13 WINTER 2021 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 02
SNOWGOER . COM 14
At breakfast we met our fourth rider , conservation warden Glen Lucas , an avid sledder who enjoys patrolling the trails . After the last sip of orange juice , we suited up and brushed mounds of snow off our sleds . My mount was a trusty Arctic Cat F 570 from Northeast Snowmobile Rentals , which at the time had a fleet of Arctic Cat trail and performance models at locations in Gorham and in Fryeburg , Maine . Now they have Polaris 600 Indy Adventure machines for rent .
Our day one ride began with a westward run along a pipeline right-of-way on the edge of town , where trail spurs provided access to a variety of businesses , including the Northeast Snowmobile Rentals office , several restaurants and a gas station . Before long we were headed north to Jericho Mountain State Park , an 11-square-mile property that opened in 2005 with more than 50 miles of ATV trails , many of them open for snowmobiling .
We made most of the climb on a beautifully groomed trail , but were pushing powder for the last quarter-mile to our destination – a scenic lookout with an amazing warming hut . Built in 2011 under the direction of the White Mountain Ridge Runners snowmobile club with donations from local businesses and ATV groups , it ’ s a deluxe log cabin with a wood stove and a stereo sound system that turns itself off after visitors leave : a nice touch .
The cabin overlooks the forest , but light
Riders traveling east-west through the town of Gorham have the pleasure of crossing this snowmobile suspension bridge , which is located on the edge of a residential district .
Charlie & Dottie Kurtz have snowmobiled together for 43 seasons , but their favorite place to ride remains the mountains and forests around their home near Errol .