Trail hut system takes shape in western Maine

KINGFIELD – Dreams of a trail hut system along cross-country ski, snowshoeing, mountain biking and hiking trails through western Maine are about to turn into reality.

Maine Huts and Trails said it will begin construction of the first trail shelter near Poplar Stream Falls in Carrabassett Valley on Sept. 6. The organization said it has completed its first phase of fundraising, with more than $5 million raised during the last two years.

Construction of the first hut is sponsored by a charitable foundation established and funded by New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. The structure will feature a main building with a kitchen, restroom and lodging for up to four staff, and three separate cabins will provide sleeping quarters for up to 40 guests.

The remote hut site was secured with a long-term lease from the Penobscot Indian Nation.

Services at the hut, which is expected to open to the public as early as February 2008, will include dinner and breakfast for overnight guests in addition to interpretive displays and educational programming.

The dozen huts, to be open year-round, will be about 12 miles apart with sites on ponds, lakes, rivers and in the foothills. They are modeled after Maine’s traditional sporting camps, with a main building with attached porch that houses the kitchen.

Maine Huts and Trails envisions a 180-mile recreation corridor from Bethel to Moosehead Lake.

Maine Huts and Trails’ executive director, Dave Herring, is a former Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain huts manager in New Hampshire.

Trail designer John Morton has laid out trails throughout northern New England, including North Conway’s Whitaker Woods in New Hampshire and Vermont’s Kingdom Trails. His Web site also mentions the former Dartmouth College head ski coach’s work designing trails in Wisconsin, Michigan, Utah, Alaska, Scotland and South Korea.