Month: November 2013

Vice Mayor Vitor Antune, Earl Raymond and Carlos Neto de Carvalho

10-13 – September – International Appalachian Trail delegate Earl Raymond inspects Naturtejo Geopark.

Responsible from the Maine chapter in USA Earl Raymond came to visit the project to introduce the International Appalachian Trial in Portugal, on the way to the IAT Annual Meeting in Scotland. Together with Carlos Neto de Carvalho he visited parts of the Moradal Mountain, from Picoto do Moradal to Cabeco Mosqueriro, where Moradal-Pangea Trail will be implemented starting in October. They also had a meeting with the vice-mayor Vitor Antunes to clarify the importance of this project for the sustainable development of Oleiros. Besides, Carlos guided Earl Raymon in Idanha-a-Nova to visit the Cultural Centre, Idanha-a-velha Roman city and Monsanto’ Boulders Trail. At Proenca-a-Nova they visited the Living Science Centre dedicated to forest and the new excavations to a Pre-historic tomb under the frame of the archeological summer camp. Finally they joined the group of participating students, municipal technicians and archaeologists in the traditional village of Figueira to enjoy the evening.

Julie King and Ed Talone celebrating in Portland with Maine Chapter IAT Board members

On Friday, November 1, 2013 the Maine IAT Chapter hosted a small welcome party for Julie King and Ed Talone at Sebago Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Julie and Ed have been hiking in Maine and Canada’s Maritime provinces since May, 4, 2013, when they started at the northeast corner of Baxter State Park in Maine, USA. Their hike included sections of the IAT, many rail trails and local and regional trails. During their hike they hiked in Maine, USA and New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. In total they hiked 2576 miles and, by Ed’s count, crossed 1723 bridges.

Some of their side trips included; Quebec’s Magdalene Islands, Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail and an extensive hike in in the Labrador area of Newfoundland and Labrador. During their hike Julie did a spectacular job maintaining a SHUTTERFLY web site and you can see all the great pictures of the places they visited and read about their hiking at edjuliehikingadventures@sfly.com

Maine Chapter President, Don Hudson officially welcomed Julie and Ed and thanked them for all the wonderful efforts they made to promote the IAT and acquaint people along their way with the IAT. Poul Jorgensen, NB Trails Coordinator also attended the event. He transported Julie and Ed from his home province to Portland to attend the event and catch up on other IAT activities, like the AGM in Scotland.

Ed Talone with Maine Chapter Secretary, Seth Levy

Dick Anderson urged everyone to visit their SHUTTERFLY site and see all the spectacular countryside that they traveled through and all the wonderful people they met along the way, who made their hike a special experience for them. At the event Julie and Ed thanked everyone for the great support they received, both in the planning of the hike and along the route they traveled.

Ed is one of a very small number of people in the United States to have hiked more that 50,000 miles and Julie has hiked extensively in the British Isles, Australia and the United States. It was a pleasure indeed for me, and the group that attended the event, to share a few moments with two exceptional hikers, have a bite to eat with them, thank them for their great contribution to the IAT and bid them farewell.

Dick Anderson

Maine IAT Chapter Board members, Dick Anderson and Earl Raymond, attended a very special event on Friday, November, 15, 2013, the one hundredth birthday of Ed Werler!

Ed Werler, on watch at Deasey Moutain fire cab, 1947

Ed was the fire watchman on Deasey Mountain from 1947 to 1950. He and his wife, Mary Jane, moved from Connecticut to Stacyville, in 1947. While serving as the watchman, Ed and Mary Jane lived in a cabin (now in great disrepair) on the trail to the summit, had a small garden, and carried their supplies up from the East Branch of the Penobscot River. Now owned by Elliotsville Plantation Inc., the lookout is on the International Appalachian Trail and EPI has supported Maine Chapter IAT volunteers in repairing and maintaining it.

The lookout is also on Maine Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Associations’ (www.firelookout.org) register of historic lookouts.

Recently, a group IAT volunteers, geology students from the University of Maine in Farmington, repainted the lookout. Dick and Earl gave Ed a picture of the newly-painted lookout cab at the birthday party and also gave him an insulator from the phone line that used to go to the top of the mountain.

Dick Anderson presenting photo to Ed Werler

Dick Anderson presenting insulator to Ed Werler

Ed loved the picture and thanked Dick and Earl profusely. Ed has written a book, “The Call of Katahdin” about his life on Deasey and working as a ranger at Baxter State Park and for the Maine State Park system. The book is available from Amazon.

Earl and Dick had a great time at the party and promised Ed that IAT volunteers would take good care of his old lookout.

Dick Anderson