Jackman, Maine had a snow storm just before we arrived for the weekend to try to find and trial the Ghost Cat, Canada Lynx.  Then another fifteen inches of new snow was predicted for Saturday night, making our prospects for Sunday seem slim.  What would the weekend provide in the way of Lynx trailing, if anything?

We scouted Saturday morning but didn’t find any new trails.  So we headed out, as a group, to a spot that had been good to us over the years.  On a long stretch of North Maine logging road, we found the trail of one Lynx that had crossed the road.  We also saw a moose.

We took advantage of both, split into two groups and trailed both the Lynx and the moose.  What a great day out on Saturday!  With the new snow to come overnight and into the next day, maybe we’d spend Sunday simply enjoying the North Maine Woods by snowshoe.  But, the snow held off, mostly.  There was an inch of powder that fell overnight ending about midnight.  Maybe there was enough time for the Lynx to move and leave us their tracks!

Sure enough, we found Lynx trails Sunday morning.  Again, we split into two groups, each took a different trail, and spent the day following the trails of this elusive predator through the stunningly beautiful boreal forests of Northern Maine.

Our weekend was full!  The lynx and the north woods gave us so much to soak in, to learn, and to enjoy.  What a fantastic weekend on the trail of the Ghost Cat!  I’m immensely grateful for all that the Lynx and the North Woods gave to us in our time together.

 

– Bob Etzweiler, February 2015