Outdoor club looks to start Bangor chapter

You love the outdoors. You’re sociable. You’d like to meet others with similar interests and share the experience. But you need a little push, or maybe a resource to let you know what’s happening.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a monthly list of outdoor trips? Or to be able to call up a few folks and pull together a hike in Acadia National Park, an afternoon kayak exploration or a multiday backpack trip? Or maybe you’ve had in mind a particular outing but just haven’t gotten around to doing it. Maybe you’re just strapped for ideas on a new place to go.

There’s club out there ready to help. I think it’s going to be the best thing for us outdoor nuts to come along in years. It’s the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. Until now it’s been a Portland-based organization. But on May 10, there will be a Bangor meeting to determine whether there’s enough interest around these parts to begin a local chapter.

MOAC is a year-round organization of 750 members that includes people of all skill levels, from beginner to expert, and all ages. I can’t think of a better opportunity to meet others who share a love of the outdoors. Typical activities include hiking, sailing, walking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, volleyball, windsurfing, backpacking, in-line skating, rock climbing, mountain biking, trail maintenance and white-water rafting.

And there are other social opportunities as well. In addition to outings, the monthly newsletter might list such things as a bluegrass concert, a trip to a hockey game or a trip to Florida to walk on the beaches.

MOAC was organized in 1989 after Carey Kish saw a small advertisement in the Casco Bay Weekly for someone looking for a few adventurous souls to go winter camping. It grew from a small core to its current membership. Kish’s college roommate, Peter Phair, who now lives in Bangor, recently decided it would be nice to have a local group and meeting place.

So he’s putting posters in area sporting goods stores and inviting anybody who will listen to come and talk about forming local chapter at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 10, at Care Development on Illinois Avenue at Bangor International Airport. To get there, turn onto Griffin Road toward the airport from Union Street, then take a right onto Illinois Avenue.

“I’m hoping to build on Portland’s success,” Phair said, “to include folks in the Bangor area.” Such a club can function on many levels, from being a resource-clearinghouse to being a club that holds monthly meetings. The Portland club publishes a monthly newsletter with a host of trips as well as anecdotal information about places from members who have taken a trip. At the April meeting in Portland, for example, there was a slide show on a member’s canoe trip to Labrador.

The club posts numerous weekly events such as a two-hour Tuesday evening Back Bay loop walk or maybe a barbecue. There are annual outings such as a rafting trip at The Forks or an Acadia National Park camping trip in May.

The Portland group meets the first Wednesday of the month. After a presentation such as the slide show, members brainstorm trip and outing ideas. These are assembled for distribution by e-mail, newsletter and the trip hot line. The activity list gives members the chance to contact others with similar interests.

“It’s a good networking experience for those connected to the outdoors,” Phair said. And the annual $20 membership is a bargain. Phair said he will talk with area outfitters and stores to try to set up a club member discount for gear purchases. In Portland, for example, R.E.I. offers members a 15 percent discount on purchases one night per month.

Another advantage of belonging to such a club is the wealth of information that is shared on destinations and gear. Since outdoor gear is generally expensive, it’s nice to be able to talk with others about your intended purchase. Often someone has been through the search, and many times there is extra equipment on an outing for you to try. In addition there are workshops at which such topics as backpacking, staying warm in the winter or sources for gear are discussed.

If you can’t wait for May 10 or want information about MOAC, check out the group’s home page on the Web at www.maineoutdoors.org. There you’ll find information about the club as well as trip leader checklists, gear checklists, pictures of outings, and a bunch of neat links to other organizations such as the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, American Trails, Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, Maine Island Trail Association and Portland Trails.

Paddlers and polers

Depending on your choice of paddling craft, I’ve got a few dates for you to mark on the calendar.

If your choice is sea kayaking, I have some dates for rescue, basic strokes and rolling clinics taught by Karen Francoeur, owner of Castine Kayak Adventures. Francoeur is certified by the American Canoe Association to teach kayaking, and is a Registered Maine Guide and Sea Kayak Guide.

Maybe you’ve just purchased a boat or would like to learn about kayaking before you buy one. Or maybe you have a boat but would like some guidance on proper paddling or rescue techniques. Here’s an opportunity to get some hands-on instruction.

Basic rescue clinics will be held at the Old Town YMCA on Stillwater Avenue from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, May 4, 11 and 25. Classes are limited to six participants and cost $23 if you bring your own boat, personal flotation device and paddle. For an additional $15 the equipment will be provided. You will learn wet exits, assisted partner rescues and self-rescue techniques using the paddle float, pump and stirrup.

If you’d like to brush up on your basic strokes (forward, reverse, sweep, draws, braces and boat lean) these skills will be taught at Pushaw Lake from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, May 16, 23 and 30. In addition to strokes, Francoeur will show you how to gracefully enter and exit your boat (ask her about the deck exit) and will share information on wind and wave dynamics.

No dates have been set yet for the rolling clinics, but the time will be from 5 to 8 p.m., for a cost of $35. They will be taught in a swimming pool, either at the Old Town High School or the Old Town YMCA. If you paddle a kayak, this is a useful skill to master. By being able to roll back upright after capsizing, you will be upright and on your way in seconds, and you remain relatively dry. Without this skill, you must exit your boat, get very wet and then re-enter your boat and pump it dry.

Call 866-3506 for more information or to reserve your spot.

For those who want to stand up in a canoe and make it go upstream with aplomb, check out Warren Cochrane’s canoe poling clinic at 9 a.m. May 7 in Kenduskeag Stream off Valley Avenue just up from the I-95 overpass. A poling race will take place at 2 p.m.

For $5 you’ll get expert advice from one of the masters of this traditional means of motivating a canoe. This is the 11th year Cochrane has run this clinic, and having taken it once I can tell you it’s both educational and thrilling. If you’ve never tried using a pole to maneuver a canoe here’s your chance. You’ll be surprised at how easily you can put your boat where you want it, and how you can stop at any point to assess the currents.

If you’re interested, give Cochrane a call at Allagash Canoe Trips in Greenville, 695-3668. You need to call ahead of time to let him know how many will be taking the clinic. You’ll also need to bring a canoe (14 to 18 feet), but a few will be available for rent. Some poles will be available to use or to buy. You also must bring your own personal flotation device and it’s good to have a change of clothes, a wet suit for cold weather, a helmet, water shoes with sticky soles and a pair of neoprene of pebbled palm gloves.

After lunch (bring your own) there’ll be a race to determine the state poling champion. Harry Rock, 11-time national champion, and Ed Hayden, former national masters champion, are scheduled to race, as are Maine Guides Chip, Lani, Erik and Warren Cochrane, and Linda Koski, all of Greenville. Chip Cochrane is six-time national canoe poling champion and the only one to defeat Rock in the last 16 years. Rock is the only one to beat Cochrane since he started competing in 1991. Warren and Erik Cochrane have placed as high as third at several past national competitions.

Expect to see some friendly and spirited competition.

Jeff Strout’s column is published on Thursdays. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangornews.infi.net.