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Maine Huts and Trails Offers Skiers a Remote, but Comfy Experience

February 03, 2009 - CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- Poplar Stream Falls Hut, the first remote hut in the new Maine Huts and Trails system, is located above Carrabassett Valley not far from Sugarloaf. The 2.5-mile trip from Route 27 into the hut takes a couple hours on cross-country skis or snowshoes.

The hut is a welcome sight on a wintry day. Once inside, you'll be greeted by the friendly hut staff. Relax at a table in the cavernous dining hall and soak up the warmth of the wood stove. Order up a hot drink and a bowl of hearty soup; chat with the other guests.

"People who haven't visited here before are shocked when they arrive," said hutmaster Cacy Alexander. "They don't know what to expect and are so surprised."

Surprised? Indeed, because this is not your ordinary backcountry hut experience. Not even close. In fact, Alexander calls it "the most comfortable backcountry experience in Maine."

A wood-fired boiler, with propane generator back-up, produces the radiant floor heat that keeps the main building and bunkhouses toasty warm. A mini-hydro system combined with a large solar panel provides a steady supply of electric power. And that means you not only have electric lights but a continuous supply of hot water, enabling visitors the luxury of a hot shower.

Yes, that's right. Hot showers! Plus there's a composting toilet system with foam flush toilets – clean, odor-free and environmentally friendly. You've really got to see and experience it to believe it.

"We've built the tightest, most energy-efficient building possible," said Jamie Corriveau, operations manager for Maine Huts and Trails, who gives a fascinating "green energy tour" of the facility each night after dinner.

Three bunkhouses provide accommodations for 44. The cozy rooms have single and double bunks with mattresses, pillows and fleece blankets.

A side trail leads to nearby Poplar Stream Falls, and loop trails allow for extended activity.

The main 8-foot-wide trail is groomed once a week, or as conditions dictate.

This is a remote woods experience, so users must be well-prepared.

After a comfy night's stay and two delicious meals at Poplar, I met up with Dave Herring, executive director of MHT, to ski to the second hut in the system, the brand new Flagstaff Hut, located on the shores of Flagstaff Lake.

"Right now with the Poplar Hut we have a lodge in the woods, but with the addition of the Flagstaff Hut, we have a real system." Herring said. "The Flagstaff Hut increases what we can offer and mixes up the ways people can use the trail system."

The new hut combines elements of the Poplar hut, but incorporates some design changes, like a lower profile one-story main building that better fits the site and offers increased energy efficiency. Flagstaff has a wood boiler and solar array, but instead of hydropower – the site doesn't support it – there will be a residential type of wind power system as part of the sustainable "off the grid" energy plan.

We skied the 11 miles from hut to hut over a gently undulating terrain of deep woods, beaver bogs, streams and mountain vistas, carving a wide arc around Little Bigelow. Topping out on a shoulder of Roundtop Mountain, we enjoyed extensive views and a quick ride downhill before making the last couple of miles to the hut.

The Flagstaff Hut lies in a beautiful birch glade on a peninsula of Flagstaff Lake. There are lake views on three sides, including the backside of the Bigelow Range, a mostly unfamiliar but spectacular vantage point.

Crews were busy installing floor tiles, and there was a considerable amount of finishing work to be done as we toured the buildings. But as of this writing several weeks later, the Flagstaff Hut, easily accessible by trail from Long Falls Dam Road, is complete and open for business.

The next phase of the project is to complete 21 additional miles of trail corridor between Flagstaff Lake and The Forks, including construction of a third hut near Grand Falls on the Dead River. Much of the trail through this roadless section already exists, but a series of bridges and trail connections must be built.

By 2010, three huts and 35 continuous miles of trail will be open for year-round people-powered use, a significant achievement. The big vision, of course, is a 200-mile, 12-hut system stretching from the Mahoosucs to Moosehead Lake.

Future phases will be tackled "taking an incremental approach, one that grows the project in a realistic manner, balancing the physical system with public and private support."

To learn more about Maine Huts and Trails and to plan your own day or overnight trip, go to www.mainehuts.org or call (877) 634-8824.

CAREY KISH, Portland Press Herald, January 29, 2009


Lakes:
Regions: Rangeley, Moosehead, Jackman


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