AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019 - 78

THE SUGARLOAF Aviation

hangar gives some weather
protection to Sawyer
Fahy's Piper Super Cub
(opposite) and Cessna 172,
but preheats are a must
when Maine's winter hits.
Lincoln Benedict (center)
knew Sawyer Fahy (right)
in college, when Fahy
was on the ski team and
Benedict was the team's
photographer. Jessica
Marion (left) has been
Nordic skiing since she
was a child.

On the trail, I'm struck by the peace and calm of crosscountry skiing. There's no rush-and-stop pace like in
alpine skiing, no dodging snowboarders-just the steady
passage of pine and birch trees and the fresh mountain
air. Our group stretches and contracts as we make way
for oncoming skiers, an occasional snowshoer, and frolicking dogs.
The trail's gentle slope is easy enough to manage,
even for a beginner. But it steepens as we approach the
1,880-foot-elevation hut; Marion bounds up the hill effortlessly as I lurch and waddle behind her. When I realize
I've dropped the nozzle to my Camelbak water pack, she
and Benedict sprint downhill to retrieve it. I learn she
recently competed in a 50-kilometer skate-ski race. Of
course she did.
They rejoin us for the last stretch to Stratton Brook
Hut. We drop off our skis outside the wooden lodge and
follow a short path to an overlook, where we can see the
3,000- to 4,000-foot peaks of the Bigelow Range towering
over miles of unspoiled forest. When we knock the snow
off our boots at the entrance to the hut, the thermometer
reads 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
We shed boots and layers in the mudroom and get a
briefing near the entrance: the location of showers, times
for dinner and breakfast, how to
operate the composting toilets.
Maine Huts and Trails' sustainable lodges produce their own
power through solar panels, superefficient wood stoves, and, when
necessary, back-up propane generators; we're urged to conserve
water and carry out our trash. Coffee and tea are included
in our stay, but we can pay for extras such as local Roco
Cocoa hot chocolate and Whoopie Pies in the Honesty Jar
on the counter. Cups are in short supply, so we label ours
and keep the same ones until morning.
Stratton Brook Hut is surprisingly cozy, heated mainly
by radiant floor heat from a hyper-efficient wood furnace.
With large windows and high ceilings, it has the ambiance
of a luxury alpine lodge. We drop off our packs in the bunkhouse and settle in at a table, where Benedict offers us all
canned herring and crispbread from his bag. When finished,
Marion offers Benedict the herring juice from the bottom of
the can. Fahy laughs, but Benedict drinks it. "There's nothing Lincoln won't eat-and happily," says Marion. Fahy joins
us for a family-style dinner before skiing back down in the
dark, guided by a headlamp and the light of the moon.

"A lot of people, living up here,
they don't understand it.
They're like, 'Where's the
nearest Target?'"
-Stephanie Fahy

RIGHT SEAT

Although they've been to Stratton Brook Hut before, this is
the first time Benedict and Marion have stayed the night.
Their frequent flying adventures depend on a frugal mindset, and Benedict does everything he can to eke out more
flying hours from Old Mustardsides. The extra time cleaning off frost is worth it for the three more hours a month
he gains from choosing a tiedown instead of a hangar;
he assists with the annual inspection to lower the price.
And he buys mogas when he can, to keep the Continental
78 | AOPA PILOT March 2019

engine happy-even carting back 5-gallon
cans by car when they visit the couple's
favorite alpine ski spot.
Marion was uneasy with flying at first,
but she understands what it means to
Benedict. Goal-oriented and driven, she's
ill-suited to the passive role of passenger.
She's become an active participant, learning the ins and outs of ForeFlight and
taking on other co-pilot duties-Benedict
says Marion's training in ornithology
makes her especially adept at spotting
traffic. She's become interested in the parallels between aviation decision making
and avalanche assessment and recognizes
many of the same heuristic traps. When
Benedict waffled over whether to fly to
Sugarloaf this weekend, she challenged
him: Would you make the flight if they
weren't waiting?
She's been on one flight lesson, but
she's not interested in earning her certificate. "I don't think I connect with machines
the way he does," she says. "I don't think I
can ever match that-the way he just loves
the act of flying." But flying takes them on
adventures. When she's aloft with Benedict,
"It's just amazing-to be up there and to
see new views, and sometimes to go new
places. That's what I kind of love about it."
PLANE SPOTTING

Sitting atop a giant snow mound near the
runway, Marion squints at the horizon. There.
She points to the two approaching airplanes
in the distance. All I see are mountains.
Finally I see Fahy's airplane as a speck
in the saddle of two mountains. It's several
seconds more before I spot Benedict's 172
behind him. Benedict skied down ahead
of us this morning and got a ride from
Fahy back to Norridgewock; he's returning to pick up Marion and their gear. It's
still gusty as we watch as the two airplanes
fly the pattern above us. Fahy looks a bit
high on final approach, then drops suddenly in the sinking air before touching
down. Benedict proceeds behind him,
jostled about in the same bumpy air. He
and Marion load the airplane, line up on
Runway 35, and he briefs her on his plan.
After takeoff he angles the airplane to the
right and the mustard-yellow 172 shoots
skyward in the orographic lift.
Later, Fahy checks in again by text message: Are you home?
Stopped at KAUG for a little ski! AOPA
EMAIL sarah.deener@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2019