‘First Day’ hike at Popham a cold affair
Despite the cold, the weather held up Wednesday, Jan. 1 at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg. While the temperatures were well below freezing there was no snow. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Bo the German Shepherd walks across the beach at Popham Beach State Park. Hikers were able to visit the park for free and go on a guided hike to kick off the new year. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Hikers had to brace themselves for biting winds and chilly temps during the first of the year hikes at Popham Beach. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
The sand was frozen solid during the first of the year hikes at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg. That didn’t stop more than 20 people from getting outside and hiking. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
A hiker walks up Fox Island New Year’s Day at Popham Beach State Park. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Despite the cold, the weather held up Wednesday, Jan. 1 at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg. While the temperatures were well below freezing there was no snow. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Bo the German Shepherd walks across the beach at Popham Beach State Park. Hikers were able to visit the park for free and go on a guided hike to kick off the new year. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Hikers had to brace themselves for biting winds and chilly temps during the first of the year hikes at Popham Beach. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
The sand was frozen solid during the first of the year hikes at Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg. That didn’t stop more than 20 people from getting outside and hiking. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
A hiker walks up Fox Island New Year’s Day at Popham Beach State Park. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper
Winter in Maine can be a dark time. If the short cold days aren’t enough to drive one inside, then the bitter biting wind and driving snow might be.
For that reason, the Maine State Parks opened up on the first of the year for hikes across the state.
At Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park Manager Andy Hutchinson switched from that Freeport-based park to give a guided tour to a group of 20 hiker along the icy shores of Popham and up Fox Island.
“Welcome to one of the coldest days of the year,” Hutchinson said. “But, we’re lucky; today is supposed to be the warmest day this week.”
That warmest included temperatures that struggled to hit 20 F and a wind chill that nudged that total closer to zero.
But those cold temperatures and harsh wind couldn’t prevent people and dogs from clamber over boulders and across frozen beaches in what has become a yearly rite: A quick walk in the cold to kick off the year.
In 2013, approximately 22,000 people across the United States walked 43,900 miles on the first of the year. The goal, according to a release from the Bureau of Parks and Land Director Will Harris, is to get people outside and to burn off some holiday calories while setting the tone for the rest of the year.
And hopefully, the rest of the year won’t feature harsh wind and numbing cold.
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