Kid Tracks Column: Mount Agamenticus great for families

It was a clear but brisk windy day when we went for our mid-November hike on Mount Agamenticus in York. We chose to hit the trail on a Sunday to avoid hunters. But just in case, we still wore our bright orange knit hats.

We started our hike at the top of the mountain because the parking lot at the base trail head was full. The top of the mountain offers a lot more parking and we had no trouble finding a spot there.
The series of trails at Mount Agamenticus are great for families. There are trails as short as a tenth of a mile, with the longest trail measuring 1.5 miles. Hikers can also combine several trails easily because they are well-marked. There are trail maps available at several trail heads around the mountain or you can print out a trail map online at www.mtanemba.org/maps.html.



The trails at Mount Agamenticus are part of a network maintained by a conservation coordinator and crew as well as volunteers. Several trails are open not only to hikers but also mountain bikers and horses. There is a horse stable at the top of Mount Agamenticus run by the York Parks Department but it was closed last season due to budget issues.

The day we went on our hike there were a lot of families with young children as well as several mountain bikers, despite the cold temperatures.

For us this hike was especially fun because the kids had such a great time playing goofy games along the trail. As a parent I'm always encouraged by my children's ability to make the simplest things, such as piles of leaves and patches of ice, so entertaining.

We dressed more warmly than we have during other hikes because the temperature was barely 30 degrees and, with a strong wind, we assumed we'd be mighty chilly at the top of the mountain (but it was still a surprise to see the ice patches, our first sighting of the season). To avoid any complaining on the hike I encouraged my daughters, ages 6 and 7, to wear lots of layers. They wore cotton tights under their jeans with a T-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt and their winter jacket on this trip. They each had a set of mittens, a scarf and their orange knit hats. Now you might think I'm a bit over-the-top with the layers, but if my kids are uncomfortable (hot or cold) they whine. By wearing multiple layers they can peel off a layer if they get hot.

So what should you do to get your family ready for hiking during the colder months? Here are a few ideas:

Wear layers both on the upper and lower body. Cotton tights or long underwear under jeans keep legs warm when snow pants aren't worn.

Make sure the kids take off their coats in the car. If the kids have several layers on under their coat and the trail is 45 minutes away, that makes for a long, hot ride. Also, sweating indoors and then going outside can cause chills because the layer closest to your body is already damp.

Pack an extra pair of mittens or gloves in your backpack for each family member. My children inevitably find a way to get their mittens wet. Or they may take a mitten off to pick up something and then somehow the magic fairies have flown off with it, never to be seen again.

Pack snacks and drinks that are easy to open (and eat) with gloves on. Packing applesauce or yogurt (my 6-year-old's favorite snack) is fine in the warmer months but a little too time-consuming, messy and hard to eat in the cold.

Pack plenty of tissues - and keep them handy. It seems everyone's nose starts running when the temperature drops. And I'd bet most parents are like me and prefer their children use a tissue rather than their mitten or coat sleeve.
We realized on this hike that we needed to "re-season" our hiking backpacks. I periodically check to make sure we have plenty of adhesive bandages, gum (a family remedy for calming the crying that goes on with minor injuries), and other items we use on the trail (for more information about our first aid kit, see my previous column East Point Sanctuary)

With this hike I was so concerned about making sure we were all dressed for the cold weather, I never checked the backpack's supplies. We ended up carrying items we simply had no need for in cold weather - like bug spray. And until the snow starts flying, we really didn't need the bottle of sunblock we had either. So it's best to go through your backpack during each change of season.

We spent about an hour and a half on the trail. You don't have to be a hard-core outdoors-type family to venture on a hike during the colder months. With a little extra planning your family can spend some time together and find your own fun on the trail, even if your outdoor adventure is a little shorter in the cold weather.

Trail name: Mount Agamenticus
Nearest town: York
Region: Southern Coast
Length: There are multiple trails ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 miles.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate depending on trail
Elevation: 692 feet
Other: The trail is wooded. The top is an open, grassy area. There is a small parking area at the base trail for about a dozen cars. The top of the mountain offers a larger parking area. The lodge at the top of the mountain is a function hall and not open to the public. There are no mountain bike rentals on the mountain but there are several trails open to mountain bikers. The trails are open during the winter months but are not groomed.
Hazards: We encountered several large ice patches during our mid-November hike.
Directions: From Route 1 in York, turn onto Mountain Road. At the stop sign on Mountain Road turn right. The base of the mountain is 2.7 miles.

KIDS' REVIEW
Even though we chose to hike on a Sunday, a no-hunting day, we decided to wear bright orange hats as an added safety measure while on the wooded trails. Click here to see a slide show of photos.
(12 images) Listen to the 7-year old describe her experience on this trail...
(50 seconds, 500k mp3 format)
Listen to the 6-year old describe her experience on this trail...
(16 seconds, 168k mp3 format)
 
Originally published by the Maine Sunday Telegram December 7, 2003