United States Ambassador to Iceland Hosts Reception for IAT International Meeting

From Right to Left: Paul Wylezol, Chair of IAT International Council; Canadian Ambassador to Iceland,Mr. Alan Bones; Dick Anderson, IAT Founder;
Ms. Holter; United States Ambassador to Iceland, Mr. Louis Arreaga; Norwegian Ambassador to Iceland, Mr.Dag Werno Holter
Mr. Louis Arreaga, United States Ambassador to Iceland, hosted a reception for all the attendees at the IAT International meeting held in Reykjavik, Iceland June 14-18, 2012.
The event was held in the Ambassador’s residence in downtown Reykjavik and was attended by about forty of the participants in the IAT meeting. The Canadian Ambassador to Iceland, Alan Bones and the Norwegian Ambassador, Dag Werno Holter, also participated in the reception.
An informal social time in the garden was followed by a welcoming and congratulatory presentation by Mr. Arreaga and additional greetings by; Ambassador Bones, Ambassador Holter, former Appalachian Trail Executive Director, David Startzell, IAT International Chair, Paul Wylezol and IAT Founder Dick Anderson.

Social gathering in the garden
Dick presented Ambassador Arreaga with a small, framed map of the locations of Appalachian terrains around the North Atlantic.

Dick Anderson with Ambassador Arreaga
The speeches were followed by a wonderful opportunity for attendees from both sides of the Atlantic to meet each other face to face, in many cases for the first time, over coffee and light food. It also gave everyone a great opportunity to explain more about the International Appalachian Trail to the Ambassadors.
It was a wonderful way to kickoff our first meeting outside North America and we all thanked Mr. Arreaga for hosting the event.
The pictures accompanying this story were taken by several people including Will Richard, www.wilfredrichard.com, Walter Anderson, and Don Hudson of the Maine, USA Chapter.

Spring Cleanup of Wright Farm and Roach Farm Campsites

Walter Anderson, Don Hudson, Ed Friedman and Dick Anderson went north to the IAT Annual meeting one day early and did some trail work. They stayed Wednesday night at the Brookside Motel in Oakfield. On Thursday morning, on their way to Shin Pond, they did the regular cleanup of both Wright Farm and Roach Farm campsites.
In general both campsites were in good shape. A ,Don Hudson made, new sign replaced the 10 year old ones at both campsites. Floors were swept, litter was picked up, toilet paper was added and brush was pruned. At the Wright Farm the privy door was repaired. At Roach Farm the fire ring needed a lot of work and about a foot of each perlin was removed to correct an error made in the original construction.
Thur hiker Michel Jacques assisted them in the cleanup work.
Both campsites are now ready for hiker use.

Ed Friedman and Don Hudson installing Roach Farm Campsite Sign

Dick Anderson and IAT Thru Hiker Michelle Jacques cleaning up Roach Farm Campsite

Don Hudson and Dick Anderson installing sign at Wright Farm Campsite

Don Hudson working on roof at Roach Farm Campsite

June 2012 Trail Work Trip Report

Maine IAT Chapter Board members; Herb Hartman, Dick Anderson, Walter Anderson, Bill Duffy and Dave Rand recently completed the spring cleanup of the section of trail between the summit of Deasey Mountain and the Matagamon Wilderness Campground —a distance of about 17 miles.
Walter, as usual, did all the camp work, including buying food, cooking and cleanup.

Walter "Camp Chef" Anderson – photo by Bill Duffy
On Wednesday, Walter and Dick inspected the northernmost section of trail from Grand Pitch to Matagamon. They found that section in pretty good shape, with the exception of some serious beaver caused flooding near Checkaberry Camp. As a result they relocated a short section of the trail and replaced the "Tags" and arrows to guide hikers over the new section. Minor trimming was also needed along the entire section.

Dave Rand at work on the trail – – photo by Bill Duffy
Dave, Herb and Bill ,assisted by Dave’s ATV ,were able to accomplish the cleaning of both Campsites in this section of trail—Lunksoos and Grand Pitch—-both of which were in good shape. This crew also cleared some big blowdowns and pruned brush along the many miles of trail from Bowlin Camps to the Summit of Deasey Mountain. Bill hiked both Deasey and Lunksoos Mountains to accomplish the necessary trail upkeep and improve the marking of the trail. Herb and Dave cleared the Lunksoos Campsite area, the trail to the water supply and the first 200 yards of the trail up Lunksoos Mountain.

Dave Rand Crossing Hathorn Brook – photo by Bill Duffy
After a long day’s work on Wednesday, the crew enjoyed a few cold ones with Pat Clymer, the new manager of Bowlin Camps, before a traditional Walter Anderson dinner of beans and franks.
Having completed all necessary–and planned—work by darkness on Wednesday the crew packed up early on Thursday, while Walter cooked breakfast, and hit the road south at about 6:00 A M. It was a great and successful trip and we hope other volunteers can join in on the next work trip.

Herb Hartman, Trip, and Dave Rand – photo by Bill Duffy
The crew stayed overnight for two nights at Bowlin Camps and that allowed the more efficient use of time, since there was no setting up of tents or the doing of other camping chores.

18th Annual Meeting of the Maine Chapter of the International Appalachian Trail

IAT Members and Friends and 2012 Annual Meeting Shin Pond Village
Photo by Will Richard www.wilfredrichard.com
Members and friends of the International Appalachian Trail met this past week – May 17th to 19th – at Shin Pond Village for the 18th Annual Meeting of the Maine Chapter. IAT Chief Geologist Walter Anderson assembled a compelling and full program that began at 3:00 pm Thursday afternoon, May 17th, at the Lumberman’s Museum in Patten. Museum Director Ronda Brophy and the Director of the North Light Gallery of Millinocket, Marsha Donahue, presented the opening of a traveling exposition – “North Woods and Katahdin Art”, celebrating the work of more than a dozen painters. David Little spoke to the group about the art of the Katahdin region, soon to be published in a large format book by Down East. Look for it at the year-end! Maine Chapter board member Will Richard made the Thursday evening keynote illustrated by a beautiful collection of images made during his many visits to Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland. The Smithsonian Institution will publish Will’s book about the region he calls the “Far Northeast” in 2013.

Lumberman’s Museum – Photo by Walter Anderson
A full day of presentations on Friday was highlighted by a special presentation to IAT Founder Dick Anderson and Maine philanthropist and conservationist Roxanne Quimby. Program Coordinator Anderson took special care this year to invite speakers who had received grants of support for their projects and work by the Quimby Family Foundation. Author Howard Whitcomb made the Friday evening keynote address, “A Pictorial History of Baxter State Park and Katahdin.”
The Friday morning program began with a brief report by Maine Chapter board member Herb Hartman on the status of the chapter’s first topographical guide, which will be completed in July. What came next was a surprise for IAT Founder and first President Dick Anderson when current President Don Hudson veered from a talk about identifying plants online. Don switched from plants to photos of Dick fishing with his family in the 1940’s. The photos were two of over one hundred that tell the story of Dick’s life from childhood to the establishment of the IAT, compiled in a beautiful book by Maine Chapter Coordinator Carol Gay.

Don Hudson presenting book to Dick Anderson – Photo by Bill Bentley

Dick Anderson receiving book – Photo by Bill Bentley
The rest of the morning was filled out with a number of talks about the natural resources of the East Branch region. Earl Raymond spoke about historic surveys of the region, including the first that dates to 1793. Laura Rose Day updated the group on the status of the restoration of the Penobscot River, with the removal of the Great Works Dam in Old Town that will begin on June 11th. Randy Spencer spoke about the translocation of Atlantic Salmon in the Penobscot River watershed as part of the statewide effort to restore the endangered fish. Baxter State Park Director Jensen Bissell wrapped up the morning with a presentation about the state of affairs in the park, including an effort to document every foot of trail for long-term management and maintenance.
Over 40 participants gathered after lunch for the traditional photograph on the lawn of Shin Pond Village before reconvening for the afternoon session. New Maine Chapter board member and University of Maine at Presque Isle professor of geology Chunzeng Wang opened the session with a presentation on an initiative to map all of the trails of Aroostook County (UMPI provides high-tech tools to municipalities)
Author Steve Pinkham followed with a brief description of his new book “Old Tales of Maine Woods”, an anthology of stories from historic sportsman’s magazines of the mid- to late 1800’s and early 1900’s. University of Maine at Farmington professor of geology Julia Daley, who joined the Maine Chapter board in April, spoke next about the status of her project to monitor temperature in remote mountain ponds and included time-lapse photography to illustrate the dynamics of ice formation and ice “out”. Artist and naturalist Jude Eldridge followed Daley and used images, video and sound to introduce the amphibians of the Maine section of the IAT.
Sarah Spencer of the Sewall Company reviewed the management of the Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. (EPI) lands east of Baxter State Park, with special notes about the Canada Lynx. Friends of Baxter President Barb Bentley next updated the group on a number of activities including the week long exploration of the park by Maine teenagers and a variety of projects aimed at highlighting and supporting the wilderness values of the park.
Bryan Wentzell presented the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods Initiative, which is centered on their land and adjoining land in the 100-mile Wilderness south of Baxter. The AMC has linked a half dozen historic sporting camps in the region with existing and new trails, including new opportunities for Nordic skiing and dog sled trips in winter, in addition to more traditional uses in spring, summer and fall.
Maine philanthropist and conservationist Roxanne Quimby took the floor next to present her proposal for a National Park or National Monument on EPI’s lands east of Baxter State Park. The special designation for these lands is part of a comprehensive proposal that includes conservation of land north of Monson for the Appalachian Trail as well as the creation of a special motorized sports conservation area on lands east of the East Branch. The proposal is currently on hold, waiting for support by Maine’s congressional delegation. In addition to efforts to create a national park on her land in Maine, Roxanne is also working hard to consolidate ownership of national parks by purchasing in-holdings within the boundaries of over a dozen parks in the country. Her goal is to acquire as many parcels as possible before the 100th anniversary of the national parks in 2016, at which time she and her children Lucas and Hannah will make a special gift of the in-holdings to the Department of the Interior.
Before Roxanne was able to take her seat Don Hudson noted the special contribution that she had made to the Maine Chapter by allowing the IAT to be located on EPI lands. Don then presented Roxanne with a drawing by Jude Eldridge of the Haskell Deadwater made during a visit as part of EPI’s Visiting Artisits program. EPI, under Roxanne’s direction, opens several wilderness cabins and lodges on its land for the use of artists throughout the year – free of all charges. Just as planned for Dick Anderson, Roxanne was completely surprised by this special award, and she thanked the group for its support.

Photo by Bill Bentley
The very full afternoon ended with the presentation of the Grindstone Scenic Byway by Maine DOT’s Fred Michaud and Bruce Hazzard. The Scenic Byway links Matagamon to Patten on Route 159, south to Medway on Route 11, and finally through East Millinocket and Millinocket on Route 157 to the Togue Pond gate of Baxter State Park. Bruce concluded the presentation with a special invitation to the Maine Chapter to join the area coordinating committee for the Scenic Byway.
The annual business meeting was conducted quickly in order to get participants to “Attitude Adjustment” session before a special dinner cooked by Terry and Craig Hill and their staff at Shin Pond Village.
One of the most successful annual meetings continued after dinner with a special keynote presentation by Author Howard Whitcomb of his and co-author John Neff’s publication of “Baxter State Park and Katahdin” in the Images of America series. The book is an extraordinary collection of over 200 images gleaned from a review of well over 1000. Howard took the group through the several chapters of the book with a series of slides and brief mention of the significance of each. John and Howard have written detailed captions for each image, which adds special value to an extraordinary compilation. All of the proceeds from the sale of the book will flow to the Friends of Baxter to support its activities.
The Saturday morning field trips included hikes of Mt. Chase, Sugarloaf Mountain, and a visit to the Bowlin Camps and the adjoining stretch of the IAT from Big Spring Brook to Bowlin Falls and the approach to the famous “Hulling Machine” on the East Branch.

Thru Hiker Attends Annual Meeting

Dick Anderson with Thru Hiker, Michel Jacques
IAT thru hiker Michel Jacques, from Quebec City, happened to be on the trail south, near Shin Pond and attended our Annual meeting. Michel had sectioned-hiked the IAT from Cap Gaspe to Matapedia over the last few years. He started his 2012, southbound IAT hike at the bridge over the Restigouche River in Matapedia.
He has completed the New Brunswick section of the IATand is heading for Katahdin, to complete his IAT hike, after enjoying Thursday night social hour and dinner with the Maine Chapter members at the Shin Pond Village. While hiking in New Brunswick, he stopped to meet and talk with the Mayor of Nictau, Bill Miller. A report from Miller alerted us to the fact that he might be in the Shin Pond area at the time of our meeting, so we were looking for him.

Walter Anderson, Michel Jacques, Ed Friedman and Dick Anderson at Roach Farm Campsite
After finishing his hike of the IAT –Cap Gaspe to Katahdin—Michel will be heading south on the AT for Springer Mountain.
Epilogue: Unfortunately, after leaving our meeting and hiking from Shin Pond to Baxter Park on the IAT, Michel decided that he had to leave the trail due to an injured knee. He has returned to Quebec City for treatment. He said he might return to the trail when he recovered from his injury.
Photos by Walter Anderson and Don Hudson

Maine to Greenland : Georgetown to Uummannaq

MAINE TO GREENLAND : Georgetown to Uummannaq
Story and all photos by Willfred E. Richard © Will Richard Photography

Maine Chapter Board Member, Will Richard, is visiting the area of the northernmost section of the International Appalachian Trail close to Uummannaq, Greenland, the home village of some of the Greenland Chapter’s leaders. Currently, traveling to Greenland is not all that difficult – although it is not cheap. Icelandic Air will fly you from Boston to Iceland, Air Iceland will fly you from Iceland to Ilulissat in Northwest Greenland. Then, Air Greenland will fly you to the north side of the Nuussuaq Peninsula to Qaarsut and then by helicopter over the sea with icebergs floating below to Uummannaq, an island town and to seven small outlying settlements within Uummannaq Fjord.
Uummannaq is located at about 71 degrees latitude , about 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, which is almost the same latitude as Alaska’s northern-most town, Point Barrow.

For perhaps a decade now, I have been visiting Greenland – with my wife Lindsay and sometimes solo. For much of that time, I have wanted to travel on Greenland’s sea ice as I have on the ice of Canada’s Inuit Territory of Nunavut. But, a major difference is that ice travel in Nunavut is almost exclusively by snowmobile and komatek (sled) and sea ice on this side of Baffin Bay has become quite limited. In Greenland, ice travel is almost exclusively by dog sledge – but that is apparently changing. In at least a half-dozen previous trips to Uummannaq Fjord, I have planned to be here when there is sea ice. But, with rising Arctic temperatures, there has been no sea ice during my visits in May, June, August, September – even in December and January.

Earlier this year, our good friend and frequent visitor to Maine, René Kristiansen of the Children’s Home in Uummannaq e-mailed me: this is the year for ice. So, as a Research Collaborator with the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center and Research Fellow with the Uummannaq Polar Institute, I am enjoying this now rare opportunity to travel by dog sledge and to enquire about climate change and implications for Greenlandic traditional culture. Faroese Islander Ann Andreasen is Director of both the Uummannaq Children’s Home and of the Uummannaq Polar Institute.
And, there is another piece of this story which has definite local application in Maine. That is the International Appalachian Trail, an idea first advanced by Maine’s Dick Anderson in 1994. With a sister range created in the same tectonic plate event which created the Appalachian range, Greenland’s Caledonide range provides a link to the International Appalachian Trail and across the North Atlantic to Europe . In July of this year, with a party of seven, these Greenlanders will hike from Mt. Katahdin to the New Brunswick border.

In these last few years Greenlanders have not been exactly rare visitors in Maine. A few years ago after meeting René in Uummannaq, he mentioned that a few Greenlanders may be in NYC that fall and that they may visit us in Maine. Well, with two days notice and with a two-bedroom house, Lindsay and I were visited by 14 Greenlanders. Fortunately, good friend Don Hudson and the Chewonki Foundation came to the rescue with bed and board.
Now travel is not only from Maine to Greenland but also from Greenland to Maine, establishing ties of wilderness hiking, of music and film, and friendships.

Mars Hill and Fort Fairfield IAT repair and clean-up

My experience in helping Maine IAT work near the U.S./Canadian border by Walt Guerette (GIS student intern at UMPI GIS Laboratory) (Pictures by Chunzeng Wang)
May 22nd was my first day working in the field with the UMPI GIS Laboratory as a summer GIS project intern. I knew we would be hiking a section of the IAT leading over Mars Hill, but I really didn’t know what to expect. We were accompanied by Justine Cyr, who was also working her first day in the field as a GIS summer intern. After meeting up with Dave and Richard Rand, we drove to the base of Mars Hill, stopping occasionally to put up IAT markers along the road.
After parking Chunzeng’s car at the north end of the Mars Hill section of the IAT we would be hiking, we piled into the bed of Dave’s pickup and ascended First Wind’s access road. My father, as a Project Manager for Reed &Reed Engineering, spent lots of time working on the Mars Hill Wind Turbine project, so I had always been interested. Just getting to ride the access road on our way to the beginning of the trail section was probably the highlight of my day. After a quick detour to repair and clean up the Mars Hill lean-to site, we drove to the beginning of our trail section and began hiking, clearing and trimming the trail and putting signs as we hiked. I used one of UMPI’s Trimble GeoXH GPS units to map the trail as we hiked.
On Friday the 25th, Chunzeng, Dave, and I hiked into the Fort Fairfield lean-to site along the Fort Fairfield section of the IAT US/Canada border trail, accompanied by Kim McCrea who is UMPI OAPI Manager and Gentle Hall Assistant Director, and her dog, Bella. No mapping was done today, but we repaired one sign post and placed another as we hiked, in addition to cleaning up the Fort Fairfield lean-to site. The trail brought us along side the US border markers, which was a first for me. On our drive home, we stopped periodically to place IAT markers along telephone poles accordingly. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be able to work in these places. From driving around the Mars Hill wind towers to hiking along the U.S. Border, it’s pretty hard to believe that I get to call this “work”.

At the Mars Hill lean-to, Richard Rand, Chunzeng Wang, Justine Cyr, Walt Guerette, and David Rand

Chainsaw Carpentry at Mars Hill lean-to

Walking the IAT First Wind road section

Removing a blowdown from the trail

At the Fort Fairfield lean-to, Chunzeng Wang, Kim McCrea with Bella, David Rand, and Walt Guerette

Maine Chapter Board Member, Thomas Urquhart, book review "Border Crossings"

Maine chapter board member, Thomas Urquhart has reviewed Ian Marshall’s Border Crossings. You might find it interesting. A portion of the proceeds will go to the IAT so buy a copy and help the IAT!

“Border Crossings: Walking the Haiku Path on the International Appalachian Trail.” By Ian Marshall. Hiraeth Press. 291 pages. $17.95
In 1998, Ian Marshall had finished hiking, section by section, the venerable Appalachian Trail. A professor of English and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, he also was becoming interested in haiku, those little quintessentially Japanese snippets of acute observation.
Then he heard about the International Appalachian Trail, the brainchild of former Maine Audubon director and state conservation commissioner Dick Anderson. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the IAT board, and also a former Audubon director.) The upshot became a ruminative walk from Mount Katahdin to Cap Gaspe in Quebec, at that time the IAT’s eastern terminus.
The hike was completed two weeks at a time over six consecutive years, and has resulted in "Border Crossings: Walking the Haiku Path on the International Appalachian Trail."
The narrative unfolds day by day, with each chapter given an intriguing title beginning with "The Day of," referring to something that happened, like "The Day of Hitching a Ride with Gravity" or that Marshall experienced, like "The Day of Sunlight Shaped Like an Hourglass" or didn’t experience, as in "The Day of No Moose."
Marshall combines his experiences along the trail with insights into what makes a haiku. The book is studded with his personal efforts in that poetic form.
The inspiration for this exercise was the 17th-century poet and haiku master Matsuo Basho, who in 1689 made a similar journey into Japan’s northern mountains. Basho chronicled his experiences in "Narrow Road to the Deep North," combining with his poems a travelogue full of literary criticism and cultural meditation. The book was Marshall’s constant trail companion, along with his partner (now wife; they married three weeks after reaching Cap Gaspe).
In their tent each evening, Marshall assiduously read Basho, logged their experiences as hikers, and rendered some of them into his own haiku (yes, "hike-u"; Marshall is an inveterate punster). The art of haiku is so tightly and invisibly tied to Japanese literary tradition that conveying the full meaning in English translation is all but impossible. When the form itself jumps the East-West divide, it must remake itself.
I learned a lot about haiku from "Border Crossings" – among other things, that it often contains a mixture of high and low, sublime and ridiculous. I am no expert, but my guess is that such a combination may be the hardest to pull off.
One of Marshall’s attempts that worked for me goes: "clear August night/wishing that first star/would hurry up and shine." As Basho explained three centuries ago, "To jot down such things and relate them to others is one of the true treasures of the journey."
Such "jottings" Basho also likened to the "delirium of a drunk or the rambling of one asleep," and Marshall claims no more. He is delightfully self-effacing as he lays the fruits of his labor before the reader.
Did he succeed in his stated goal of learning to write a "decent haiku" while hiking the International Appalachian Trail? I generally agree with his verdict of "a few times," although he is typically, and perhaps unnecessarily, harsh on himself. There is something really satisfying, as well as charming, about his final verse: "atop the vanquished mountain/a mosquito/atop my hat."
Like its model, "Border Crossings" is a combination of literary discussion, poetry and travel journal. Some of Marshall’s descriptions of the unsung, unheroic aspects of hiking have a welcome freshness.
For example, early on he describes the first moment on a hike when "you are caught up in the rhythm of the walk, unaware not only of the weight of the pack on your back or the thud of each step on the trail but of any conscious thought at all."
Descriptions capture the highlights of the trail with admirable conciseness (what would you expect from a writer of haiku?). And frankness: He is far from complimentary about the condition of stretches of the trail in Quebec (but that was 10 years ago).
Hiraeth Press (from the Welsh, signifying the "deep longing of the soul for one’s original homeland") has produced an elegant book. It includes a glossary of haiku terms to help the reader with unfamiliar concepts.
However, the map at the beginning is inexplicably inadequate for so detailed a log. And the editors could have exercised a firmer hand with Marshall and his companion’s jokey badinage. It becomes a distraction and, in the end, an impediment.
We have all kept journals and noted in them the occasional bon mot that seemed quite priceless at the time but does not stand the test of time. Without them, the really interesting, appealing and original aspects of "Border Crossings" would have shone forth all the more, like "the raspberries we picked along the road to the lighthouse, beacons for our attention."
Marshall continues: "Somehow, though, all these disparate tones blend together in a seamless whole, stitched together by our steps." Well said.
Freelance writer Thomas Urquhart is a former director of Maine Audubon and author of "For the Beauty of the Earth."

Northeast Section of the Geological Society of America (NEGSA)

On March 18-20, 2012, Walter Anderson, IAT Chief Geologist and Board Member, attended the 47th Annual meeting of the Northeast Section of the Geological Society of America (NEGSA) convened at the Marriot Hartford, Hartford Conn. Walter, an NEGSA member, also represented an IAT sponsor, Poland Spring Waters/ Nestle Waters of North America. He set up and managed a Poland Spring exhibitors booth on water at the meeting, and included IAT poster displays of the “Appalachian Terranes” and the “Origin of the Appalachians”. There were well over a thousand registrants in attendance. A total of 488 oral and poster sessions were presented covering geological Symposia, Theme sessions, Discipline Sessions, Workshops and Field Trips. There was much interest in IAT and numerous informational IAT bookmarks were dispensed.
Respectfully submitted,
Walter Anderson