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Outdoors
  • Published
    March 29, 2012

    ON SKIING: Two great places to get a great Maine ski education

    On the World Cup freestyle mogul skiing circuit, Dave and Alison Digravio of Farmington and Jeremy Cota of Greenville are putting in an incredible season. In March, Bethel native Simon Dumont, one of the world's best freestyle skiers, returns to Sunday River to host the Dumont Cup. Though two-time Olympic snowboardcross gold medalist (and Farmington native) Seth Wescott is sidelined for the season, Straton's Alex Tuttle is competing well. The list goes on and on.

  • Published
    March 29, 2012

    WHAT”S UP IN APRIL: New supernovae visible, along 3 three asteroids

    The month of April is named after Aprilis, which means aperture, since April is the month of opening. We have had one of the warmest winters on record, so we will wait and see what this spring will bring as life returns to the Earth in the northern hemisphere.

  • Published
    March 29, 2012

    MARK LATTI: Mild winter throws curve at fishermen

    In the past week I have heard the first peeps of spring from the marshes, listened to the familiar "peent" of returning woodcock, pulled the taps from our maple trees, and turned over the garden.

  • Published
    March 24, 2012

    ALLEN AFIELD: Plenty to see, including friends, at Sportsman’s Show

    The 32nd State of Maine Sportsman's Show, the largest of its kind in the state with 130 booths, 100 seminars and many exhibits in the auditorium and in rooms around the Augusta Civic Center, takes place Saturday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1.

  • Published
    March 24, 2012

    SNOWMOBILING: Trail maintenance costs rise with snowmobiling’s popularity

    Sometimes it takes someone "from away" to increase your appreciation of what lies in your own backyard.

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  • Published
    March 24, 2012

    ON HIKING: Marginal Way a walkworth taking

    Right about now at the tail end of winter, most of us are looking for an excuse to get outside for a good walk, a chance to stretch the legs, breathe some fresh air and clear the mind. A walk along the ocean usually works for me, so on a sunny day recently I decided to check out a coastal venue I'd never visited before: Marginal Way in Ogunquit.

  • Published
    March 22, 2012

    ON SKIING: A life inspired by mountain and mentors

    Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton holds a very special place in my heart, and I've taken great joy in watching its metamorphosis at Shawnee Peak under the careful and inspired guidance of Chet Homer and Ed Rock.

  • Published
    March 22, 2012

    FOR THE BIRDS: Bumper crop doesn’t lead to crossbill sightings

    In the fall, I had high hopes for a winter with tons of northern finches. Red spruce, balsam fir, tamarack and eastern hemlock trees were producing bumper crops of cones. These so-called mast years occur sporadically, and different tree species do not necessarily have mast years in the same years. The winter was shaping up as a marvelous smorgasbord for the finches that depend on conifer cones for their main food.

  • Published
    March 15, 2012

    OUTDOORS: Surprising items find place in first-aid kit

    My family's first-aid kit has seen plenty of action over the years. The tweezers have regularly removed ticks and the baby wipes have saved us from poison ivy outbreaks. The plastic card has earned a permanent place in our kit since we discovered its leech removal abilities, and we always carry small bottles of meat tenderizer and Benadryl after our run-in with yellow jackets.

  • Published
    March 15, 2012

    MARK LATTI: Still ways to have fun in mud season

    March in Maine can be maddening for those who enjoy the outdoors. It can be spectacular, or just as easily, downright miserable. As we have already experienced this March, you can have sunny days in the 50s, a foot of snow, deluges of rain and these can all come in the same week.