Sometimes a spur-of-the-moment outing is just what the doctor ordered. It’s a great stress reliever and a walk along the ice-covered shore of the ocean around sunset can inspire awe as well as infuse some fresh air into your system.

Last Sunday afternoon, after doing a few menial home chores in an effort to keep up with my wife’s nonstop laundryfest before she headed off to work, I decided I needed a change of scenery and to get out of town for a few hours. Other than the fresh air bit and the desire to have it smell a bit like the ocean, I had no specific destination in mind – it would reveal itself when I hit the road.

No need to pack a lunch, it was well past that, but why not throw in a light stove and plan on making a hot cup of cocoa to sip while watching the sunset? I grabbed a small pack and stuffed in my binoculars, a camera, a fleece and wind shirt, and a water bottle. I was ready. Well, almost. Hearkening back to last week’s discussion on just the right layering for the crisp air, I pondered the clothes rack for a few minutes.

The final decision (which proved just right for the light breeze and teen temperatures) was: liner socks under midweight hiking socks; polypro long underwear, jeans, a synthetic T-shirt, a light, long-sleeved synthetic, a wind-block fleece vest and a wind-block jacket, fleece hat, and gloves. I chose my Redwing midheight boots because they’re comfortably worn in and have a Gore-Tex membrane that makes them relatively waterproof for those occasional puddles that prove deeper than they look.

My internal compass helped make the decision of where to go as I headed out of my driveway. It would be Searsport and Sears Island. It’s just 30 miles away, easy to get to and big enough that there are multiple choices for hikes. By the time I landed, the sun was well on its way toward the horizon.

A northwest wind that breezed across the causeway helped me make my decision to walk the westerly shore south toward the sunset. The ice-lined shore was a little like an obstacle course with sandy lanes here and there leading me southward. I figured I’d round enough of the island to be out of the wind at a point where I could stop, set up my stove, and heat up water for cocoa. That point happened to be at the unfinished jetty across the bay from Mack Point pier. If you use your imagination, you can overlook the docks and piles of salt and bundled lumber.

A vermilion sunset provided the backdrop for a relaxing stop. It wasn’t long before the boiling water brought me out of my reverie to mix the cocoa and sit back for another few minutes to watch the show and sip my hot drink.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t be for very long. It was getting dark – and guess what I didn’t throw in my pack this time? Right! A headlamp! (How many do I have?) I checked the incoming tide and decided that walking back along the shore could prove wet. The road route was in order. Since there were only a couple of inches of snow on the ground, the walk would prove to be relatively easy. And even though the sun had set, there was enough twilight and moonlight to make the walking trouble-free, each step in the still of the evening sounding like I was walking on Styrofoam.

Back at the car I ditched the pack and leaned on the nearby guardrail just taking in the twinkling of the evening sky and the gentle lapping of waves against the causeway. For a moment or two I was totally alone, immersed in the dusk of evening. A slight chill shook me back to reality and the car.

It was time to head home.

Caribou Bog race Feb. 17

David Sewall sent me an e-mail the other day to remind me to remind you that Feb. 17 is the 23rd Caribou Bog Ski Race and Tour. The event benefits the Shaw House and trail development in Bangor. There is no kids’ tour this year, he said.

Registration and bib pickup begin at 9 a.m. at Essex Woods on outer Essex Street (no pre-entries) and the rain date is March 3. Entry fees are $15 for adults and individuals and $10 for children under 18 years old with maximum per family of $30.

The approximately 20-kilometer race and tour will take you over a revised course through the Caribou Bog. It starts at the bottom of Essex Street Hill, goes out the old Veazie Rail Road line to Caribou Bog, and finishes at the Sargent Recreation Center on Bennoch Road in Stillwater.

Participants may leave anytime after 10 a.m. Racers will begin at 11 a.m. Awards will be presented for fastest overall man and woman as well as age-group winners. There will be no team awards this year.

Transportation will be provided back to the start from Stillwater. For more information, call: 941-5670 (days), 825-3230 (evenings) or e-mail: pmillard@adelphia.net. There are entry forms on the Web site: www.pvskiclub.org.

Canoe Trail launches program

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail has announced its Waterway Stewardship Intern Program, which will place two competitively selected college students on the 740-mile canoe and kayak route this summer.

Interns will join with NFCT volunteers and mentors to complete projects along the trail, gaining hands-on experience in recreational resource and waterway management. This program is part of NFCT’s comprehensive 2007 stewardship program and is funded through a grant from the Quimby Family Foundation.

Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply for positions. NFCT will select two Waterway Stewardship Interns for a six-week internship in June and July 2007. The interns will help to maintain and enhance accesses, portage trails, and campsites along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and will also have opportunities to mentor with professionals in the fields of natural resource management, ecotourism, recreation, outdoor education, and environmental policy.

Interested students and college administrators can find more information and application materials on the NFCT Web site: www.NorthernForestCanoeTrail.org.

Applications are due Feb. 15; interns will be announced in early April.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail links the watersheds of northern New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine and is a unique thread tying together the Northern Forest Region. The 740-mile trail traces historic Native American travel routes through the rivers of this region and is a living reminder of our history, where rivers were both highways and routes of communication.

To learn more about the trail, visit the above Web site or write to Northern Forest Canoe Trail, P.O. Box 565, Waitsfield, VT 05673

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net