Alison Bossie is a Nickerson Lake resident who tries to snowshoe 3 to 4 times a week. She used to snowshoe with her husband when they were newlyweds and have picnics on the lake with other friends.
The lake environment provides snowshoeing for all abilities. According to Alison, there are three levels of snowshoeing difficulty:
Easy – the lake ice is always flat…no hills! You can snowshoe all around the lake and shore. Alison snowshoes from her house to Crescent Park then walks to the mailbox to grab her paper! That’s what we call killing two birds with one stone! Or to be more environmentally friendly we will say feeding two birds with one scone, as PETA suggests!
Medium – the Blue Trail. This is a hilly hike up behind Aspen Lane on the south side of the lake (marked with blue blazes) – check the map below. This trail was first groomed by the Tidds for Wynne Lee’s Girl Scout Troop years ago. The trail intersects with the ITS (International Trail System) coming from the Bangor Road. It takes an hour to complete this trail.
Difficult – Blue Trail to Lookout: snowshoe up to the Lookout and then meet up with the ITS and walk back till you re-connect with the Blue Trail and walk down the hill. This is a steeper, more difficult (but beautiful) hike and could take up to two hours and a half to complete.
You can also go for a moonlight snowshoe. This can be a great group event on a full moon night! When the weather gets warmer (above 32 F), it is harder to snowshoe because the snow is too sticky and melting.
Advice
Alison: “I think that if you live in Northern Maine, you have to embrace the winter. Snowshoeing is a great winter exercise and you can step outside your door and start!”
Snowshoeing can be a fun social event and is good low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed by all age groups. Bring a friend, get your snowshoes on, and get some fresh air!
