November weather in Maine: dreary, cold, and no snow. Don’t despair-- there’s still plenty to do outside, other than hunt.
An outstanding view at the top of Bald Mt. in Oquossoc. This is a short hike, about a mile each way.
1.Short hikes for short days
With only nine hours of daylight, long hikes are off my menu. Some people love to hike by headlamp or moonlight. I’m up for that too, but not on the tail end AND at the start. It’s just not my bag. I can wait for February to do some long winter hikes. I use this time of year instead to do some short hikes that I still haven’t gotten to. Some of my top picks are Pleasant Pond Mt in Carratunk; Bald Mt. in Oquossoc; and the Kennebec Highlands between Vienna and Rome.
2. Hike or walk by moonlight or headlamp
A nighttime moonlight walk with friends is so much fun, and adds an element of adventure even for a familiar trail. Around here, we like to hike up to the Stratton Brook Hut which is part of the Maine Huts & Trails. Even though the huts have been closed for the past two seasons, the trails are still fantastic and they plan to open the huts this winter.
3. Check out some waterfalls
Since the most scenic waterfalls in our state are popular destinations, some of them can be rather crowded in the summertime. The fantastic waterfalls that are in Grafton Notch State Park are especially crowded because they are so easily accessible. However, this time of year, you’ll find them to be quite peaceful. If you don’t have a Maine Gazetteer, go get one. You can then choose a waterfall or other unique natural feature to go check out. Access to some waterfalls on private land has changed over the past few years. Be sure you do your homework before going on a long drive. Contact a local guide to give you the most up to date intel! I recently planned on a stroll up to Cascade Stream Gorge in Sandy River Plantation to find this sign:
Out of respect, I didn’t continue on, although I wanted to!
4. Gather pine cones and acorns (for lots of uses) with landowner permission.
I’m a teacher, and our school always makes holiday crafts with our students for the local nursing home and for the students’ families. Pinecones are free and we’ve used them to make owls, elves, and mini-pompom drenched ornaments. For home, I think a wooden bowl with pinecones and a pillar candle in the middle is a simple and pretty centerpiece for Thanksgiving. Add a few red berries and it’s for Christmas too. Native Americans made flour out of acorns. This is a challenge I still have yet to try, but with the abundance of acorns on the ground, this would be a good year to try it!
Gathering pine cones or other natural materials will take a little planning unless you happen to know the landowner. In Maine it is illegal to take anything--fiddleheads, boughs, berries, ore, pinecones--without landowner permission. Therefore, you’ll need to get landowner permission, just to be on the safe side. If you don’t know who owns the land, look at the town’s tax maps to find out. Their contact information is also on the map.
5. Join a hunter
If you’ve never joined a hunter tracking a deer in the snow or sitting in a hunting blind, waiting for a deer to pass by on a migration trail, you should. If you don’t mind the cold, duck hunting is another adventure to try. Even if you aren’t a hunter, it’s exciting, interesting, and a new way to experience the outdoors.
Keep an open mind, and take yourself on an outing each weekend in November. Before you know it, we’ll have snow!