Ah, October. One of the most beautiful months in the mountains.

 

The vivid foliage heralds not only the start of a new season, but also Sugarloaf's annual Homecoming Weekend. It's a perfect time for fall hikes, target practice and reconnecting with old friends; the best way to enjoy all of that: With CVOA!!

 

The planners at CVOA Central have some good times planned for the weekend. Join us!! Better yet: Pitch in and help us! Honest - it's a lot more fun than work.

 

Start your weekend off Saturday with a swing by the CVOA Homecoming Booth, located in its usual spot just outside the restrooms in the base lodge. There will be some fabulous photography on display, some handouts outlining what we have planned for 2016, some hiking guides and cookbooks to scoop up for holiday gift giving and old friends hanging around waiting to catch up.

 

We're looking for volunteers so if you're willing to spend an hour or two sharing your CVOA stories with others and signing up new members, let Nancy know and she'll sign you up.

 

On Sunday, you have two options to choose from: a scenic hike in the Bigelows with Peg Bickford, or a day on the range ... trap shooting, kid programs, a fabulous BBQ and a Jeannette Parker Gift Basket Raffle.

 

We'll be there!! We're hoping you will, too.

I am receiving more requests for the GPS class; GOOD! The more the merrier and the more experience we will share. (Everybody that loves the woods has been lost at least once!)

We are set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and 4, at the Carrabassett Library Begin Room. Nine a.m. to four p.m.; bring any GPS's that you may have and your compasses. If you happen to have some topographical maps, bring them too. I am looking forward to meeting some new outdoor people!

 

When parking at the CV Library for functions, please leave the spaces in front of the library vacant.

 

~ Dick Parker, Instructor

(207) 628-2122 or [email protected]

Click here for more info on our web site.

CVOA is looking for a few volunteers to help work the Homecoming Booth.

 

It's really a meet-and-greet kind of job ... answering questions about our club and helping new recruits sign up.

 

And it's a great chance to catch up with old friends!

 

The booth is open from 10 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. We like to have a couple of CVOAers around throughout the day. We have Saturday morning covered but could use some help Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

 

If you can lend us hand for an hour of two, please contact Nancy at [email protected]. We'll sure appreciate it!!

It's happening! The weather is turning clear and crisp, leaves are hinting color, and it is a great time to enjoy fall with an invigorating hike. The views are rewarding and awe inspiring! Come join us for some fall treks and 'walks in the woods.' We welcome the average hiker, and will be taking plenty of rest stops for snacks and camera ops along the way!!

 

Sunday, October 11 - Little Bigelow Hike

Saturday, October 24 - Fire Warden's Trail to Avery and West Peaks.

~ Peggy Bickford, Hike Leader

Have you been to Acadia Park and Bar Harbor this year?  Each year a million people travel from all over the world to visit this beautiful place.  Now it's your turn!  

We've got the whole Mt. Desert Island reserved for the weekend of October 23 -25 (well not really, but it kind of feels that way) and you won't want to miss this popular CVOA event.  You already know how special the Park is, especially with the fall foliage.  Add to that a nice motel to stay at, lots of good eats in Bar Harbor, the infamous CVOA happy hours, and to top it off, you get to enjoy all this with your CVOA friends.  Feel free to bring guests with you as well.

 

So, check out our website post CVOA Bar Harbor Trip for more information and book your room at the Cromwell Harbor Motel.  We look forward to seeing you on Friday October 23rd!

 

Contact Peter Weston at [email protected] or call 207-885-5995 if you have any questions.

• Time - A February or March weekend
• Distance - It's a 6 mile ski to the camps
• Money - Budget rates are online at the AMC website
• To do - XC ski and snowshoe on wooded trails

Here's the brochure.

Here's info on our web site. 

 

A popular program designed to introduce area young people to the shooting sports for free will once again be part of the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association Range's annual Homecoming program on Sunday, October 11.

 

The youth program, available to young people between the ages of 7 and 15, has introduced dozens of young people to the basics of gun handling, archery and safety in previous years.

 

It features a classroom session led by trained instructors and then hands-on use of .22 caliber rifles and youth archery equipment with one-on-one supervision by trained CVOA members.  CVOA provides the equipment, including youth .22 "Cricket" rifles, ammunition and archery equipment free of charge.

 

According to Jim Heichel, a CVOA Range Committee member, the rifle, pistol and archery ranges will all be devoted to demonstrations and hands-on use of rifles and archery equipment.

 

Heichel, who chairs the activities, has planned programs for rifle and archery running from 10 a.m. - noon and from 1 - 3p.m.  Participants will receive instruction on safety and gun and archery equipment handling, followed by supervised shooting in both disciplines. 

 

"With the growing interest in outdoor activities like these, this is a great opportunity to show young people the safe and proper procedures for using rifle and archery equipment," Heichel said. Plus, he added, "The kids will have a great opportunity to practice both disciplines in environments designed for these activities, with lots of shooting time."

 

If anyone has questions, or needs additional information, they can call Heichel at 628-3356.

 

Starting at 9 a.m., the range will open with its usual Sunday trap shoot, but for Homecoming Sunday, it will not only run through noon but will pick up again at 1 p.m. through 3 p.m.

 

This year in particular, the weekly trap shoot has become a regular event for an increasing number of "scattergun" owners.  The Homecoming Sunday doubles up the hours that are usually available.

From morning hikes to afternoon paddles to evening bonfires ... CVOA lived up to its name as the "active outdoor club" during a 3-day stay in Maine's pristine 100 Mile Wilderness.

 

Some 28 members of CVOA spent a memorable weekend at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Little Lyford Lodge September 18-20. It was the group's first time with AMC ... but if the reaction of attendees was any indication, it won't be the last! "What a wonderful weekend," said Sonya Ducharme, who was attending her first CVOA outing with her husband Scott.

 

Members paddled, fished and swam on Little Lyford's ponds and rivers, hiked Gulf Hagas, "The Grand Canyon of the East", Indian Mountain and local nature trails, and feasted on fresh vegetables from AMC's gardens, salmon and ribs and homemade desserts.

 

Little Lyford offers a drive-in setting in the middle of the 100 Mile Wilderness, which runs from Monson to Baxter State Park. The AT runs through much of the area, as well as numerous other hiking trails, including Gulf Hagas with its series of spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes.

 

Guests stay in cabins or a bunkhouse, each with wood stoves and gas lights, and have access to showers, toilets and, in the winter, a sauna. There is hut-to-hut hiking and skiing to the AMC Chairback Lodge in the same area.

 

Plans are already being formulated for a fall or winter return.

 

~ Nancy Perry