Bangor-area hikes and dogs, the focus of my April 8 talk in Bangor

I guess I’ll just cut to the chase. On Tuesday, April 8, I’ll be giving a presentation, “Canine Hiking Buddies & Bangor-area Treks,” at 6:30 p.m. at the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow Street in Bangor.

Courtesy of Brian Feulner

Courtesy of Brian Feulner

The event will be hosted by the Appalachian Mountain Club, the country’s oldest conservation and recreation organization. (I’m excited to be working with them on this! AMC kind of rocks. Ever been to their backcountry lodges? Skied or hiked their trails? They’re right in the Moosehead area.)

Anyway — I’ll cover two topics, as you might have guessed from the presentation title: the art of hiking with dogs and wilderness trails in the greater Bangor area. Even if you don’t own a dog, you might be interested in some of the stories I have to tell! I’m a journalist, after all, and we tend to speak in stories. It’s pretty much what we live for — good stories.

It won’t just be me standing up there talking. I’ll have a slideshow going, which will include many photos and a few short videos — including a brand spanking new blooper reel.

oreorollWhen it comes to dogs, topics of discussion will be trail etiquette and gear to pack for your canine hiking buddy, as well as the problems that can arise on the trail and how you might handle them. Count on hearing some stories about my dog, Oreo. And I’ll be happy to hear from people in the audience who want to share dog stories, concerns or ask questions.

Moving on, I’ll present trails for all skill levels located within an hour of Bangor, including some wheelchair accessible routes. I didn’t realize how many great outdoor escapes there were in the area until I started writing my hiking column 2.5 years ago!

penjajaAnd to end the presentation, I’ll talk about some local groups that offer outdoor-related workshops and outings. Here at the BDN Outdoor desk, I receive notifications about all sorts of outdoor events happening in the area. I’m amazed at how many programs are planned throughout the year by land trusts and other outdoor-related organizations. So if you want to learn more about Maine’s great outdoors in a group setting, there are many opportunities, and most of them are free or at a very low cost.

I hope to meet some new people at the talk, and see some familiar faces, too! If you’ve ever been to one of my talks before, this one will be completely different.

For information about more AMC programs, visit www.amcmaine.org.

 

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.