Shifting Seasons...Trails are ready!

Lots of people think Libby Hill Trails are just for skiiing. The secret is, the trails are truly a four season destination and if you go out this weekend you can see why it is so special. I made two trips out to check how the spring melt was progressing. Ten days ago I had to wear snowshoes but when I went out on April 18th and 20th, I found 99% of the snow gone. The higher up the hill you go the less snow you'll find.

If you want a great spring walk, try the Moose Odyssey trail with an optional loop on Deer Run. You'll see yellow warblers flitting between young pine trees and if you cross a sunny spot you may see a garter snake sunnying themselves (see photo). Our new trail stewards are removing small branches that have fallen into the trails. You can help by tossing any branches into the woods when you come across them.

If you want more adventure, then go out on the Harold Libbey and Outback trails. We found a wood thrush calling to us from the culvert area on Harold Libbey and also heard many birds in the distance. When we took a rest at Porcupine Rock on the Outback we heard a Barred Owl about 100 feet off the trail. Also high above a nearby pine tree a large hawk (broadtail ?) was hovering and calling frequently screeching . We think there be a nest nearby. We also came across a pile of deer fur by Moose point. I looked about 40 feet off trail and found a complete deer carcass with just fur and bones remaining. You can do your own CSI investigation but be aware it may be graphic for children.

At Thayer Brook, the beavers continue to craft works of art with very detailed carvings. See our spring photo show to see it all.

If you can, take some time and sit high up on the esker view of the beaver pond and watch for wildlife. You'll really enjoy the strong sun, sounds of birds, and come to know that Libby Hill has so much to offer after the snow goes!

What if you couldn't get to the Trails?

Monday was a good day. The Gray Community Endowment negotiated a buy agreement to purchase 29 acres next to the Gray - New Gloucester Middle school from Hancock Land Management. This property already contains 1/2 mile of trails that link the Libby Hill Trail system to the school and parking lot. We have sought to obtain this property since we began the trails in 1999 and now finally we have a unique, one time option to forever guarantee Libby Hill Trails will remain an unspoiled open space!

For many years, I envisioned what might happen if this property became developed. How would we get to our trails? Rebuilding the Old Libby Hill Road to our main property would cost in excess of 1 million dollars. The schools would no longer have access to the trails or outdoor classrooms that the Libby Hill Forest had provided. Should developers get the land, a new crop of a half dozen 'McMansions' would pop up having their own private trail system all built for them. Traffic would increase through the school zone and future expansion of the schools would be limited. All these things, haunted me year after year as I made the trek up the hill to the trails.

So, now it is time to act. We have to find funding for $160,000 to secure this critical piece for Libby Hill Trails. We have applied for a grant from the Land for Maine's future for $110,000. This grant will get a decision by July and is a very competitive process with other non-profits. We also have asked the town to provide $25,000 from the "open space" fund. This fund was created more than a dozen years ago to purchase open space to offset land lost to development. The money in this account (which now is over $100,000) was completely funded by developers and has no tax payer money.

At a minimum we need to fund raise $25,000 and at worst $160,000. If you are a trail supporter, we now need your help. Perhaps you can contribute money (see our donation page), you could give time (volunteer), network with others to tell our story, or maybe you would like to leave a legacy like Harold Libbey and forever be remembered by thousands of trail users. If you can't do any of these but still use the trails, at a minimum consider completing our online trail registry which assists us with grant applications.

Finally, don't take your time on the 'hill' for granted. Last weekend one of the founders of the trail system suffered a major medical event that nearly took him from us. It scared all of us who are lucky to know how much he has done for our trails. We now feel very lucky is now doing well and able to go back to the hill he loves so much. It made me think that I need to treasure each trip to Libby Hill like it might be my last romp in the woods. So whether it be the challenges of life or politics, it is time for us all to see the "Forest through the trees" and do what we can to make Libby Hill Forest a permanent open space for generations to come! Just keep thinking....."what if I couldn't get on the trails?"

Easter Bunny Comes to Libby Hill!

Another great weekend to get out on the trails! Snowshoeing is beyond excellent as you hardly sink in the morning crust and in the afternoon a soft 1 inch cushion forms as you move almost silently across the 24 inch base of snow still left in the woods. Today I did my normal bushwhack (you can go almost anywhere) to check out the beavers activity. I found 2 more trees downed since last weekend and lots of evidence that they are coming out every day to gnaw on bark from the large trees they toppled in the fall. You can see their ice holes in the brook, although most of the brook is now open. Crossing to the Outback would be quite a challenge this weekend since the melt off is over powering the beaver dams causing the brook water level to rise over the crossing stones.

We continued to see much evidence of deer and coyotes all over the hill. Deer continue to since in the softening snow however coyotes are barely breaking through the crust.

We did come across our first rabbit ever on Libby Hill today (see track to the right) as he flew over the snow on the ridge above us. He seems to inhabit the pine thicket just north of Libby Hill road near McPike's Hike off the Moose Odyssey trail. We caught sight of him twice but could not get a photo. I guess this must be the Easter Bunny since the timing of his appearance was so obvious!

We also checked out the famous 'buttonwood' tree and are quite sure it has an offspring. This is a good thing since this tree is over 200 years old and quite rare in Maine. I'll devote more to this unique natural attraction in a later blog this spring. I also hope to host a tree tour walk later this year for those interested in seeing this unique specimen.

Tracks abound everywhere. The afternoon sun provides a good media for the foot prints which freeze hard over night and you can investigate the results the next morning. We did see what looked like crow or raven tracks. They are similar to turkey tracks but much closer together and about 1/3 as large.

You still have another day this weekend to get out and explore. Don't let the winter fence you in, come out and play!

Winter Got You Down?

You see it everywhere - people showing many of the signs of 'cabin fever'. You do start to notice that those with the worst symptoms are those who are not 'outdoor' people. If you stare at the same four walls for 6 months you start to get quite claustrophobic after 130 inches of snow! On the other hand, if you get outside and see the world beyond your TIVO you will be rewarded with a love of winter!

Yesterday, I did a check of my upcoming snowshoe trek this Sunday (yes, a few slots are available call 657-2114 to reserve). I made my way down the south slope of the ridge of Libby Hill, winding my way through the 'snow bridges' that make a maze through the many springs that drain the hill. I then spent an hour exploring tracks and beaver activity.

On the beaver side, I saw that the beaver is coming out of it's house and adding a few new branches to the roof of its house. The roof has been thawed out all winter, perhaps from the heat generated from its inhabitants below. You could also see where over the past couple of days where the beaver comes out to eat lunch. In one spot you could see were they cut down a small tree and the drag marks of the tree being 'yarded' or dragged to the stream.

As luck would have it, I had my camera out and my finger on the shutter, right when this deer leaped across the brook, not 25 feet beyond me! The photo is a little blurred but it is the closest and best photo I have been able to get all year after seeing deer dozens of times!

I then went up the esker (horseback) and sat on a large boulder that had an exposed top, making for a great seat to sit in the afternoon sun and look down on the brook over 75 feet below. With days like these, winter didn't seem so grim and spring seemed to be leaching into the landscape as I heard more birds and saw much more animal activity.

So, if you need a cure, get out on the trails! It will be the best therapy you can possibly prescribe! You can see more of the photos from the brook yesterday at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/LibbyHillTrails/MarchAfternoonAtThayerBrook

Fun School Outing

I had a great afternoon out with a group of kids and parents from the Maine Classical Christian School ! It was everyone's first visit to Libby Hill Trails and I got promises of return visits by many of the group. Most kids had never been snowshoeing before and were lucky to have ideal snowshoe conditions today. I was impressed with how curious and well behaved all the students were and everyone agreed it beat being in class this afternoon! If any of you kids log in to see this today, make a comment here on the blog to let me know what you think of snowshoeing and the trail system. I'm always curious to know folks first impressions. You can also all help by signing our electronic trail register at this link. Again thanks for a great ending to my week!

Winter dissolves its icy hand

After a crappy day of rain and freezing rain yesterday, I was a little apprehensive about what trees might have broken last night. I was greeted by bright sun and a crust that barely dimpled when I started snowshoeing. I was happy to find that the icing had not done the damage seen 2 weeks ago so no major trail repairs this week!

I did lots of off-trail exploration today since it took no effort to break trail. As I approached the cell tower, I started to hear some bizarre sounds. It sounded like someone was climbing up the tower. It was a periodic clang at about the same rate as you would hear if someone was going up a metal ladder. Curious about what the sound was, I approached closer and found no maintenance crew working there. Instead, it was the sun melting pieces of ice up on the tower that were falling off the heated metal. It seemed too logical an explanation to me, so I decided to make believe that Daniel Libby's ghost (the original owner of the land from the 1700's) was climbing up the tower to look and see what was happening! It's probably a sign I've been spending a bit too much time alone in the woods!

Interesting tracks are out on the crust as well. I found one, then a second set of coyote set tracks following the first set. They were definitely headed downhill toward the middle school. Deer also go through here so they follow their trails to see if they can find one that might be a good target. I also saw some smaller tracks in another area but couldn't id them, maybe fox or possibly bobcat?

I continued on to check the property lines that have to repainted this summer. Despite the snow it was easier to track in winter since the leaves were off. We hope to get some volunteers to clear out the brush and repaint the survey lines. I also got to snowshoe on top of the rock wall for the whole 1200 feet of the wall and then drop down the steep 'canyon' into Holmquist Hollow. This area is a great spot to practice your off trail snowshoeing. Lots of elevation changes and a beautiful oak grove to explore.

The sun was crystal clear and the temperatures were very spring like as the morning wore on. Sadly, I had to leave the hill once again but today it was clear that winter was losing its grip on the land and changes are coming!

Where's Wyatt?....We found him!

Update: March 8th, we found Wyatt! His mom, Meaghen Kenney, saw the article and Carl is going to make sure he gets his medal! Thanks again for the great effort!


Do you know Wyatt? He is the 5 year old skiing here with his dad and brother in tow! Carl Holmquist was so impressed with his performance he wants to personally present him with "Best in Effort" for the Winter Fun Day. We know he lives in Gray and talked to his mom earlier. If you know him or if his family sees this, please let us know how we can contact his parents and award him a prize! You can call Carl Holmquist directly at 657-2173 or email us here at libbyhilltrails@gmail.com. Wyatt.... you are inspiration to us all!