15 WINTER 2021 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 02
SNOWGOER . COM 16
Groomers operate night and day to maintain a high quality riding experience , like this one working the route between Gorham and the Maine border .
snow obscured our view . After chatting with other sledders inside the cabin , we bid them farewell and descended into nearby Berlin . The trail skirted downtown and crossed a bridge over the Androscoggin River , with sleds using the snow-packed sidewalk . Waiting for a traffic light , I marveled at the novelty of such an interesting route past parking lots and businesses .
Leaving Berlin , we headed west on a perfectly groomed rail trail alongside the rushing Androscoggin . Turning south , we returned to Gorham and traversed the impressive 660-foot long trestle – a remnant of the Boston & Maine Railroad – surveying the wide valley and mountains beyond .
Once in town we enjoyed a late lunch at Mister Pizza , one of the trail-accessible eateries where the pizza was large and tasty . During the meal , we asked Glen about snowmobiling from a warden ’ s perspective and he related some highly entertaining episodes about the lengths that some scofflaws will go to in order to elude law enforcement – usually without success .
It was mid-afternoon when we set off to break trail on the nearby 17-mile Pine Mountain Loop within the White Mountain National Forest . After working our sleds hard on the uphill climb , we hoped to enjoy a scenic view at the mountaintop camp , but it was too snowy to see much so we didn ’ t stay long before making our descent over the remainder of the circuit .
After refueling our sleds back in Gorham , Gail decided to return to the T & C Resort while Roger and I set off eastward for a run into Maine , about 15 miles away . The first two miles on the pipeline right-
Snowmobilers love a heavy snowfall , but it does create challenges for trail maintenance . This downed tree was a hazard on the morning after the “ big dump ,” but by late afternoon had been cleared away by the local snowmobile club , the Presidential Range Riders of Gorham .