the maine backup

Going deep
For Sunday’s outing, my guide was Brian Crater, co-owner of Backcountry Expeditions. We headed south on ITS #87, with a side trip to Moxie Mountain Lookout (2,070 feet).  There were clear views of distant lakes and forests.

After returning to the main route, we turned north on the Bald Mountain Trail, another well groomed connector. Along the way was a large open area where we veered off-trail to have some fun. After about 20 minutes of frolicking in the powder, we resumed our journey and turned northeast on ITS #86, heading for the town of Greenville. This unplowed forest road was groomed for snowmobiles, so it was wide and conducive to higher speeds.

Greenville is at the southernmost tip of massive Moosehead Lake and the trail took us a short distance over the ice before coming ashore downtown. Lunch was at the Stress-Free Moose Café, an oddly named, but very comfortable restaurant near the marina welcoming boaters in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter.  
After lunch we refueled and went east on ITS #86, passing the headquarters of the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club and climbing Scammon Ridge. Ironically, the mile beyond the clubhouse was all moguls, but fortunately conditions improved greatly when we reached the top, where we were treated to a beautiful view of Moosehead Lake, the largest body of water in New England.

Continuing on, the trail took us through a logging area (which was quiet on a Sunday afternoon) and then to a junction where we picked up ITS #110. Our destination was a combination historical site and memorial – the B-52 Crash Site, marking the place where a giant jet bomber fell on the afternoon of January 24, 1963 after its vertical stabilizer fell off, killing nine of its 11 crew members. To commemorate this unfortunate tragedy, many of the aircraft parts remain in place and the debris field is accessible by trail, allowing visitors to see the site year-round. The winter snow covers most of the artifacts, but a number of the larger pieces (including two huge wheels and tires) were visible to us. It’s an interesting, but sobering place, yet well worth visiting.

Except for experiencing that mile of moguls again, it was a smooth ride back to Northern Outdoors. The highlight was taking another off-trail excursion, this time on a former trail segment that Brian knew. As we veered into the deep powder, it was immediately apparent that this was going to be more challenging than just zooming around a field. Brian did a good job of breaking trail with his Arctic Cat 800 Crossfire, so I had a track to follow – and only got stuck once. Brian helped extricate the Ski-Doo and we were on our way again, covering the mile and a half in fun fashion before rejoining the main route. When we arrived at Northern Outdoors, we had covered 121 miles and enjoyed a wonderful day.

This was my first visit to Maine and I’m already hoping to return. The state boasts more than 14,000 miles of trail. In the central and northern portion of the state, the snow comes early and often, making Maine a prime snowmobiling venue from December through March.