Fall in Love with Winter in the Estuary
By Emily Pistell, Community Engagement Coordinator
If you were looking for a reason to fall in love with winter on the Maine coast, this January and February is it. We're on the heels of one snowfall, and Sunday will bring another. There are so many beautiful phenomena that happen only in the coldest months of the year, and the Kennebec Estuary is the perfect playground to enjoy it. Whether you skate, ski, snowmobile, fish, sled, or just like to look out the window cozied up to your woodstove - it has been an exceptional winter!
The new year began with a deep, consistent cold; a stretch of below-freezing temperatures that built excitement in the ice skating community. With so much cold air and no warming and refreezing, the conditions were absolutely perfect for wild ice skating. In our region, the Winnegance Creek froze over with such beautiful black ice that you could skate 6 miles all the way down, from where it branches off the Kennebec in Bath all the way into Phippsburg. Wild ice skating requires certain gear, research, safety precautions, and a true sense of adventure - and the wild ice skating communities all over Maine generously shared knowledge and safe locations all January. For everyone who remembers the joy of skating as a kid, or has a pair of skates languishing in the garage, it's not too late to sharpen them up and get out there - local Goddard's Pond in Bath the perfect learning rink. Goddard's Pond opened to skaters this year in January, and Bath Parks and Rec has been pouring love into the rink with no sign of stopping - the public free rink is open every evening, with music, lights, and a warming hut.
Later in the month, we bid a bittersweet farewell to that perfect skating ice to welcome in a beautiful 6 inches of snow. Ever since then, there has been snow each week, perfect for sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and snowman building. Of KELT properties, our favorite preserve for skiing or snowshoeing is Merrymeeting Fields, with a loop that can take you down to the water. You can also cross country ski in Center Point, Thorne Head, Lilly Pond (although the specialty there in winter is fat tire biking), and Segerstrom. Outside of KELT properties, you can find some beautiful cross country ski trails at Reid State Park and groomed loops on the Bath Golf Course.
If you prefer to enjoy your winter from a warm nook inside your home or out your car window, you can still appreciate the dramatic sea smoke on the Kennebec River and on the open harbors.This beautiful, fleeting wispy smoke comes from the temperature difference between the air and water - but only emerges when the temperatures are truly cold below 5 degrees. We've already had three mornings of sea smoke in January and February - look toward the water the next time you're cursing about how cold it is. And if you really like to get warm, visit the Cedar Grove Mobile Sauna that is set up all winter at Spinneys on Popham Beach - for the brave, you can dip into frigid Popham waters then heat up in a hot sauna.
We are lucky to live in the beautiful lands and waters of the Kennebec Estuary, and it looks like the rest of February will be full of opportunities to get out there. Grab your layers, shovel out your car, and I bet you'll be in love with winter all season long.