Winter Wonderland

MAINE The Magazine • February 2021

When most people think about hiking, they usually don’t envision themselves trekking through snow and ice as winter winds whip by. But winter hiking is a unique experience that offers unexpected sights, sounds, and smells. Jenny Ward, a Registered Maine Guide, a Wilderness First Responder, and a longtime employee at the Appalachian Mountain Club in Greenville, is a proponent of winter hiking. “In the wintertime, I shift my mind toward exploring and not so much setting that goal to get to the top,” says Ward. “It’s a different sort of hike.” Because the leaves have fallen off trees, you see sights that aren’t normally there, and the trails are significantly less crowded.