Take a walk with Maine Master Naturalist Liz Koucky, and learn how to identify trees in their winter state. Identifying trees from their leaves is a valuable skill, but when leaves drop in the fall, things can get tricky. Pick up some tree identifying skills on this guided walk.

Our trek will include varied landscape communities including oak, maple, white birch, yellow birch, ash, white pine, hemlock and scattered eastern hop-hornbeam. Please register for this event so we can have an accurate head count and notify you of any changes.

The snow/weather date for this event is February 7 at 10:00 AM. Folks who have registered for this event will get an email if we have to move the event to the snow date.

Meeting Location:

Meet at the Quill Hill parking lot located at 25 Drury Lane, Rome. Drury Lane is just north of the intersection of Rt 27 & Rt 225 (Rome Corner). Head south on Drury Lane for 0.2 miles where you will see a 7 Lakes sign on the left. See attached map below for details.

Hike Description:

We will start from the Quill Hill trailhead, and walk approximately 1 mile down the Blaisdell trail and then turn around. We will be stopping frequently to observe different trees and discuss them, which may mean we don’t cover as much distance. The hike will be a total maximum distance of 2 miles, with total elevation change of approximately 125 ft. This trail is usually well packed by hikers, but weather conditions will determine the trail surface conditions.

Recommended Gear:

• Dress in warm layers. We will be walking and stopping to investigate different trees, be sure to dress for stopping often.
• Hiking/trekking poles can be helpful when walking on snow and uneven surfaces. They are especially useful when the trail is hidden by snow or for off-trail exploring.
• This trail tends to be well packed but depending on weather, we may recommend snowshoes or micro-spikes. An email will be sent to registrants before the event with an update on trail conditions.
• 7 Lakes has 2 adult pairs of snowshoes and 2 child pairs of snowshoes available to borrow. Please email sally.whittington@7lakesalliance.org to reserve snowshoes for this event.

Event Policies:

• We ask everyone attending 7 Lakes events to treat people, plants, and animals with respect.
• 7 Lakes staff will be taking pictures during this event. If you would not like to be photographed, please let staff know during the event or contact sally.whittington@7lakesalliance.org ahead of time.