Portland Press Herald
Winter Break
By Deirdre Flemming
January 17, 2010

MOUNT DESERT ISLAND — Andrew Monk was flying on his skate skis, but not so fast that he couldn't stop to greet a groomer in Acadia National Park. The avid skier from Bar Harbor extended his hand upon meeting Peter Brown and thanked him for making the free Nordic ski trails possible.

"My favorite is the look to the islands," Monk said later.

For those who know the Acadia National Park carriage roads in the summer, they are even more remarkable in the winter, locals say.

"I like everything about it," said Deb Rechholtz of Bar Harbor before skiing around Eagle Lake on a weekday. "You can look at the parking lot when it's full of cars, and get out and not see anyone."

In winter, the unusual coastal national park is quiet, still and tranquil beneath blankets of snow. And you don't have to jockey for the view behind throngs of cars and tourists.

But the snow along the Down East coast is unpredictable, and those who love to ski here know they need to get it while they can.

"It's so close to the sea. It's not Sugarloaf. There is no guarantee of snow," Monk said. "All it takes is one part to melt, and then you can't do a loop."

With this unique resource being free, it gets good use. On a good weekend, it's not unusual to find 60 cars at the Bar Harbor trail head, Brown said.

"In February, the parking lot will be overflowing on the weekends," he said.

SKI TRAILS EXPANDED

The 45 miles of roads, begun in 1913 and completed in 1940 through the generosity of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family, are a classic example of the crushed stone roads built at the turn of the 20th century. At 16 feet wide, they are also perfect for Nordic trails, with two traditional tracks on the outside and a skate ski section in the middle.

There are roughly 32 miles groomed for skiing throughout the park with its elaborate stone bridges. That's up from roughly 10 miles that were available before an endowment for the trails was given to the Friends of Acadia in 2005.

That year, more than a dozen family members of the late Elizabeth R. Bright donated $250,000 in her name for an endowment that would keep the trails groomed for perpetuity. Bright, known as "Leila," was a longtime carriage road skier from Northeast Harbor who skied into her 80s.

Part of the money went to purchase grooming equipment, and $200,000 was placed in an endowment to assure grooming could be funded for years to come.

For more than a decade, the carriage road trails have been groomed by a core group of volunteers called the Acadia Winter Trails Association, which is now affiliated with the Friends of Acadia. During the past few years, they have been able to expand the ski trails.

These groomers keep fresh tracks on many tiny loops, like the popular one around Eagle Lake. There are more challenging routes as well. Brown said a 10-mile loop around Sargent Mountain gets a lot of traffic.

There are roughly a dozen groomers, with five currently being trained, Brown said. The volunteers operate a little loosely and more or less when the mood strikes. Some come out and jump on a grooming sled at night. Brown said at times, the volunteers poach sleds others are planning to use. But it all gets done.

"When the skiing is good in Acadia, this is one of the most exciting and visual places to ski. We rival anywhere," said Brown, who also skis the trails.

Abigail Curliss of Southwest Harbor is a new groomer who, after skiing the trails for free for almost a decade, decided to give back. Winter is her favorite time of year in the park.

"It's so quiet and peaceful. It sheds a different light on the park," Curliss said.

LURE AF ACADIA

On a recent weekday, the trails were quiet and ready to go after a snowstorm the previous weekend.

Both traditional and skate skiers fanned out through the network, climbing the carriage roads' gently sloping knolls made for horse-drawn carriages.

Brown said it's not unusual to meet skiers from Japan, Scandinavia and Canada on the trails. Just as in the summer, they are usually standing with their trail maps looking at the wood signs at crossroads, trying to get their bearings.

Ned Johnston moved to Bar Harbor from Boston 20 years ago specifically because of the carriage roads.

He first experienced them on a bike ride, and was smitten with the landscape. A documentary filmmaker, he came back on business during the winter and skied the trails.

That was it. He moved to Maine, and now is a stay-at-home dad with four children.

Johnston still finds time each season for Acadia's unusual wooded roads.

"The bridges are my favorite. The ones with field stone and carved stone. They're just gorgeous," he said.