Mar 26, 2022: Marsh Stream – Snowmobile Bridge to 1A, 2.25ft

OC1: Mason Galway, Ryan Galway, Kenny Decoster, Kyle Duckworth

K1: Charlie Berliant (tc), Mark Berry, Kirk Ross, Eli Ross, Oliver Hafford, Greg Winston, Greg Gerbi, Andrew Carey, Devon Carter, Jeremy Todd

IK1 Erin-Kate Sousa

Saturday, I lead my first official PPCS trip on the Marsh Stream in Frankfort. The turn out was unbelievable for the first PPCS fun-only, scheduled trip to the Marsh in more than 10 years. 3 people got seamless first runs.
Our crew ran just about every possible line through Flat Rock with no swims or injury.
This group really killed it, made my job easy. There was one short silly swim and few rolls by the Marsh veterans on the trip, but otherwise it was butter. Some of us were cold at the bottom, a few others hurried off to catch the Sou before dark. Just a classic First Class Marsh day with a really great group.

Feb 7, 2022: Mt. Blue XC Ski Class II-III

Trip Leader: Kenny DeCoster. Participants: Gary & Suzanne Cole, Ken & Susan Gordon, Paul Peters, Troad Richmond and TC.

As winter was melting away in southern Maine, 7 of us took advantage of the new snow up north in Mt Blue State Park. We formed two groups. One group skied the long loop around Center hill and Hedgehog Mountain. The second group explored the loop trails in the western part of the park. The variety trails offered something for everyone. The trip was delayed for two days because of the polar vortex, so we had warmer temperatures but very cloudy skies. The snow conditions were great and we had most of the park to ourselves. A glorious ski. We all met back at the heated yurt and shared stories and yummy homemade and homegrown treats. This seems to have become an annual tradition, so y’all come out and ski next year.

Feb 13, 2022: Bradbury Mountain Fat Tire Ride

The fat tire trip to Bradbury happened a day later than scheduled because of unseasonably high temperatures the two previous days, but the Bradbury’s stellar groomers  had the trails ready by the morning of the 13th.  Ryan Galway and I enjoyed riding 11 miles of some of the best winter trail network in New England.  Most of the trails were hard packed snow with an occasional icy stretch; we both agreed that studded tires made for a much safer ride.  It was the busiest day we had seen at Bradbury this season.  The main parking lot was completely full necessitating a ride up from the lower lot and judging from the number of other riders that we met on the trails, Bradbury was the place to be on this particular day.  We thoroughly enjoyed the comfortable temperatures, good trails and had one of the nicest riding days all season.

2022 Boating Season

We are hoping for a lot of snow this winter to avoid losing so much of our whitewater options in the summer on the dam-controlled rivers: Kennebec, Dead River, Seboomook and the Rapid River like we did last year. The 2022 trip schedule is a work-in-process and will be revised. We will attempt to keep the trip schedule on our Calendar page as up-to-date as possible, but please check with the Trip Coordinator to be sure of the details of any scheduled trip.

The vote at the Cook’s Meeting in January was to basically keep the current COVID-19 protocols in place. With all the variants, no one knows exactly what works and what doesn’t. People have to feel comfortable and the trip leaders will have the guidelines they want to use. Below is the COVID general protocol from Helen:

Hello Paddlers!

The spring season is upon us, and we’ve got a large and diverse set of trips scheduled. There’s something there for everyone. We will continue to take appropriate precautions regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

As always, the TC will have discretion in whether and how to run a given trip. Please check in with the TC several days ahead of time regarding a scheduled trip. And, if you feel at all sick, do not come on a trip.

Participants should wear a well-fitting mask when in close contact to protect themselves and others. N95 or KN95 masks are most effective; double masking with a disposable surgical mask covered with a cloth mask is a good alternative.

Participants should be responsible for their own shuttles, which should be arranged before arriving at the trip site if possible. People have different degrees of vulnerability and different levels of tolerance to risk. Please, respect the choices made by your fellow boaters. 

Have fun and stay safe!

SYOTR

Helen Hess, President

Jan 16, 2022: Saddleback Mountain

Frigid weather required postponing the scheduled trip for a day.  Since Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort publicizes a hiking/ski trail to the summit of Saddleback Mountain called Uphill Trail that friends had told me was an excellent one, that was my planned trip.  Three of us took the challenge, two on snowshoes and one using skis with skins.  We made it to the top of the ski lift and were then turned back.  The following is a summary of my experience that I’ve shared with others:  I don’t know what to make of what happened.  Not sure if it was ineptitude, disorganization, or bad faith.  What I do know is the Saddleback website advertises the Uphill Trail as a means of climbing to the summit.  Many hikers have used it for that purpose including one two days before our trip.  We bought passes in good faith.  We didn’t just purchase the passes we spent several minutes discussing our plans with a woman at the ticket office who sold the tickets.  She never mentioned that summit access was prohibited or their policy had changed.  We hiked to the top of the ski lift and were astonished to be told by the ski patrol that we couldn’t go a couple hundred feet farther to the top.  Instead, we were informed that if we wanted to hike to the summit, we should have taken the Appalachian Trail; access is about 20 miles away.  When I returned to the ticket office, the gentleman I talked with quickly refunded my money but stated their policy had changed and they would no longer permit anyone to go above the lift because they didn’t want responsibility for rescues.  Why they didn’t tell us that in advance is inexplicable.  We wouldn’t have hiked.  Neither the member of the ski patrol nor the gentleman at the ticket office apologized for the inconvenience caused by the unannounced change.  Some have said it was our fault because we didn’t further investigate before buying the tickets.  I categorically reject that suggestion.  If they advertise a service and charge a fee, I believe they are legally and morally obligated to inform customers in advance of selling the passes if they change the policy, especially when we spent about 10 minutes discussing our plans before purchasing them.  It was a very disappointing experience on what was otherwise an exceptional winter day. Participants:  Brent Elwell, Greg Winston & TC