latest AMC facility in the 66,000 acres the club has purchased in the heart of the so called wilderness.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/...ad-lake-region

The AMC's move into the Outdoor Entertainment Industry continues.