Snowy adventures

Recently I embarked on a solo backcountry snowshoeing trip in the woods of northern Maine. Given the amount of snow which has fallen this year this was a great time to do some bush whacking and possibly find some hidden gems off trail. With me was a topo map of the area, a compass, 2 days worth of supplies, and a pair of wooden snowshoes made by my great grandfather when he was my age.

It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid twenties without a cloud in the sky; perfect for making good time through the forest. I headed north in the direction of a stream which snakes down a mountain with plans of following that up. With the sun at my back I embarked, easily floating over what would be waist deep snow. The scenery was pretty constant for most of the journey; dense pine cover with a thick underbrush, and the occasional game trail which consisted mainly of deer and coyote tracks. After nearly an hour my course intersected with the stream, just 2 miles from my starting point. The majority was frozen, but it is a very wild stream being fed from at least 2 mountains so there is enough turbulent water to keep the ice dangerously thin.

While following the stream up towards it's source I noticed a clearing through the trees, upon closer inspection it turned out to be an old cabin. I'm unsure of it's original purpose or if it's still being used, but judging from it's decrepit state I'll assume it has long since been abandoned. Could be a nice place to weather a storm or spend a night if lost however. Strange place for a cabin however as there were no trails or roads leading up to it. Possibly a reason why it has been so neglected.

After a short stop at the cabin I proceeded upward along the bank of the stream, which was becoming more turbulent with the increasing steepness of the mountain. Sadly I could only go so far as the stream had eaten into the side of a large cliff making my intended route impassable. My 2 options were to turn back or cross the frigid fast moving stream, not being insane I chose the former.

 It wasn't long before I happened upon another surprise; the smell of death. I looked around trying to find where it was coming from and finally found the source; the skull of a deer which appeared to be mostly eaten recently. I'm not sure if he died from old age, or if he was the unfortunate victim of a pack of coyotes in the deep snow. I couldn't help but try to imagine his final hours. My hope is he went down in a valiant fight.