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Rangeley Opens its Arms to AT Through-Hikers in the Fall

September 26, 2011 - Rangeley — As autumn starts in the Rangeley Lakes Region, a familiar set of visitors has begun drifting into town.

Here and there, bedraggled travelers stand by roadsides, mega-sized packs on their shoulders, thumbs out for rides. Men sport bushy beards. For the last several months, home has been a tent or a hut in the wilderness. None has had a shower in a while.

The Appalachian Trail winds its way up from Springer Mountain in Georgia, goes past Rangeley en route to its northern terminus on Mount Katahdin. Most of the south-north hikers, who began their journeys in early spring, arrive in the area around this time, trickling down off the slopes of Saddleback Mountain to wander into town in search of amenities.

The town is more than happy to have them.

Store owner Linda Dexter, who runs the outdoor outfitter Ecopelagicon, has even invited through-hikers to camp outside her shop. At one point during the week, there were easily a dozen tents pitched on the lawn, overlooking the tranquil Haley Pond. Tents go down and others go up in their places.

“It’s been fun meeting all the different people who come through,” Dexter said. “Everyone’s nice and considerate.”

They haven’t been bad for business, either. Fuel is the top-selling item, Dexter said, and fudge is a favorite of hungry through-hikers. Many also buy socks and warmer clothing, adapting to falling temperatures in the mountains.

“They always need something,” Dexter said.


Hikers, she said, go out of their way to be courteous and helpful. The other day, three of the tenters insisted that they do something to help, so she let them take her truck to her home where they stacked more than two cords of wood.

If Dexter has good things to say about the hikers, the feeling is reciprocated.

“Linda is great,” said one hiker, who goes by the trail name of Chucktown.

Colorful names abound at the tent site: Oatmeal, Totem, Splitter, Chill and Holy Cow. The group was preparing to leave after a stay in town; all had positive things to say about Rangeley.

“It’s a cute town and very hospitable,” Splitter said. “Rangeley has been great for us.” She is a fan of the public restrooms and the laundry. If the hikers could add one thing to the town, it would be public showers, which they said they would be willing to pay to use.

They estimated about 15 hikers were camped outside Ecopelagicon that night and more than 30 hikers had been in town the day before.

According to townspeople, as well as the hikers themselves, 2011 has seen a greater than average number of AT hikers up north. Oatmeal said a greater number of people have been finishing the hike. The typical success rate is around 10 percent.

Another explanation could be the poor economy. In the face of joblessness, the trail is a way out for some. “I’d rather be unemployed on the trail than in the town,” Oatmeal said.

The hikers find out about Rangeley through word of mouth down the trail and through guidebooks. “Word spreads like wildfire,” Dexter said.

Whatever draws them out, the town is actively courting hikers’ business through its efforts to brand Rangeley an “Appalachian Trail Community.”

The Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce submitted the application to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy with support of local organizations such as the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Appalachian Trail Land Trust, Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort and the laundry. The Rangeley Board of Selectmen is submitting a letter of approval to the conservancy.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Judy Morton said there were seven other “AT Communities” along the length of the trail, including Damascus, Va., Franklin, N.C., and Hanover, N.H.

She said the application “has been favorably received.” The conservancy will decide in October whether to approve a designation.

The town already meets several of the requirements for approval, including the protections in place for the trail, where it goes through Sandy River and Dallas plantations, as well as programs that teach conservation such as the “Trail to Every Classroom” program at the regional school. Morton said the town could organize a trail festival sometime next year, perhaps at the Saddleback Resort.

Tom Fagin, Sun Journal, September 2011


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