As winter was winding down, we headed south to the Cutts Island Trail which is part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. It is a short, two-mile circular hike by a salt marsh.
The first part of the trail follows along Chauncey Creek and was easy to maneuver. It is not a strenuous hike. It leads to beautiful views of the marsh. Somehow, even though it’s a loop trail we did struggle to stay on the return part of the trail.
My parents spend most Saturday mornings on the yard sale circuit. Trust me, it’s a thing. I’m a fan myself although I don’t go as often as they do. Maybe someday. My husband and I did make a pit stop to the annual ten-mile yard sale in Cornville on our way up to The Forks last spring. It’s one of those must do destinations for yard sale aficionados.
While we never did find the main drag, we spent a few enjoyable hours poking around some of the side roads leading up to the sale as we passed through Skowhegan. I even scored a $5 pair of ice skates and a $2 DVD of The Purge so the hunt was successful. Although after watching the Purge, I’m not sure it was a complete win.
There are over 4,600 islands off the Maine coast. Some are more remote than others. In winter, all are a little quieter.
Some islands are actually accessible by road including two off the coast of Yarmouth: Cousins and Littlejohn Islands. Littlejohn Island has a preserve that includes a hiking trail with scenic views of Casco Bay.
We actually hiked the trail a few days into spring so the snow cover was spotty but the wind chill was intense making it feel like we were still in winter. We hiked late on a Sunday afternoon which probably impacted the cooler temperatures.
Covered bridges bring up feelings of nostalgia as your mind wanders back to an earlier time. They are the poster child for idyllic countryside drives and simpler times. Maine has nine covered bridges remaining according to the Maine Department of Transportation site on historic covered bridges.
Covered bridges at the center of a snow-covered scene are a quintessential New England image. While covered bridges are not specifically a winter thing, they do look even more lovely painted in white.
In the winter, when the trees have shed their leaves and all that remains are the bare branches some unique, interesting natural sculptures begin to appear. I’m drawn to trees that are different and I don’t think I’m alone because many of the trail markers that I see on our hikes are placed on the most unique trees.
Some trail markers are painted on to the trees while others are actual tags that are attached and as we’ve grown in our hiking experience we’ve gotten a lot better at spotting them. Fortunately, at least for us, it seems to be a little easier in the winter which is good because the actual trail can be more challenging to find when the ground is covered in snow and you can’t always trust the trampled path of those that went before you. Sometimes they wander off the main trail so you need to rely on your trail markers.
Weekends in Maine 