Wilderness Race will have new, shorter route

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
    GREENVILLE — The Feb. 7 Plum Creek Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be shorter than previous years due to the planned expansion of Medawisla Lodge and Camps on Second Roach Pond.
    The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) announced their intentions earlier this year to file a rezoning petition with the Land Use Planning Committee for the expansion plan.
    If the application is approved, the recreational facility would more than double its capacity from 38 to 86, according to a letter to the Piscataquis County Commissioners from Dan Rinard, AMC’s operations and facilities manager.

    Medawisla Lodge and Camps is about 20 miles northeast of Greenville near Kokadjo.
    Wilderness Sled Dog Committee Chair Cheri Goodspeed said that they’ve shortened the traditional 100-mile race to 60 miles but it will “still continue through lands owned by our partners, Plum Creek Timber Company and Appalachian Mountain Club. We would not be able to reasonably use the check point like it has been in the past. So West Branch Pond Camps will be the turning point and a place where teams can drop a dog if they need to.”
    The race will start at Leisure Life Resort on Lily Bay Road in Greenville, take the Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club trails to outer Scammon Road and out to what’s commonly known as the 100 Mile Wilderness.
    “The route will travel along trails maintained by AMC to West Branch Pond Camps and return to Leisure Life Resort to a welcoming bonfire and spectators,” Goodspeed said “We will celebrate the evening with an awards ceremony and dinner at Leisure Life.”
    Goodspeed, in a press release from the committee, said that while they are disappointed by the change of the length of the race, “We realize the importance of running the safest race that we can for the Greenville area. We are very thankful for supporters like the American Legion, Moosehead Riders Snowmobile Club, Maine Forest Service, Plum Creek, Appalachian Mountain Club, the town of Greenville and our many volunteers that continue to make this the best race in the area.”
    This year’s events will also include a 30-mile race as well as many family activities for everyone at Leisure Life Resort. Visit www.100milewildernessrace.org for updates.

Contributed photo by Julie Butler
    TO THE FINISH — Elizabeth Rankin of Starksboro, Vt. brings her team to the finish line in a recent Plum Creek Wilderness Sled Dog Race.