Deep in the Maine woods, eco-friendly huts shelter skiers and hikers
(Article reproduced from the March 28, 2010 edition of the Washington Post)
By: Diane Daniel
We were looking for a silent, snowy and achingly beautiful winter weekend. Five hours north of Boston, in the western Maine woods, we found it.
Even better, we spent two nights in off-the-grid full-service comfort deep in those woods, thanks to one of the most ambitious environmental projects in the state: the Maine Huts & Trails system, a nascent network of year-round hiking, biking and skiing trails connecting alternative-powered, eco-friendly huts where guests can spend the night.
At the trail head to our destination, Flagstaff Lake Hut (it's really more like a lodge), my husband and I watched in envy as Sue Talhouk and Barry Robinson of Portsmouth, N.H., snowshoed up the 1.8-mile trail pulling their gear-laden sled behind them.
"We saw someone doing it and thought we'd give it a try," said Talhouk, who later deemed their easier-than-backpacking luggage transport a success.
We weren't strong enough skiers to stay upright while carrying gear, so we, too, donned snowshoes. But we had to load ourselves up like pack mules with backpacks that were made even heavier with our skis and poles strapped to them.
The hour-long trek was taxing, but the rewards were many. Glacial blue snow, stands of birch trees blending into the gray sky, bright evergreens punching through the monotone, a woodpecker rat-a-tatting in the trees . And the best? Reaching a lodge surrounded by trees instead of cars.
When we checked in, Brittany Jenkins, one of the three young women running the show that night, paused while rolling out a batch of tortillas for dinner to give us the rundown.
"We're all about conservation," she said. "Please turn lights off when you're not using them, conserve water and only use as much toilet paper as you need to.
"If you need to shower for longer than six minutes, you'll have to put in another quarter," she said, handing us our two free ones.
We had just enough time to unpack, take quarter-length showers and grab cold beers before 6 o'clock dinner. Sitting family style at gorgeous Maine-made dining room tables, the hut's 20 guests shared house-made curried chicken, curried eggplant, tabouli and Jenkins's tortillas. Afterward, most of us followed Jenkins to the basement for a fascinating tour of the energy-saving systems. A wood boiler heats water, solar panels create electricity, geothermal heating keeps the rooms warm, and a state-of-the-art composting toilet system (not remotely stinky) keeps human waste to a minimum.
Both mornings we were thrilled to find fresh snow covering the trees and trails, making for perfect skiing and snowshoeing conditions. The first day, we bolted outside to ski after a hot breakfast. A mercifully flat two-mile trail followed the lakeshore (you can swim in the lake in the summer). We heard only birds, not the usual buzz of snowmobiles.
We met Talhouk and Robinson along the way and compared notes.
"It just feels so pristine here, like it's in the middle of nowhere," Talhouk said. "You get this total connection with nature."
That afternoon we chatted with Liz McGhee of Portland, Maine, who had skied in with her partner from Poplar Hut. That inaugural hut opened in 2008; Flagstaff Lake, 11.2 miles north of Poplar, followed a year later. Next year, a third hut, Grand Falls, is expected to open 12 miles north of Flagstaff.
Eventually, the nonprofit group that oversees the system plans to maintain a dozen huts along a 180-mile backcountry corridor through the heart of western Maine. In the winter, the trails are groomed for ski-skating and classic cross-country. The rest of the year, they may be hiked or biked. Many visitors ski, hike or bike from one lodge to the next (luggage shuttle is available), but we decided to stay put.
Even for intermediate skiers, the trek from Poplar to Flagstaff is quite doable.
"It was a little icy in spots, but absolutely magical," McGhee said. "One thing we love about the huts is that they're incredibly accessible, not just for the hard-core folks, though it can be great for them, too."
What might not be for everyone are the washrooms and sleeping quarters. Private shower stalls and toilets, as well as a row of public sinks, are grouped together along a busy hallway, making the washing area a communal experience in a campground sort of way. (In the restroom, I was often amused to find a square or two of toilet paper sitting atop a roll, left there by a conscientious guest).
The rooms are quite stark, but the point, after all, is to go play outside. They are comfortably heated (sometimes overly so) in cold weather. In the summer, you can open the windows and doors.
Though McGhee said she appreciates the huts' being available year-round, she prefers them in the winter. "They're just magically transformative then. That's what we're after."
We had experienced that, too. Not just winter, but magic.
Read more at the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/24/AR2010032403293.html?sid=ST2010032500942
