Sylvester and friends look to extend link to Appalachian Trail

By Karen Donato
Staff Writer
    Torrey Sylvester of New Limerick, a trial lawyer by profession has always been an exercise enthusiast especially interested in hiking. His adventures have taken him from Maine to Mt. Kilimanjaro and beyond. Through the years he has made many friends and has joined an elite organization called the Maine International Appalachian Trail of which he holds the office of vice president.
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SYLVESTER AND FRIENDS — Members of the Maine International Appalachian Trail organization were invited to Scotland to share their idea of linking the hiking trails with a common theme from Maine through the Maritimes, Quebec and Newfoundland to Scotland. Hiking the trails and mountains in Scotland were from left, Walter Anderson of Freeport, Torrey Sylvester of New Limerick, Dick Anderson of Freeport and Don Hudson of Bath. A steep, treeless mountain in Scotland is pictured in the background.
    In 1994 a group of hikers proposed a brand new hiking trail across borders from Mt. Katahdin through New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and across to the end of Newfoundland in Canada.
    In 14 short years without state, provincial or federal help the trail is essentially completed. A person can now walk from Katahdin to L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, about 1,400 miles on a well marked trail along the old Appalachian Mountain range in eastern North America and nearly 100 hikers have done just that, end to end, while thousands of hikers enjoy day hikes using various destination points along the trail.
    A former Maine state geologist and a member of the Maine International Appalachian Trail board, told a colleague in Scotland about this new route. Since the Appalachian Mountain range forms a horseshoe around the North Atlantic from Georgia over to Scotland’s Caledonian Mountains, through Norway, Portugal and ending in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. “We are all linked by a common thread,” he said.
    So a Scotland hiking group invited members of the Maine and Newfoundland IAT chapters to travel to Scotland and present the idea of a continuous footpath to hiking groups and the Scottish Parliament’s Outdoor Recreation Committee.
    On June 1, Sylvester and five other IAT members from Maine and four from Newfoundland flew to Edinborough, Scotland for 10 days of hiking and geology fieldtrips. They made four presentations to a diverse group of hiking organizations. They shared their background as members of the IAT in North America with their Scottish counterparts.
    Of course, Scotland has many trails and footpaths in their mountainous country, but they are not linked together with a common theme or logo like the IAT in Maine and the Maritimes.
    While there, the group stayed at the Ben Nevis Youth Hostel and climbed the 4,400-foot Ben Nevis, the highest point in Scotland. The mountains, though less steep and craggy as those in North America are mostly without trees for shade or protection from the wind, which blows nearly constantly.
    From Edinborough, the group traveled to Fort William, Scotland to present the trail concept to the Highland Council. It was very well received. The West Highland Way, Great Glen Way and Cape Wrath trails are independent trails well maintained by their clubs, but still have no common link.
    From Ft. William Sylvester and his group made their way to Inchnadamph or “valley of the deer” in northwest Scotland making more presentations and exploring the area. One significant hike was the centuries old trails up to Bone Caves and over to the northwest coast to examine a meteorite impact site.
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HIKING IN SCOTLAND — 81-year-old Earl Raymond, left, from Portland joined Torrey Sylvester of New Limerick on a trip to Scotland to hike trails and mountains. They hiked the 4,400-foot Ben Nevis Mountain, the highest point in the country. They are both board members of the Maine International Appalachian Trail organization and were also promoting the linking of countries that have the Appalachian Range as their foundation.
    Sylvester said, “The weather was lovely and sunny, except for one brief day. At a latitude of 58 degrees north there is limited night, having darkness for only three hours in a 24-hour period.”
    Returning to Edinborough for the last three days of the trip, they walked the Royal Mile and made a final presentation to a member of Parliament and his hiking committee.
    “They were astounded that we had completed a 1,400 mile trail in 14 years with little or no money and all by volunteers,” exclaimed Sylvester. “The Scots loved that.”
    Time will tell if the trail will extend across the Atlantic to Scotland and beyond, but Sylvester and his companions are hopeful they have created something for hikers and walkers worldwide.