Spotlight on Stewardship
This month, “Voices of the High Peaks” turns its attention to Ken Beaulieu, a Rangeley resident deeply invested in the region’s recreational landscape.
From welcoming Appalachian Trail thru-hikers to spearheading trail maintenance initiatives with the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, Ken offers a boots-on-the-ground perspective on the challenges and rewards of preserving Maine’s outdoor spaces.
We’ll explore the story behind Camp 43, the impacts of increased trail use, and upcoming Rec Ranger projects aimed at enhancing the local trail network.
Finding Home in Rangeley
How did you find your way to Rangeley?
Back in the early 90s, a friend and I would come up fishing and loved it so, we said, well, let’s bring the wives up. Jill wasn’t too fond of it at first as the guys would go off fishing for the day, and at the time, she wasn’t really an outdoorsy person. Finally, I convinced her that we should take the family up for a summer vacation and she fell in love with it. We’ve been coming up ever since.
How did you decide to build your hostel, Camp 43?
In 2012, we bought the property on Quimby Pond with the intent to eventually build a camp. The next year, when I was at working at Timberland, the company was sold to VF Corp, who own the North Face and Dickies and a bunch of other brands. I had some stock that immediately vested because of the sale, so we questioned whether to build that next year or wait longer. Without hesitation, Jill said, Let’s build. That’s how Camp 43 came to start.
📸 Ken & Jill in Camp 43 | Credit: Autumn Emma Photography, LLC
From Spare Space to Hostel
How did you start hosting hikers at Camp 43?
We’ve always hosted hikers going back as far as 2012 when we first built. The laundromat was a prime spot for hikers! If Jill was at the laundromat doing laundry and she saw a hiker, she’d often strike up a conversation with them waiting for the wash to finish. “How’s the trail going? Where are you staying?” Many would say, “Oh, I don’t have a place to stay” and Jill would offer, well, would you want to stay at our camp? It sounds weird, but we would also pick up random hikers coming through town. Also, friends of friends would say, “Hey, a buddy of mine’s hiking the trail. You know, could he stay with you guys?”
We’ve hosted a couple dozen hikers over the course of the years. In 2023, a good friend of mine from Timberland was hiking the trail. When she got to Grafton Notch with her “tramily”, which is her trail family, yeah that’s a term and there’s lots trail lingo. We shuttled them back and forth and they slack packed, which basically means you’re hiking without your backpack and just maybe water.
They stayed with us for five days.
The next year, in February 2024, I lost my job with Manitobah. I said to Jill, “hey, we have this beautiful space over the barn. It’s just going to sit there empty” so what about opening a hostel?” It was going to be my office but I didn’t need one of those anymore! And Jill says, “yeah, let’s do it.” That’s how that started.
How has your experience with thru-hikers influenced your perspective on trail maintenance and conservation?
My answer has two parts. It’s made me aware that we are loving our trails to death. And I’m a bit torn about it. Sometimes when you hike the trails, especially the AT or any of the local trails that get heavy use, like Bald Mountain, you see all the erosion, you see the wear and tear and the lack of maintenance that could help avoid the wear and tear.
The second part is about giving back to the trail. I think, geez, should we just shut this down? Should we not be doing this? Is the AT a good thing? But I think if there’s a way to maintain the trail and get people to do the work on the trails, you minimize the impact. It’s the main reason why I do what I do for the land trust. I get to give back what I take.
📸 Camp 43
From Pandemic Surge to Localized Use
Have you noticed changes in trail use patterns in recent years?
Yes, for sure. It started before COVID, and then COVID just exacerbated the amount of people using the trails. All these people were coming from all over the place to hike in Maine. Now that’s over, the economy is changing, and businesses are changing the way they work. People are now being required to work in the office again and not from home. Their weeks are different. It’s going back to this weekend mentality, which means shorter trips and closer to home. We’ll still have a lot of hikers but it’s now going to be channeled into 2 or 3 days instead of 7.
I’ve seen it here, particularly the Bigelows. The number of people coming from within New England to do day hikes here seems to have grown. People are doings things locally versus globally. Before COVID, they could have driven to Colorado and hiked in Colorado, but now they can’t. They come up on a Friday night, and they’ll hike Saturday and Sunday and go home Sunday night. There’s this shift where I think we’re seeing just as much use of the trails but from the local communities versus this diverse U.S. community.
Are you excited for the Rec Ranger crew to work with you as the lead trail steward for Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust?
Yes, very excited, because the amount of work that we can get done with a group of five or six versus myself and an intern is tenfold. We’ll get stuff done in two weeks or two and a half weeks that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish throughout the whole summer.
What are some things you’re hoping to accomplish with the Rec Ranger crew?
We’re going to create a connector trail from the Mingo Birding Loop down to Hunter Cove. That’s huge. That’s one project.
We’re also going to shut down the trail between South Bog Stream and the Snowmobile Trail to the west and build a new lollipop loop off the snowmobile trail. We originally talked about redoing the bridging between the stream and snowmobile trail but thought the best use of our resources would be creating a trail that’ll be easier to maintain in the long term.
The Hidden Impact of Every Step
What are some of the biggest challenges to maintaining the trails in this region?
The winter blowdowns! When I walked the Forest Legacy trail for the first time last spring, it was a mess. I cut through over 25 blowdowns, and that took me a week to do. That’s probably the biggest challenge – the impact of the winter weather on our local trails. Once you get that spring work done and the trails are cleared, then you’re in maintenance mode.
What is one of the biggest, lesser-known aspects of trail stewardship?
Yeah, impact is probably one of the biggest, if not the biggest thing. You don’t necessarily think about your impact as you hike a trail, even if it’s dry but you leave a footprint. You walk away but there are hundreds of people behind you throughout the season on that same trail. I don’t know if people understand that impact.
Do you think there is enough education and communication about trail impact in the hiking community?
I don’t see a lot of educational awareness beyond the Leave No Trace slogan, so the short answer is no.
I see it in the off-road world or the motorized world – “hey, don’t ride, the trails are closed. The clubs do a really good job to make sure riders know when not to ride. They really appreciate and respect the landowners. Even the non-motorized wheeled segment. Mountain bikers, hey, the trails are closed. You’re going to do more damage than good so stay home until the trails are open.
I don’t see that message being communicated to the hiking communities. The hiking trails are rarely closed. I think there needs to be messaging from the land organizations that people need to be conscious of their environmental footprint, their wear and tear on the trails.
What motivates you to give back to the trails and outdoor community?
For me, I hiked all the 48s in New Hampshire and almost all of them in Maine. I fly fish and hunt too so my way of giving back from what I took is volunteering. Whether it was with Fly Fishing in Maine, or volunteering with the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. I always felt that since I didn’t have a million dollars to give, and I know something needs to be done, so I’m going to give some of my time.
Thank you, Ken
Our conversation highlighted the dedication required to maintain accessible and sustainable trails in the High Peaks region. From addressing the impacts of winter weather to educating users about responsible recreation, it’s clear that stewardship is a year-round endeavor.
Thank you, Ken, for sharing your insights and experiences. Be sure to check back next month for another installment of Voices of the High Peaks, as we continue to spotlight the people shaping the future of Maine’s outdoor heritage.
For more information on booking Camp 43, call 1-603-770-1168.
