Maintaining Trails
Summer continues to fly by and every week seems busier than the last. I got out hiking last week and stopped at French Mountain to see if I could find kids hiking with their parents. As I began my hike up the hill, I met Lucy and Nate Pelsma from Oakland finishing up their hike. They told me they frequently hike the local trails with their kids but today they were celebrating their 15th anniversary, and the kids were staying with their grandparents for the day so they could celebrate by themselves. They decided to start their day with a relaxing celebratory hike.
On Monday I did my biweekly water quality monitoring in Long Pond. As I was recording my data, I noticed a very small, gaff-rigged cat boat sailing across the lake, headed for Loon Island. When I finished my data collection, I headed that way to do some fishing. I found my old friend Klaus Thalinger and his daughter Ellie had landed at the island to explore and pick blueberries, which were not quite ripe yet. He and Ellie had sailed their Optimist across from their camp near the Belgrade Public Beach.
Klaus used to fly seaplanes here in the Belgrades but now is an airline pilot based out of Fort Lauderdale. Klaus and his wife homeschool Ellie because they spend so much time in FL. About a decade ago, a younger Klaus towed a younger Adam Gardner on water skis behind his seaplane while another friend photographed the event. They entered the photo in a contest sponsored by Captain Morgan and ended up winning first prize. The group used the prize money to build the teen center at the Center for all Seasons.
Later in the week, we hosted three generations of in-laws, kids, and grandkids for a few intense days of swimming, hiking, and exploring, including the Chewonki “Mammals” presentation at the 7 Lakes Alliance. The younger cousins had a great time getting reacquainted. We hiked French Mountain just after the 7 Lakes Stewardship Committee had completed a new rock staircase on the eastern side of the loop. The three younger cousins gave their stamp of approval to the new staircase.
The 7 Lakes Stewardship Committee puts in a lot of time keeping the local trails in safe, hiking condition and able to withstand wet weather without serious erosion. If you enjoy getting out on the trails, please consider signing up for one or more of our trail work days. Contact Dan Woughter (495‑6039) for the latest schedule, which is usually posted on the sign in front of the 7 Lakes building.
Take advantage of the rest of the summer and get out on the lakes or hike or bike in the hills. And take a kid along. Or a parent or grandparent. You will be creating memories that will last. 7 Lakes Alliance is hosting many interesting events, including Thursday afternoon (3:00 – 4:00 p.m.) presentations by Chewonki. More info is available at the 7 Lakes website. Pick up the latest map of the local trails from the 7 Lakes Alliance at 137 Main Street in Belgrade Lakes. Individual trail maps for most of the trails can be downloaded from their website.
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