Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Hut, trail system changes route

Associated Press

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AUGUSTA — A 180-mile hut and trail system may run through the Carrabassett Valley instead of the Bigelow Preserve.

The agreement by the state, the Friends of Bigelow and the Western Mountains Foundation calls for the trail to be built on land owned by the Penobscot Indian Nation in Carrabassett Valley.

The foundation's plan calls for spending more than $7 million to build the hut and trail system, which would run from Newry to Rockwood.

Hikers, mountain bikers and cross country skiers could travel from hut to hut. The huts or lodges would sleep upward of 40 people and provide meals.

The foundation had proposed a bill that would have allowed the trail to pass through roughly eight miles of the Bigelow Preserve . But the Friends of Bigelow opposed the measure, saying it commercialized a state preserve.

The agreement must be approved by the Penobscot Nation.