May 2013 Trail Work Trip Report

Wednesday, May 29:
Bill Duffy, Jude Eldridge, and their dog Trip were taken to the Lunksoos Lean-to by Dave Rand on his ATV, with Bart DeWolf following on his bicycle. The crew cleared a few blow-downs on the Old Telos Tote Road, added new tags to the former Forestland Group section and cut back recent alder growth in several locations. Dave also dropped off 2×2 posts at four logging road intersections on the Messer Pond Road. After arriving at the Lunksoos Lean-to and before settling in for the night, Bill, Jude, and Bart brushed around the campsite, cleaned up three rolls of mouse-chewed TP from the privy, cleared the area around fireplace ring of vegetation, and re-erected three IAT guide posts (knocked over by moose?).
Herb Hartman, Will Richard (chainsaw), and Bob Ellis (chainsaw), with his ATV (winch), headed north, clearing numerous trees fallen across the trail. Don Hudson and Earl Raymond headed north to consider a possible route to avoid wet trail sections north of the “Pines”. The two parties met at the “field”, an intersection with old logging road and site of the bear-gnawed IAT sign post and agree that although the trail has wet areas, especially following several days of torrential downpour, experienced hikers should be able to walk around them and would not be bothered by a little water. Strategic drainage ditching of the wet spots was deemed a better alternative than trail reroute.

Don Hudson
Dave returned to Bowlin from Lunksoos Lean-to.
After drinks, Walter Anderson, food provider extraordinaire, served salad, heated Dick Anderson’s very tasty clam chowder (“raise your hand if you find a piece of clam.”), and provided brownies for desert.
Thursday, May 30, 2013:
Walter woke everybody at 5:00 a.m., by singing Shubert’s “Der Tod und Das Madchen” and announcing that scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, coffee, were ready.
Bob took Will and Herb by way of the K Road to the intersection of the trail and Little Messer Pond Road. Numerous blow-downs were cleared to Grand Pitch, the lean-to swept (one section of broken floorboard noted), the area around the fireplace hoed to mineral soil, the privy swept and new TP provided. Herb and Will cleared blow-downs on a wet trail from the Grand Pitch lean-to to the “field”.

Don and Earl successfully dug drainage ditches at several of the wet areas between “the Pines” and the “field”.
Walter drove from Bowlin up to the Matagamon Road and the north end of the trail–the Messer Pond/Orin Falls and Haskell Deadwater roads –checked signs and post s, all of which were in place.
Bill, Jude, Bart and Trip headed up the trail to Lunksoos Mtn. at 7:00 AM clearing several small blow-downs along the way and adding tags and arrows at several confusing turns in the trail. After reaching the summit, the crew continued trail clearing down into the col between Lunksoos and Deasey. Bart then led Bill and Jude to the last reported location of the rare Squirrel-corn (Dicentra canadensis) on the east-facing cliffs of Lunksoos in the hope of finding a blooming specimen. While the search turned up vast amounts of the very similar Dutchmen’s Breeches, no Squirrel-corn was found.
After returning to the col, Bill, Jude, and Bart continued towards Deasey, clearing several more blow-downs and rerouting a short section trail around a perpetually wet spot in the center of the col. The crew arrived at the Deasey Fire Lookout at 12:30 and had a quick lunch inside the ground cab to avoid the clouds of blackflies that swarmed outside. The crew then returned the way it had come, adding 30 to 40 new IAT tags along the way.
Meanwhile Dave and Bob Ellis returned to the Lunksoos Lean-to on their ATVs where Dave used his brush scythe to clear the shrubby undergrowth from the lower section of the trail up Lunksoos Mtn. Bob admired the fine set of moose antlers found by Jude the previous evening and precariously mounted on the side of the lean-to by Bill that morning. Bob headed back to Bowlin and Bill, Jude, Bart and Trip arrived back at the lean-to at around 3:30 meeting with Dave. After loading their gear into the newly reinforced ATV trailer, Dave, Bill, Jude and Trip headed back towards Bowlin on the ATV with Bart once again following on his bicycle. Unfortunately, due to a lack of IAT tags, the directional posts dropped off the previous day at the intersections of old logging roads with the Messer Pond-Orin falls Road could not be erected and will have to wait until next year. It was agreed that all the other necessary trail work had been completed between Deasey summit and Matagamon.
Bob left the work crews to relax in the cabin at Bowlin and headed off to a “special spot” with his fishing gear, returning at around 6:30 PM with his limit of brook trout for breakfast.
Dinner consists of salad and Dick’s chop suey.
Friday, May 31, 2013:
Early breakfast featured a taste of trout followed by clean-up and departure. A successful trip.
Herb Hartman/ Bill Duffy

IAT Board Members enjoy cocktails and conversation with John Judge, New President of the Appalachian Mountain Club

IAT Maine Board members Thomas Urquhart and Dick Anderson had the pleasure of meeting John Judge, the new President of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) at an event at the home of IAT member Elizabeth Ehrenfeld in Falmouth, Maine last evening.
They had several opportunities to bring John up-to-date on the present status of the IAT in both North America and Europe. They also learned more about the many outdoor programs organized and managed by the AMC. It was a nice, social evening and allowed Thomas and Dick to make a connection to the leader of one of the most influential and effective outdoor conservation and recreations in North America.
The AMC was founded in 1876 and is the oldest outdoor and recreation organization in the United States. AMC has a membership of 100,000, 16,000 volunteers, 450 full-time and seasonal staff and 12 chapters from Maine to Washington, D. C. AMC also produces an award-winning magazine, AMC OUTDOORS, which published a great feature story about the IAT in 2007.
To learn more about the AMC and their many wonderful programs and activities visit www.outdoors.org

BOB NEUMAN 1920 – 2013

A dear friend of the IAT, Dr. Robert Neuman passed away at the age of 93 on May 24, 2013. Dr. Neuman was a scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey at the U.S. National Museum, Washington D.C. After his retirement in 1985 Dr. Neuman was an emeritus scientist of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Institution. He worked closely with the Maine Geological Survey for many years.
Bob worked for many years in northern Maine with forays into New Brunswick, Newfoundland / Labrador, Ireland, Scotland and Norway. In the early 60’s he was the right man in the right place at just the right time as his early geological mapping on and near the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) along the East Branch of the Penobscot River confirmed the then newly proposed theory of “continental drift”, now known as plate tectonics. Bob recognized that the marine brachiopod fossils in the nearby Shin Pond volcanic ash were European in nature and quite distinct and separate from their North American shore-line hugging contemporaries far to the west, and brought reality to the postulated seaway (Iapetus) that lay between them. There was then too much deep water that prevented Bob’s ‘Celtic fauna’ from swimming across to mingle and interbreed with the North American ones, and vice versa. Bob was the first to perceive this, and his name will forever be linked with the emerging recognition of the 450 million year old Ordovician Iapetus seaway. He was the discoverer of the ‘Penobscottian orogeny’, the early stages of Appalachian mountain building, which occurred with the closing of Iapetus seaway and the subsequent collisions of Europe, Africa and North America. His research is recognized by a broad spectrum of the scientific community and is published in numerous national and international publications.
In 2007 a campsite on the International Appalachian Trail located near Mount Kathadin was named in his honor. Dr. Neuman will be surely missed by many.

Jennifer Pharr Davis – Long Distant

Dick Anderson and Walter Anderson attended a recent presentation by a remarkable long distant Hiker, Jennifer Pharr Davis at L.L. Bean, Freeport, Maine. Ms. Davis has backpacked more than 11,000 miles on six different continents, including three thru-hikes on the Appalachian Trail. In 2011 Ms. Davis broke the record for the fastest AT thru-kike, making her the record holder for men and women. She is the first women to hold the overall title. She spoke eloquently on her many interesting hiking experiences and we highly recommend her recent book, entitled, “Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail”, Amazon.com
Walter Anderson