When it comes to mountains, Vermont has the Greens, New Hampshire has the Whites and Maine has the Blues. The Blues, better known as the Longfellow Range after Maine’s most famous poet, extend northeast from Bethel to 5,268 foot Mt. Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The section of the Blues from the Androscoggin River to the Bear River in Grafton Notch is called the Mahoosucs, likely an anglicized Abenaki Indian term for “land that is hard to hunt in” or “abode of hungry animals”. Some historians believe the term means pinnacle or mountain peak.

Since the 1870’s travelers have visited the Bethel area to hike the peaks and neighboring foothills, breathe the clean mountain air, spark their creative spirits and cure their blues. Not to be over-shadowed by the more publicized and well-known Presidential Range and White Mountains, the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce is reaching out to visitors of all ages and abilities to hike, walk and backpack the variety of trails found in the western Maine region.

There are over two dozen day hikes in the area including the Mt. Will Trail, Step Falls Nature Preserve, Table Rock Trail and Wright Trail leading up Goose Eye Mountain. The Grafton Loop Trail provides a three night backpacking trip for the adventuresome. In town, the Bethel Pathway along the Androscoggin River, Paradise Road and self-guided walking tours of the town’s historic district satisfy the casual, exercise walker.

Recently rebuilt, Table Rock Trail is a favorite with families. The 2.4 mile loop follows the Appalachian Trail’s white blaze to the blue-blazed trail. It rises gradually to a height of 900 feet above the trail head. An alternate route takes a steep ascent with minor case that challenge and enchant the youngsters. From aptly named “Table Rock”, the vista includes 4, 180’ Old Speck Mountain, the third highest mountain in Maine. Step Falls near Grafton Notch was the Nature Conservancy’s first preserve in Maine. The 24 acre preserve trail follows Wright Brook, a braided stream of steeply cascading pools dropping over 250 ft-making this one of Maine’s highest waterfalls. This is an ideal hike for nature photographers. The Mt. Will Trail, developed by the Bethel Conservation Commission, climbs 730 feet through the Bethel Town Forest. The North Ledges Section is highlighted by a descriptive nature trail, followed by a hike to south facing ledges that afford views of the Androscoggin valley and Bethel village. The final rocky descent completes the 3.25 mile loop. The Wright Trail is a full day’s loop hike up to the 3860 foot summit of Goose Eye Mountain. This trail is part of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Mahoosuc Unit.

For its hiking visitors, Bethel offers a variety of lodging from restored Bed& Breakfasts, historic Inns, to resorts with swimming pools and golf courses, motels and campgrounds. Dining options range from a half dozen pizza places to Chinese, Korean, BBQ, vegetarian, English pub, microbrewery and fine dining. Day hikers can pick up a pack lunch at the local supermarket or specialty food stores. There is an outdoor outfitter right in town for those in need of hiking, backpacking and camping gear. The Bethel Chamber of Commerce office has trails maps for day hikes in the area and the staff will provide direction to the trail heads. For information on walking, hiking and backpacking contact the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-442-5826 or on-line at www.bethelmaine.com.

The ninth Annual Loon Echo Hike n’ Bike Trek will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton, Maine to benefit Loon Echo Land Trust’s conservation efforts. Trekkers may choose from a 25, 50 or 100-mile, fully supported, bike ride through spectacular mountain and farmland country in western Maine, or a six-mile hike over conservation lands on Pleasant Mountain, southern Maine’s tallest mountain.

Pledges are not required to enter, but are encouraged to help the cause. A delicious barbecue meal and a prize pool giveaway (for those raising pledges) will take place after the trek.

Registration begins on June 1st. Early bird registration discounts apply until July 1st.

Please help Loon Echo protect; one of the most beautiful regions in Maine! Contact Loon Echo at (207) 647-4352 or biketrek@lelt.org, or visit the website at www.lelt.org.

Search and rescue personnel from the Maine Warden Service, volunteer groups and dog teams were on standby to begin looking for the man when he was located.

On May 4, Baxter State Park authorities received a complaint from the Brewer Police Department that a Brewer resident found a backpack on the Appalachian Trail west of Abol Bridge. The resident left the backpack on the trail.

On May 7, today, Baxter State Park Ranger Ben Woodard hiked into the area and found the backpack. He snapped some pictures of the pack and called the Maine Warden Service because it appeared suspicious and it appeared to have been there for several days.

Wardens and Baxter State Park personnel started an investigation into who owned the pack. The name of John Meharg, 30, of Reading, Penn., was identified from a registration sheet at Togue Pond Gates.

Warden Investigator Bill Livezey was able to contact a family member, and then talked to Mr. Meharg. Mr. Meharg denied that he had left his backpack in Maine.

While search personnel were coming to the area to await duty instructions, a hiker who had contact with Mr. Meharg was interviewed. After that interview, Mr. Meharg was called again, and he reluctantly admitted that the backpack was his.

According to Mr. Meharg, he had planned on starting at the top of Mount Katahdin and then head south on the Appalachian Trail. He couldn’t get to the top of the mountain because of weather conditions, and eventually ended up on the AT near the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Mr. Meharg ended up in the water and hurt himself. He headed to a road for help without his backpack, and somehow arrived at the Millinocket Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

Mr. Meharg then took a taxi to Bangor, where he rented a vehicle and headed back to Pennsylvania.

The Maine Warden Service strongly urges people who are going hiking to let someone know your route, when you are leaving and when you are expected back. The hiking trails are wet and slippery this time of year so caution should be taken.

The ninth Annual Loon Echo Hike n’ Bike Trek will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton to benefit Loon Echo Land Trust’s conservation efforts. Trekkers may choose from a 25, 50 or 100-mile fully supported bike ride through spectacular mountain and farmland country in western Maine, or a six-mile hike over conservation lands on Pleasant Mountain, southern Maine’s tallest mountain. Pledges are not required to enter, but are encouraged to help the cause. A delicious barbeque meal and a prize pool giveaway (for those raising pledges) will take place after the trek. Registration begins on June 1st. Early bird registration discounts apply until July 1st. Please help Loon Echo protect one of the most beautiful regions in Maine! Contact Loon Echo at (207) 647-4352 or biketrek@lelt.org, or visit the website at www.lelt.org.

Posted by Tom Remington

Richard McLaughlin, 80, left his home sometime before 11:30 a.m. Friday with a couple of cans of spray paint to mark a trail, according to Maine Warden Sgt. David Craven. Mr. McLaughlin had told the widow of a longtime friend that he would go and prepare the trail on Porcupine Mountain on Friday so that they, along with family and friends, could follow the trail today and spread her husband’s ashes on the mountain, which is what the friend requested before he died recently.

According to Sgt. Craven, Mr. McLaughlin got disoriented in the woods and couldn’t locate the trail he was making. He heard Libby Brook and headed towards it.

Mr. McLaughlin had made a shelter, and used fir boughs – stuffed inside his shirt and as a blanket — to protect him from the weather. “He smelled like a wreath,” said Sgt. Craven. “Other than that, he was cold but fine. His plans were to stay put along Libby Brook overnight and then follow it to a roadway this morning.”

The Machias Police Department notified the Maine Warden Service at approximately 10 p.m. that Mr. McLaughlin had been reported missing by his brother. Mr. McLaughlin’s vehicle was located behind the University of Maine at Machias shortly thereafter.

According to Sgt. Craven, Porcupine Mountain is thick with trees and brush. Search-and-rescue teams at times needed to use their bodies like a bulldozer to push through the woods.

Involved in the search for Mr. McLaughlin were: Wardens Joe McBrine, Wayde Carter (with his K-9), and Paul Farrington (with his K-9), Leslie Howe and teams from the Maine Search and Rescue Dogs, and Richard Scribner and Andrea Ednie from UMM’s outdoor recreation program.

The teams heard Mr. McLaughlin respond to his name being called, and Warden Farrington was able to reach him at approximately 1:30 a.m. today along Libby Brook.

Mr. McLaughlin did not need medical attention.

Now Gov. Baldacci is seeking a license fee increase and he seems determined to either get the increase or merge the fish and wildlife into one huge natural resources entity, of which nobody wants to see. An article by Kevin Miller of the Bangor Daily News says that Baldacci is threatening sportsmen to either accept the fee increase or he’ll merge the departments.

Baldacci spokesman David Farmer stressed that the consolidation proposal is being put forward as an alternative to higher user fees. If the sporting community can live with the fee increases, then the consolidation proposal goes nowhere,

Sure sounds like a threat to me.

Generally speaking sportsmen are content to pay reasonable fee increases when they can see value for their dollar. What’s getting really old is paying extra for the license in order to pay for things that have nothing to do with hunting, fishing and trapping. Maine has to find a way to make up the shortfall by collecting fees from those who use and don’t pay, admittedly a difficult task.

I can assure you though that consolidating departments and morphing Inland Fisheries and Wildlife into a huge natural resources kind of department would be the biggest mistake Maine could make. Just look around at the states who have. First and foremost, it saves no money but more importantly two things happen.

One, fish and game doesn’t get the attention it needs. Monies are moved around and license fees continue to escalate in order to pay for more non-game activities and services. This results in the second problem. Time and again when talking with other sportsmen in other states and even looking at surveys taken, one of the biggest complaints by sportsmen who have stopped buying a license is that they feel they have no say anymore with fish and game.

Where once sportsmen organized into clubs in order to have input into the management of game no longer exists to the same degree. Ask any sportsman and they’ll not give a real positive impression of their own fish and game departments. On top of that bury the fish and wildlife into a huge, bureaucratic nightmare of a “superagency” and what little confidence left gets further eroded to efforts of futility, devaluing the experience and rendering a license purchase a waste of time and money.

Maine Senator David Trahan, (R) Waldoboro, who sits on the Fish and Wildlife Committee says he wants people to know “Over my dead body”.

“I’m not interested in having this discussion about consolidating these agencies into one,” said Sen. Dave Trahan, R-Waldoboro, a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. “I just want people to know that. My position is ‘Over my dead body.’”

George Smith, Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, says he opposes both of the governor’s proposals.

SAM’s executive director, George Smith, has promised to fight both proposals to increase fees or merge the agencies. Smith and other several other speakers said the state needs to find a way to get kayakers, hikers and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts to help pay for the services that game wardens and DIF&W biologists provide.

The chairman of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, Bruce Bryant (D) Oxford, also thinks Maine has to find ways to get those utilizing services to pay to play.

Sportsmen complain about the fee increases. Others don’t because they enjoy the benefits bought and paid for by the sportsmen and yet these same free loaders are making much of the demand for bigger and better services.

There is one thing that is certain. We can get mad at the governor. We can berate the fish and game department but if we don’t stop placing demands for more and bigger, how can we expect to keep fees down? Granted our departments have to hold the line on spending but at the same time we need to stop demanding.

Tom Remington

Many Americans believe that being in the outdoors is what makes their lifestyles so remarkable and frankly, having grown up that way, I just don’t know what I would do if I lost the freedom to do that anymore.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. This lifestyle is being threatened. Ask yourself who you would rather have looking out for your interests in these matters, someone who is one of us or someone with little if any experience in outdoor affairs, namely hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, boating, ATVing, horseback riding, rock hounding, canoeing, kayaking and the list goes on?

As we rapidly approach November 4, 2008, Election Day, I encourage everyone to get out and vote. This may be the most critical election ever to face our nation and you need to be a part of it.

If you are anything like me, where the outdoors is more of a part of my life than indoors, I have to seriously consider who I want leading the way. John McCain is an outdoor sportsman. He is a fisherman and doesn’t pretend to be something that he’s not. He has selected a running mate in Sarah Palin that doubles the draw of the ticket.

The Sportsmen for McCain website says McCain supports your interests.

“John McCain understands that hunters and anglers are the first conservationists and without them, conservation as we know it will cease to exist. John McCain recognizes the importance of recruiting the next generation of hunters and anglers as well as maintaining those currently in our ranks. John McCain believes in multiple uses of public lands and knows that the revenue generated by the licenses and gear that we purchase is the life blood of state wildlife agencies.”

Our Endangered Species Act has been so far twisted out of shape it has lost its ability to protect the species we want to have long into our future. Who better to lead than someone with a real understanding of what proper wildlife management is. McCain is someone who knows that it is the outdoor sportsmen that make it possible for him to go fishing when he can.

I have to believe that one of the reasons John McCain recruited Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate, is because who else can have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the outdoors than the governor of the state that labels itself as “The Last Frontier”.

Having a grip on the importance of our outdoor heritage is huge. This directly affects tens of millions of Americans. Outdoor issues shouldn’t be overlooked in this election. Putting the future of our heritage in the wrong hands can gravely impact how we live as Americans.

Both McCain and Palin have track records on where they stand and what they have done to protect our heritage. Obama and Biden pale in comparison and have yet to show that they even care. Don’t hope for the best, when the best is right before you.

For more information on Sportsmen for McCain, visit their website.

Tom Remington

“Conservation Plate Holder Appreciation Days” is an annual event sponsored by the Maine Department of Conservation, in conjunction with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, to show off the beauty of state parks to those who help support their access and maintenance.

The pass only is valid at parks managed by the Maine Department of Conservation and at participating historic sites. Conservation “Loon” Plate holders who visit the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray or Swan Island in Richmond this weekend will be asked to pay regular admission. The MWP is self supporting and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, as is Swan Island.

The Conservation “Loon” Plate is a valuable fund raiser not only for state parks, but for the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, which is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Since the Conservation “Loon” Plate’s inception in 1994 more than $14 million in funds have gone to the Departments of Conservation and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

“These funds have allowed us to complete much needed upgrades in our state parks and historic sites, and support wildlife conservation efforts through the Endangered and Nongame Species Fund,” said Patrick K. McGowan, Commissioner of the Department of Conservation. “However, the number of Conservation ‘Loon’ plates being issued each year is in decline, and as a result, so are the much needed funds to do these important works.”

Because of declining Conservation “Loon” Plate sales in recent years, the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund is in danger of running out of money. With more license plate options available to motorists, including the Chickadee Plate, a 30 percent reduction in funds over the last several years threatens the loss of matching federal dollars. And it puts in peril the jobs of 10 experienced IF&W wildlife biologists who protect and manage many of the 49 species of birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and fish that are endangered in Maine. These include the Piping Plover, Blanding’s Turtle, Black Racer snake, rare butterflies, dragonflies, and freshwater mussels. Threatened species include the Canada Lynx, Atlantic Puffin and the Arctic Tern.

“The annual free admission weekend is a wonderful appreciation gift for those Mainers who invest in wildlife and park programs through their purchase of the Conservation ‘Loon’ Plate,” said Roland “Danny” Martin, Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “But it is our hope as well that this weekend enlightens all motorists to the value of the programs this registration plate supports, and they choose the Conservation ‘Loon’ Plate the next time they register their vehicles.”

Thanks to Loon Plate supporters, Bald Eagles no longer are endangered in Maine, but remain a threatened species. And, thanks to motorists sporting the Conservation “Loon” Plate on their vehicles, Peregrine falcons can again be seen on the cliffs of Borestone Mountain and Acadia National Park.

With the money it has received from Conservation “Loon” Plate sales, the Department of Conservation has built toilet and changing facilities at many waterfront parks, and improved access roads and parking at many state parks and historic sites.

The plate costs $20 for first-time buyers, plus regular registration fees, or $15 to renew. After processing fees, $8.40 of the plate’s annual cost supports the Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks and Lands and $5.60 supports the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, which is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The Loon Plate became available to motorists in 1994, and reached an all-time high of 110,265 plates in 1998. In 2007, only 63,425 cars carried this plate.

“People live in Maine because they love its vast outdoors and its wide variety of fish and wildlife,” said Commissioner Martin. “Please consider supporting the program that protects what we love – the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund and our beautiful state parks.”

For more information on the Loon Plate and the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund, visit www.maine.gov/ifw and click on the Loon Plate.

To purchase the plate, visit www.sosonline.org.

Posted by Tom Remington

The MDIFW is facing a shortage this year in its budget and they are scrambling to find funding. Sen. Bruce Bryant, Committee Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, is proposing an increase in hunting, trapping and fishing license fees by $2.00 per year for residents and $4.00 per year for nonresidents.

Coming as no big surprise, Maine sportsmen are divided on whether they should be asked once again to pick up the slack.

Rep. Tom Saviello of Wilton and member of the JSCIFW, is also proposing a bill that would levy a fee on hikers and kayakers of $20.00 annually. That money, as I understand it, would go into a pool used to offset the costs of the Maine Warden Service to respond to search and rescue calls for non-license holders in the state. This bill may be facing more resistance than the license fee increase.

I’m not going to get into discussions about whether or not I think any of the fees are fair, necessary or justified. What I will do is raise some questions that I think need to be answered before anyone in Augusta or the users and sportsmen can make qualified decisions on what should be done.

Sportsmen are notorious for complaining about fee increases and we can’t really blame them. It does seem that all too often they are called upon to pick up the slack when it comes to financial shortcomings. But also true to sportsmen is that they don’t mind coughing up their fair share and a lot more, when they are able to see the worth of their investment.

There is also a trust factor. Sportsmen have to have a belief that the MDIFW is looking out for them. Here’s one example. Last year in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources, said it had to raise license fees because it was looking at a $10.8 million shortfall. Sportsmen there were also divided but after raising fees, when the end of the year came around, DNR had a surplus of nearly $20 million. Trust me when I say there is no more trust between Michigan sportsmen and the MDNR and it could be years before MDNR will get a license fee increase again.

As I see it, those complaining the most about paying the extra fee are doing it for two basic reasons. 1). They see their services being cut along with a reduction in fish and game and opportunities. 2). They believe that non payers that rely on Fish and Game services, which includes the Maine Warden Service, need to start anteing up their fair share. In honesty, I think these two reasons are legitimate, although I probably won’t get a majority approval on that from readers.

How MDIFW will find the funding remains to be seen. What isn’t being answered, and I have sent out emails that have not been answered, is how is funding of MDIFW going to be affected if Gov. Baldacci gets his way and merges MDIFW with other “natural resources” departments in order to save money?

As most of you know, I am dead set against such a move for a number of reasons, one of them being the problems that arise from how revenue is generated to this new department and how it gets spent. Sportsmen need guarantees that the money they lay out in license fees is actually going to be spent on managing fish and game and not going to fund the local nature walk project that once open will be closed to all hunting and fishing.

In previous discussions I have had on this subject, people remind me that Maine is required by law to spend fish and game money on fish and game programs. I realize that but nobody will answer my question when I ask if those laws become null and void if legally the MDIFW is dissolved and a new entity of natural resources is created?

Maine doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to spending the money generated by license fees on fish and game items. If Baldacci gets his way, will the formation of a different department guarantee that Maine sportsmen’s money will be spent as promised?

Baldacci opposes a license fee increase, which I find interesting as I never knew a tax he didn’t like. Maine sportsmen need to decide if any money they have to spend more than they do now will be spent as promised and whether it is worthwhile. I don’t completely buy into the argument that Skip Trask, spokesman for the Maine Trappers Association and Maine Guides, used as was reported in the Banger News.

Skip Trask with the Maine Trappers Association and Maine Professional Guides Association pointed out that a daily lift ticket at a ski resort can cost $70 while some golfers pay $60 for a day of green’s fees.

Paying $40 for a year’s worth of hunting and fishing, as the bill proposes, is a deal by comparison as long as it helps keep wardens patrolling the backcountry to protect the resources, Trask said.

Trask is right in his representation of the costs of skiing and golf. I’ll also concur that the cost of a license to hunt, trap and fish in Maine is a bargain but making such a comparison isn’t in and of itself justification to raise fees. We shouldn’t raise fees simply because we can and get away with it – and I don’t think Trask is suggesting such a thing.

My point still comes back to perception of the license holder. It’s what you get for your money and whether you feel the money is spent with the best interest of the sportsman in mind.

This proposal for a rate hike comes at a troubling time in my mind. If this was coming at a time when Baldacci wasn’t suggesting a hocus-pocus, mix up and blend departments together, closely resembling a shell game, then maybe the decision could be easier.

It seems the majority of Maine sportsmen want non-paying users to contribute. How to make that happen is argumentative for certain. Making government bigger in hopes of accomplishing that task will never work. We need to fight Baldacci’s idea of creating a bigger department of natural resources and return the fish and game department back to more what it used to be – fish and game management.

Tom Remington

CONCORD, N.H. – Two hikers missing on Mt. Lafayette were found about 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening (February 11, 2008) by a 7-man rescue team of New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers and members of Mountain Rescue Service. Laurence Fredrickson, age 55, of South Sutton, N.H was pronounced dead at the Littleton Hospital a short time after his arrival. James Osborne, age 36, of Manchester, N.H., was last reported to be in critical condition suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite. Osborne was airlifted from Littleton Hospital to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.

The search team that found the hikers (one of six teams involved in the mission) had started up the Falling Waters Trail at 1:30 p.m. Searchers had to alternate breaking trail through deep snow; it took 6 hours of difficult hiking to reach the summit of Little Haystack Mountain. Weather conditions during the search effort consisted of sub-zero temperatures and strong winds.

The hikers were found near each other, close to the summit of Little Haystack Mountain (altitude 4,800 feet), about 200 feet north of the intersection of the Falling Waters and Franconia Ridge trails. Fredrickson was lying near the trail in an unresponsive condition with his pack still on his back. Osborne was found a short distance away, near some scrub trees, and was in a semi-comatose state.

According to New Hampshire Fish and Game Lieutenant Todd Bogardus, it appears that both hikers were equipped only for a day hike and did not have adequate winter gear for overnight or for the severe winter conditions encountered. They reportedly did not have snowshoes, which was a prerequisite for the snow conditions on most of the trails, especially below the treeline.

By the time the hikers had been found, the Army National Guard Blackhawk Helicopter had already returned to Concord and was in the process of being garaged in the hangar. They immediately reactivated to return to the search area. Despite high winds and dangerous nighttime conditions, they were able to land twice on the summit of Little Haystack Mountain to retrieve the victims and exhausted rescuers.

The helicopter first retrieved Osborne and one Fish and Game rescue team member at 8:50 p.m. A second trip was accomplished at 9:35 p.m., when Fredrickson was evacuated, along with the rest of the rescue team members at the summit.

A total of 24 experienced mountaineers from N.H. Fish and Game, Mountain Rescue Service and Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue were involved in this mission. Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team Members also responded to the scene to participate in the later stages of the rescue. Teams searched the following trail systems adjacent to Franconia Notch: Greenleaf Trail, Old Bridle Path, Falling Waters Trail, Liberty Springs Trail, Skookumchuck Trail and the Pemigewasset Wilderness Trail. Rescue teams were still making their way back out as late as 11:30 p.m. last night.

“This tragic situation, once again, underscores the importance of proper planning and the need for appropriate equipment when winter hiking,” said Col. Jeffrey Gray, Chief of Law Enforcement at Fish and Game. “Individuals must carefully evaluate and acknowledge their physical limitations and level of experience. Winter hikers should not hesitate to turn back or postpone outings when severe weather is predicted or encountered. Even the best of clothing and equipment may be no match for the severe winter weather often encountered in New Hampshire’s White Mountains!”

The two hikers had been reported missing on Monday morning (February 11, 2008) when they failed to show up for work at Concord Trailways. A vehicle registered to Fredrickson was located at the Falling waters trailhead in Franconia Notch and that, along with information from coworkers, led officials to believe that the itinerary was to ascend Mt. Haystack via the Falling Waters trail, traverse the Franconia Ridge Trail to Mt. Lafayette and then descend to the trailhead via the Old Bridle Path, a total distance of approximately 9 miles. Fredrickson had some winter hiking experience, and Osborne is described as a novice winter hiker.

No further information is available at this time.

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For information on safe hiking, visit http://www.hikeSafe.com.

Posted by Tom Remington