The 24th Great Caribou Bog Wicked Winter Ski Tour & Race WAS HELD with 114 skiers
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
*16 km Distance*

Last ski of the season today, Wednesday, April 1st, on Pushaw Lake. Got my boots wet getting from the shore to the ice. Skied with Mark Lena from Gould's Landing up to the inlet and back, skating style. Ice was soft, with some open water around shore and the islands. It was a great ski season.
I cleaned up the snowmobiles and drove them into the garage, cleaned and sharpened the two Tidds, and stored other trail maintenance items away for November.
We have trailwork planned for later in the summer; some more ditching is needed here and there on Bangor Hill. We will probably clear a narrow classic ski trail on the former Vohnoutka woodlot that uses some of the pipeline. This will provide an alternative to the Taylor Road which gets snowmobiled occasionally, and also melts out quickly.
Read the 2009 Great Caribou Bog Wicked Winter Ski Tour & Race Summary. Thanks again to all who have helped make this trail possible.

Went out this afternoon (Sun., March 15th), set a track from Kirkland to the City Forest. Please leave the brush at the Kirkland end; it's to discourage snowmobilers from getting on the trail. If you have time, throw more brush or saplings across the entrance at Kirkland. The bog is getting thin; I won't go across again with the snowmobile unless we get more snow. It's fine for skiing. There's a nice track just across Taylor Road toward Newman Hill; you have to walk about 200 feet to get to it. You can also come down the Pink Trail to the rr bed; you just have to walk about 150 feet in the middle. I pulled off the orange flagging and put up some blue diamonds between the gravel road and Forest Ave., did some pruning too. We may groom one more time up around Bangor Hill later in the week.
Chris

ORDER OF FINISH is posted here. If you started at the 11am cow bell ringing, your time should be accurate. If you started before 11am, your time is not accurate and just shows when you arrived in Old Town.
Photos and wrap-up to be posted later this week.
The trail will be groomed until the end of March, from Forest Avenue north to the top of Bangor Hill, and then return on the Pink Trail along the old Veazie railroad bed to the Orono dump area.

POSTED 8:00pm MARCH 3rd: Best conditions of the year, with a track set from Kirkland southward, across Forest Ave, to the old Veazie Railroad Bed (4 km mark to 14 km mark on the course), with the Pink Trail return loop too (2 km), for a total of 12 km of tracks.

photo from 9pm on Feb.23 of the Great Caribou Bog (this is the trail before grooming!!!)

Start of the Tour (left); skiers crossing the Great Caribou Bog (middle photos); sharing stories at the fininsh (right photo).

• DIRECTIONS: I-95 to Exit 193 (Stillwater Avenue), east on Stillwater past gasoline stations ~ 1/2 mile, left (north) on Bennoch Road, ~1/4 mile, turn left (west) into Sargent Construction entrance, follow signs to park. PLEASE CAR POOL!
• REGISTRATION: Please pre-register by Saturday, February 21st. We need an approximate count for the bus schedule, aid stations, and volunteer staffing. Bib pickup for all participants begins at 9:00 am at the Sargent Community Center in Stillwater (formerly the H.E. Sargent Elementary School)
• PARKING (PLEASE CAR-POOL): Please park next door at the Sargent Company (follow signs); 200 foot walk to Community Center (please do not park in the Community Center)
• ENTRY FEES: Adults & individuals = $15; Under 18 = $10; Maximum per family = $30
• T-SHIRTS available for purchase at registration (or finish) = $15
• LAST BUS leaves at 10:30 am for the start in the Bangor City Forest. Wear warm-ups and bring a bag to place them in.
• Tourers may begin skiing the trail to Old Town beginning at 10:00 am; racers start at 11:00 am
• Before starting, put bag with warm-ups on the bus so it's transported back to the finish at Sargent Community Center

Left to right: The old Veazie Railroad section; night grooming on Newman Hill; the "lead" pack; touring through the Caribou Bog.

• COURSE: much of the trail is new this year. Start in the Bangor City Forest, out to old Veazie Railroad bed, up toward Forest Avenue. Refreshment station #1 at Forest Avenue crossing. Continue north through black spruce forest, then across the Great Caribou Bog, around Orono transfer station, cross old Veazie Railroad, up Newman Hill, then a series of short climbs to the top of Bangor Hill, refreshment station #2 with view of Katahdin. Gradual downhill to Kirkland Avenue, under I-95, around the University corn fields, finish at Community Center. Red pin flags and directional arrows mark turns.
• CLASSICAL skiing only please. The course is track set with each kilometer marked. Length ~17 km. There are two ~0.5 km long sections of shared snowmobile trail. Please respect all the users of the shared-use sections.
• OVERTAKING SKIERS: Faster skiers have the right of way; they will announce "TRACK", at which point the slower skier will step aside to let them pass.
• SAFETY: Communication on the trail provided by Pine State Amateur Radio Club. Refreshment Stations #1 and #2 have cell phones. If for any reason you do not complete the course, please notify us so we do not initiate a search.

• Come inside after finishing, where chili, breads, hot beverages, and assorted snacks are provided.
• AWARDS EVENT: Beginning at 1pm, awards for the following categories:
  1. Oldest male, female; youngest male, female; best costume; ugly lycra award; bronze broom award; broken ski award; best hard luck story; worst wax choice; "I wore way too many layers"; best hat; most torn clothing; best colors; best kilt; fastest wooden skis; slowest wooden skis; longest wooden skis; AND several surprise awards....

• Thank you to all landowners, sponsors, and volunteers who make the tour possible. Below are some photos from 2008 trail work. Exceptional thanks this year to Julian Wiggins, Jeff Lloyd, Kate Locke, Dave Thompson, Ron Logan, Charlie Therriault, Roland Perry, and Maine DIF&W.
• Thank you to Old Town and Orono Public Works Departments, and Old Town and Orono Parks & Recreation Departments, along with City of Bangor Recreation Department.

Left to right: Building the trail on an old skid road (before) on Bangor Hill; after; the rebuilt bridge with grassy trail at the bottom of Bangor Hill

Left to right: Rock picking on Bangor Hill new logging bridge for access, Pine State Amateur Radio Club members