BEYOND

Story and photos by JOHN T . PRUSAK

EXPECTATIONS

Northern Maine Offers Long Seasons , Plentiful Snow , Great Trails & Unrivaled Hospitality

Hype can be a funny thing . Sometimes efforts to build it can cause a letdown when the thing being hyped – be it an eagerly anticipated sequel to a blockbuster movie , a famous steak at a renowned restaurant or a long-awaited album from a favorite musician – is experienced .

So , heading into my first adventure in the much ballyhooed Aroostook County in the northern tip of Maine , I was excited but also trying to keep expectations in check . I ’ d been told so many times that I “ just had to experience ‘ The County ’” that it almost became a cliché . Still , I was jacked up to go – until a