Welcome back,

Over Spring Break, I took a week for a much-needed mental hiatus. As the final days of my vacation ran down and the impending completion of my thesis hung over my head, I looked down from the slopes of Sugarloaf on a sunny bluebird day. From the top of Gondi Line, I could see for miles. Everything looked within reach, but painted in the white, blue and gray that is winter, as we know it. The Bigelow Mountain range looked as though I could hold it in my hand. Before plunging down the headwall, I could see Sunday River and Mount Katahdin. As I moved down the side of the trail covered in drifts, my skis were barely touching the snow beneath them. It was one of the warmest days I’ve skied all season. I could finally drop a few layers as the warm air — a bittersweet tension between the best skiing of the season and the impending end of the semester (and ski season) — sifted past me.

In this moment, as I prepare to graduate, I feel a sense of gratitude for this place. For Orono, for Sugarloaf, the mountains, Acadia and the the coast in Rockland. I feel thankful for the Stillwater and the summer inner-tube floats it has allowed me or the Demerritt Forest trail system to ride my bike on. The outdoor opportunities in Maine, seem to me, the highest  reason I and many of you chose to study at UMaine in the first place. Throughout my years in Orono, I’ve been more attached to place. The Stillwater in October at sunset or The Mall when the grass first turns green and slack-liners return.

When your intentions for being here are place-based, it’s hard to say goodbye.

In our two remaining issues in March we celebrate the outdoors, with the coming of spring and the return of the warm-weather activities we love. Or the appreciation for Maine’s ability to prolong winter and allow us more skiing and ice climbing days — equally worthy activities. Although there still may be snow on graduation, I challenge you to enjoy it. Enjoy the place that provides a habitat, not only for us, but for so many other species and landscapes.

Although it’s not a booming metropolitan center, there’s always something to do in Maine. All you have to remember is: go out your front door.

Enjoy,

Danielle Walczak

Culture Editor

Look for Outdoors-themed stories this month with the logo at the top of this column.