To anyone familiar with Maine’s outdoors, it’s no news that spring’s arrival has nothing to do with the calendar. Here, it’s more of an event that we know when we see it. There are milestones that occur that remind us that yes, winter may be slowly passing even if it hasn’t ended outright.

I mentally check off each benchmark as what passes for spring draws nearer. For example, frost heaves and potholes arrive simultaneously, meaning the ground is thawing out. Cold nights turn into ever warmer days that grow longer as the sun reluctantly rises higher in the sky. Eventually, the snow retreats from my favorite trails. Ice-out occurs on the lakes, and spring’s migrating birds arrive. It’s slow progress, though, and before the calendar date for spring, I have to get outside and hike.

I’m not talking about a hike in multiple layers, or while using chemical hand and toe warmers – let alone wearing snowshoes and skis. I need to hike in shorts, no jacket, a light pack for a day hike and that’s about it. I’m even ready for weekend overnights where I don’t have to accept the term “winter camping” as a normal part of conversations.

Before setting out for shoulder-season hiking, however, there are a few gear changes and techniques particular to spring in Maine that every hiker should consider. What follows then, are a few tips that should make your early spring hikes safe and enjoyable.

. Weather Readiness:

Spring is the most unpredictable, weatherwise, of all seasons. The likelihood of severe weather is highest between March 20 and June 19. It’s due to rushing warm air approaching from the south colliding with cold polar air diving in from the north. Spring is also the windiest season.

In Maine, that usually puts us in the middle. You’ll still need layers, but you probably can lose one and maybe not need to bring the down parka for summit stops. Try taking a fleece vest plus a windbreaker combination instead.

. Local Trail Conditions:

Last year we got a foot and a half of snow on April 5. It even stuck around a few days. By the open-water canoe races from the first week in April to the third weekend, most shady spots on coastal hikes from Acadia to Camden can still be blocked with the last of the ice. Usually that’s gone, though, shortly after.

Inland trails to the higher peaks like Bigelow often hold snow into late May. I’ve encountered snow on my maintenance section of the Appalachian Trail at 2,500 feet during the first week in May every year for the past 16. Not impassable, but still snow, sometimes knee deep in places. On the same section, I’ve been on a winter snowshoe hike with two feet of snow on March 30. Winter conditions occur into April in Baxter State Park, and I’ve seen snow in June on Katahdin.

. What to Bring, What to Leave Behind:

Due to the always-changing nature of spring here, you should pack at least a rain jacket that could double as a windbreaker. You may start your hike in the morning under blue skies only to have them darken and pour rain by the afternoon.

Also wear an insulating layer of fleece or wool to start your hike in the morning when temperatures are often frigid. Once the sun warms up the air temperature by midday, strip off the fleece and stow it in the pack until you reach the summit, when you’re likely to need it again if the wind picks up. Wear a lighter-weight set of polypropylene underwear. Winter-weight long johns are really just overkill, even in a Maine spring.

For day hikes, you can probably leave the down parka at home. The same with the insulated snow pants, insulated water bottle holder, wool hats and mitts. For early-season overnights, however, you still may want to pack those items for when the sun goes down. I usually don’t even think about overnight trips until the first week in May. Switch from a down sleeping bag to a summer-weight bag.

These are just a few ideas that could tame the wildest spring that Maine’s conditions can throw at you. The days will continue to grow longer, if only slowly warmer. The buds will change to leaves and by Memorial Day, winter’s white weight will have long been lifted. I, for one, can’t wait. I just want to see a different color covering the ground. It doesn’t have to be green grass. I’d settle for brown, dead grass, anything but white.

After this epic winter, I’ve never looked more forward to seeing flowering plants, which by the way bloom more varieties in spring than during any other season. And birdsong, remember birdsong? The forests will soon be alive with birdsong. I plan to be on a hike that day.

sourball@gwi.net