- Up next on "Borealis," we meet up with a group of climbers working to save some special crags for their community.

- We're very much interested in developing rock climbing areas, but also protecting the areas, - [Aislinn] Hiking with a purpose.

Meet the people behind the inspirational Summit Project and learn how they're honoring Maine fallen heroes.

- It's a really special time for us to connect, honor, and remember these heroes.

- [Aislinn] Join me on a hike up Moxie Bald Mountain on the Appalachian Trail, one of my favorite fall hikes, and finally tonight, we learn about a historic conservation project in the Magalloway region, with a mission to protect thousands of acres of Maine wilderness.

- Oftentimes, I feel like it is like church out here because it's just so peaceful.

- Stay with us.

- [Narrator] Production support for "Borealis" is provided by.

- [Announcer] The Nature Conservancy in Maine, joining science, action, and innovative partners to help connect communities and address the global climate crisis.

From our forests to our rivers to the Gulf of Maine, learn more at nature.org/joinmaine.

- [Announcer] Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, reminding you to be a good guest on trails, in towns, and everywhere in between by participating in the Look Out For Me campaign.

Learn more at visitmaine.com - [Announcer] At Poland Spring, we've called Maine home since 1845 and are proud to be part of the community, over the past two decades investing over $14.5 million in the place that we call home.

Poland Spring Maine spring water.

- [Narrator] And by viewers like you.

Thank you.

- You guys ready to hike?

(laughs) (bird chirps) (bird whistles) ♪ I wanna get lost in the wilderness with you, darling ♪ ♪ Wanna get lost in the rivers and the roads ♪ ♪ Getting you up on the mountainside ♪ ♪ And we can just climb ♪ - Welcome to "Borealis."

I'm Aislinn Sarnacki and today I'm exploring a scenic section of Route 201 along the Kennebec River.

This stretch of road is a part of the 78-mile Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway, and it leads to a variety of historic sites and outdoor destinations.

It's also one of my favorite places to enjoy Maine's colorful fall foliage.

This particular spot, Robbins Hill scenic overlook, marks the southern end of the Old Canada Road and it offers scenic views of the High Peaks region and the Kennebec Valley.

Outdoor gathering places like this one can mean a lot to small communities like Solon, and that's the case everywhere.

Our first story is about another type of outdoor gathering place: a beloved rock climbing cliff and the people who are working hard to keep it open for generations to come.

(spirited music) In the small town of Clifton, Maine, just outside of Bangor, Eagle Bluff rises up from the forest below.

Its vertical granite walls have attracted rock climbers since the '70s, yet it's more than just a beloved climbing and hiking destination.

It's a conservation success story.

Today, I'm joining a small group of dedicated rock climbers who steward this property, keeping it accessible for everyone to enjoy.

They're from the Clifton Climbers Alliance and have agreed to show me the ropes, figuratively and literally.

- We're very much interested in developing rock climbing areas, but also protecting the areas and making sure that access to climbing doesn't go away.

This one's called Moderate Climber.

- [Aislinn] We're hiking on a trail that the group maintains.

Our first stop, a boulder field for some ropeless rock climbing called bouldering.

- Bouldering is a lot of powerful movements.

It's often done with at least a couple of boulders or climbers.

Oftentimes, people use crash pads to land on if they fall off the rock.

- Spotters stand at the base of the boulder to guide the climber onto the mat in case of a fall.

Spotters also specialize in offering encouraging words.

- Excellent.

- All right.

- Oh, good.

- No, you're good.

- [Aislinn] Ben VanderStouw is an experienced climber, and like many in the group, he enjoys sharing his love of the sport with others.

When it was my turn to try bouldering, he and the rest of the group offered some tips.

- And this rubber is so soft that it's like a racing tire on a car.

It's gonna be able to grip the ground and you're gonna be able to do that, so don't- - You'd be surprised how much pressure you can put on that.

- Yeah.

You can just foot, like, I could put my foot here and stand on it.

- Yeah, there you go.

- Nice.

- Yeah.

- Yeah!

Nice work.

- Maine is a great place for bouldering because of its many glacial erratics: massive rocks left behind by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago.

So, we just came from the bouldering area, and we've hiked uphill, and now we're here at the base of the big cliffs where all the rock climbing routes are, and everyone's gearing up to climb some rock.

Locals have cherished this climbing area and the surrounding trails for a long time, but in 2014, it was at risk of being lost to the climbing community.

That year, the property's owner, avid rock climber and Brewer High School graduate, Don Nelligan, passed away.

- We saw that possibly Eagle's Bluff could be sold to a developer and we would lose access to the climbing here, and we've been climbing here since the '70s, so it's something we were very worried about, so a climbing buddy of mine, Jayson Nissen, got us together in 2015.

We rallied together and we got the Access Fund, the Quimby Foundation, Land for Maine Futures, and some others to donate money.

We raised the money within a matter of months and we made the purchase, 160 acres.

The way we raised the money that quick was awesome 'cause we would hate to have lost it.

- [Aislinn] The Clifton Climbers Alliance is a small organization, reaching about 40 members at its largest, with numbers rising and falling as students from the nearby University of Maine come and go, but they're a part of a much larger rock climbing community in Maine.

Jim Campbell oversees a lot of the organization's hands-on work, such as bolt and anchor replacement.

- I've been designated the mayor of Clifton just because I've been climbing here for 30 years and a lot of people that were climbing when I started have passed away, moved on, or aren't climbing anymore, so I kinda feel grunt here that knows all of the area.

Probably the best and climbed here the longest.

- [Aislinn] He and his wife, Betty Campbell, can often be found at the wall, welcoming and helping fellow climbers, and together they've established about a dozen new climbing routes on Clifton Crags over the past decade.

- It's a very big challenge for me and I think that's why I like it so much.

My husband was doing it for years and years and he kept trying to get me out, and I wouldn't do it 'cause I'm really afraid of heights.

The kids were getting older, they were doing their own thing.

I'm like, "All right, I'll just try it," and it took a while because I tried it several times and I'm like, "No, no, get me down," or whatever.

I'd get up a little bit and then I'd freak out, come down.

I did that for a long time.

I had this urge to just challenge myself and once I started doing that, I thought, "Oh my god, now I can understand why all these years he loved it."

- [Aislinn] It's my first time rock climbing ever, and Betty is serving as my belayer, a partner on the ground managing my rope and therefore my safety.

For these rock climbers, safety is key.

This experience is teaching me in real time that rock climbing requires both mental and physical strength.

It's a sport where frustration and fatigue battle with patience and perseverance.

It requires problem-solving under pressure and it's more challenging than I anticipated.

So, what's the appeal?

- I've always liked the controlling the fear when you're on lead, whether it's a runout lead where you're way above your gear, a bolt or protection, and keeping it together and getting through it, and the workout as well.

The camaraderie, the bond you have with your partners.

There's a lot to it.

Just try it.

- There you go.

- Thank you!

- Good job.

- [Aislinn] The town of Clifton is actually named for its many cliffs.

In addition to Eagle Bluff, the town is home to treasured climbing walls at Parks Pond Bluff, Chick Hill, and Fletcher's Bluff.

The Clifton Climbers Alliance is working to improve public access to all of these places, not just for climbers, but for hikers and mountain bikers too.

- Of the 160 acres, it's probably maybe 10% of the property is climbing maybe, so there's a lot of land.

You know, it could be used for biking and other hiking trails maybe, so.

- [Aislinn] Ben VanderStouw moved to the area a few years ago and quickly found a sense of community in the Clifton Climbers Alliance.

- What's really great rock climbing and any form of climbing is doing it by yourself is just dangerous, so you need to make friends and you need to be able to have folks who you can trust.

- [Aislinn] Wait a minute, is this interview halfway up a cliff?

- You are on a climb called Open Book and you're currently kind of stemming right inside of the namesake part of the route, so you know, this big open book area here, and people will kinda come up from down there, get up to where you are, and then go right on up there to that anchor.

- [Aislinn] After teaching me the basics, VanderStouw and his friend, Nate Lavoy, set out to tackle one of the tougher routes on Eagle Bluff.

(thrilling music) For these guys, reaching the top of Eagle Bluff never gets old.

(thrilling music) (thrilling music continues) - Nice work, dude.

- Thank you.

- Hell yeah.

- Thanks to you.

- The Clifton Climbers Alliance shows us that protecting access is about more than rock climbing.

It's about community, stewardship, and sharing means wild places, and that looks different for every community.

Here in Moscow, another stop along the Old Canada Road, the Kennebec River is a place for that stewardship and recreation.

Downriver, you'll see whitewater rafting, and up here where the water's calm, people can go for more leisurely paddles.

And then there's hiking: another activity that brings people together.

Up next, we meet the people behind The Summit Project, a living memorial that carries the stories of Maine's fallen heroes to some of the highest peaks across the state.

(gentle music) - Navy Petty Officer Second Class Brandon S. DuBois.

Navy Engineman Second Class Austin T. Williams.

- [Aislinn] At a trailhead parking lot for Pleasant Mountain in Denmark, Maine, hikers circle around to receive their special stones.

- Marine Captain Kenneth C. Motsay.

- [Aislinn] They're participating in an event hosted by The Summit Project, a Maine-based non-profit organization that honors the state's post-9/11 fallen service members.

- In practice, what that looks like is each of the 89 families that have chosen to participate in The Summit Project have chosen a stone from someplace significant to them.

We have it engraved with the hero's initials, their branch and rank, and their date of birth and passing, and then that stone becomes part of a living memorial that hikers and travelers can take, and learn about the hero, and tell others about that hero.

- [Aislinn] Anyone can sign up for one of these special hikes.

Today, Linda Tupper, the organization's events manager, leads the way up the Ledges Trail on Pleasant Mountain.

- This trail is 3.5 miles round trip.

We have about 1500 feet of elevation gain, so it's, like, a nice steep trail.

We're looking about 150 feet every 0.1 miles, so it's a good workout, and when we get to the top, there's gonna be a beautiful outlook that will look into the Presidential Range and White Mountain National Forest.

This hiking event is different than your normal hike.

We're not just out here to hike to a summit for a view.

Every hiker is carrying the stone that they were assigned, so there's added weight to our packs, and that weight we carry to the top as a way to carry the heroes with us, to carry their memory, to carry on their legacy.

- The Summit Project was founded about 12 years ago by a U.S.

Marine major, David Cote.

David got to experience a hike with some Navy SEALs and hiked Mount Whitney.

On that hike, these Navy SEALs each carried 10-pound stones to honor fallen SEALs from the previous year.

That gave David the idea to start something similar in Maine, but unlike what the Navy SEALs did, where they left the stones at the summit, David thought, "What if we bring the stones back and they become a living memorial that others can take on journeys and adventures?"

There's a unique story behind each stone that a family chooses.

For example, one hero's stone was chosen from Grand Lake Stream at the very spot where they caught their first fish.

Prior to each of these events, each hiker is assigned one of the 89 hero stones in the program.

Each hiker then learns about the hero that they'll be carrying.

On our website, we have a webpage for each hero, which has the hero's biography, as well as information from all the previous treks and adventures that the hero's been carried on.

- I'm carrying Captain Motsay.

I read a lot and I got to speak with his family about who he was.

It's important to carry on people like his legacy and history because he was a true leader.

He led by example and men like him made men like me.

I served in the Marine Corps.

I think these programs are very important to carry on, not only their legacy, but to show that there's still people out here that care about what we've done in the service and their lives mattered as well.

- [Aislinn] Hiker Susan Shoberg carries the stone of Austin Thomas Williams, who served in the U.S.

Navy.

- He grew up in Freeport and was really well liked.

He wanted to help out wherever he could.

He had heard of a fellow student while he was in high school who was thinking of dropping out of school, and he mentored that student, gave him a ride to school every day until he graduated.

- Today, I carried the stone and the story of my brother, Captain Christopher J. Sullivan.

It's a pretty amazing organization.

From my perspective, as a Gold Star family member, it is incredible to me to see other veterans who are getting involved in carrying stones, maybe of people they served with or just being able to spend the time and seeing that other people care about veterans and people who've served.

The fact that they would take time out of busy life and learn about somebody else's name and carry that with them?

It's just an incredible honor.

- I'm the pokey person at the back.

Me and Piper run sweep, make sure nobody falls down.

- [Aislinn] Michelle Martel is carrying the stone of U.S.

Marine Corps.

Captain Benjamin R. Cross.

Cross loved Batman since he was a kid, and as an adult, he was very much like the superhero in how he covertly helped the people around him.

- So, I tried to do a little bit more research to find out more about them.

Who the dash was between the two numbers.

That's the part of your life that matters.

What did you do during that dash?

Each person you receive, you learn a little bit about yourself in them.

Your past and their past, they all intermingle, you know, and it's a really small world when it comes down to it.

- The Summit Project is a 100% all volunteer-led organization.

We have no paid staff, so there are plenty of ways for folks, even if they are not able to or would rather not hike, to be involved in the organization.

Volunteering at our base camps, helping with our fundraising efforts.

We have a wonderful honor case that travels around the state of Maine that houses 20 stones at a time.

If someone has a suggestion for a unique site or a location for the case, they can get in touch with us about that.

- Wow.

- Wow!

- [Hiker] Geez.

- When we get to the top, we convene in a circle testimony, which is where each hiker gets the chance to take out their stone, share their story, share with the group who they're carrying and who they're honoring today.

It's a really special time for us to connect, honor, and remember these heroes.

- [Aislinn] The ceremony is sacred and private.

Out of respect, the "Borealis" film crew kept cameras at a distance.

- Honestly, that's the biggest part of the hike.

I think that's where we all kinda sit down.

We get to not only share the stories of the veterans that we're carrying their stones, but to kinda get to know each other and why we're doing this.

- [Michelle] Come on, touch, touch.

Push down there.

Touch.

- The pinnacle of the project is at the top, you know?

- So, after this hike, our next mission to complete is to write a letter back to the family, sharing with them what this hike meant to us.

For me personally, learning about these heroes and taking this type of service, it's a way for me to give back.

I didn't serve myself, but at least I can honor these men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe.

It's really remarkable.

(triumphant music) (triumphant music ends) - The Summit Project demonstrates how Maine communities can honor service while connecting with the outdoors.

If you'd like to be a part of this moving tribute, visit thesummitproject.org.

For this week's hiking adventure, I'm taking you to nearby Moxie Bald Mountain, home to some cool caves, and not one, but two open peaks.

(poised music) (gentle music) Today, we're deep in the woods of Maine on the Appalachian Trail between Caratunk and Moncton and we're gonna be hiking Moxie Bald Mountain.

(gentle music) This hike follows the White Blaze Appalachian Trail, which is a famous footpath that spans from Springer Mountain in Georgia all the way to Katahdin in Maine.

The A.T.

is about 2,200 miles long, and this is just one of the mountains that it travels up and over.

(relaxed music) This is a type of shelf mushroom, often called an artist's conk, and people will sometimes harvest these and then etch on the bottoms of them because the bottom will bruise if they're still drying, but we will leave these be.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) This low-lying plant cover here is a very common plant in the Maine woods called wintergreen.

When you break it up, it brings out the scent of it, and it smells just very minty, like wintergreen.

(gentle music) One of the really cool parts of this hike is this series of boulders that forms these tunnels and caves that you can just explore on your way up the mountain.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) We made it to the top of Moxie Bald, 2,600 feet above sea level, and from here, we're going to head over to North Peak for some more great views.

(gentle music) Past the summit of Moxie Ball Mountain, the Appalachian Trail travels through a beautiful windswept mountain environment, and here we are jumping off the Appalachian Trail and heading on over to North Peak, and it's in about 0.7 miles, so it takes a little extra effort and it being off the main trail makes it feel really remote.

Not a lot of people go over there and when you're up there enjoying the views, it's like being the last person on earth.

(gentle music) The hike to the summit of Moxie Bald and back is about four miles, but if you continue on to the North Peak like we did, then it doubles it to about eight.

I highly suggest it for people looking for a little bit longer of an adventure.

(gentle music) Moxie Bald was a tough climb, but sometimes I enjoy easier, gentler trails, like the one leading here to Moxie Falls.

At 90 feet tall, Moxie Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in Maine, and it's my last stop in my exploration of the Old Canada Road, though I could keep going all the way through Jackman to the Canadian border.

There are so many amazing outdoor spots to visit throughout the state, but none of that would be possible without conservation efforts to protect the wilderness, efforts like those underway In the Magalloway region.

(serene music) (serene music continues) In Western Maine, there's a place where water, wildlife, and history all come together, and right now there's a rare opportunity to protect it.

The Magalloway Project spans nearly 78,000 acres in the heart of the northern Appalachian Mountains, featuring rivers, wetlands, lakes, and habitat that has supported life here for thousands of years.

(proud music) Conserving this land would connect nearly half a million acres of protected forest across the region: a truly historic moment for Maine.

What makes this possible is an unusual partnership.

Four conservation groups from local to global joining forces to safeguard this place for future generations.

- Seeing all these Maine organizations and Maine people come together for a shared goal, it's really powerful.

- A lot of these groups usually work solo, but they recognized how important it is to protect and save this land.

- It's essential.

This work is incredibly complex.

It's time-consuming, it's expensive, and we all have slightly different missions, but they all fit together like a puzzle, and when we work together, the outcome is better than what any one of us could have done by ourselves.

- Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust has been conserving, restoring, and stewarding the Rangeley Lakes region for over 30 years now.

Our big thing is making sure there's access to the outdoors.

We steward hiking trails.

We also do river restoration to reconnect habitat for fish and wildlife.

- One of the things that the Forest Society of Maine is excited to do on this project is work to keep forest as forests.

The whole project is 78,000 acres.

The working forest easement component of that is 62,000.

The easement will put in place restrictions that ensure that the land is managed sustainably.

This specific stream is one that will have a special no forest management buffer along each side of it to help enhance brook trout habitat, so it's part of the rehabilitation part of this project.

- Northeast Wilderness Trust is purchasing as part of this larger project 11,200 acres at the very north end of the project area.

We were founded a couple decades ago to do one particular thing, and that's protect wilderness areas, and so all 100,000 acres that we've protected are all forever wild, and when we say forever wild, we mean protecting places where nature will direct the ebb and flow of life for all time, and so the moment that Northeast Wilderness Trust buys a piece of land, that place is protected from ever being logged again, managed again, and the place will just become wilder over time, and special habitats will come back to those areas.

When you protect a place, no matter its current condition, if you leave it alone, nature has an incredible ability to heal and recover, and in a sense, we are setting the foundation for tomorrow's old growth forests here in Magalloway.

- The Nature Conservancy works worldwide, and we have certain areas where we focus a lot of our efforts because of their significance for biodiversity and resilience in the face of a changing climate, and the Appalachians are one of four global focus areas.

The Magalloway Project is a linchpin project in that Appalachians corridor.

If you look at the map, you can see that missing link in that big chain of conserved land, and so this project is hugely important for filling in that missing piece.

We are working in an area that's the largest intact mixed temperate forest in North America, and a big reason that that connectivity of that conserved lands is important is because the wildlife need to be able to migrate across the landscape and count on that habitat as part of their range.

Also, you know, this place is hugely important for the forest economy in the Northeast, and if we lose out on our forests, we lose our livelihoods and our culture.

- [Jake] The story is a strong one and the story is what helps get people behind projects.

- [Molly] Our philosophy is that nature and access to the outdoors is just essential to the human spirit, so we wanna make sure that people can experience that now and for many, many generations to come.

- [Alex] Oftentimes, I feel like it is like church out here because it's just so peaceful.

- [Molly] We're very fortunate in Maine that we can step out our backdoor and have access to these places, but I think that people don't realize maybe that that access is under threat, so by protecting public access, we're furthering those outdoor traditions in Maine and people's ability to experience this beautiful place that we call home.

(proud music) - The Magalloway Project is just another example of the strength we gain when we work together, whether it's large conservation organizations or a small group of rock climbers.

If you missed an episode of "Borealis" or just wanna rewatch one of your favorite segments, head on over to our YouTube page.

You'll find full episodes, individual stories, and bonus content that you won't find anywhere else.

Watch "Borealis" anytime, anywhere on YouTube.

On the next "Borealis."

- Everybody look good.

Rotate, baby.

Rotate.

- We go to Castine to paddle with Karen Francoeur, one of Maine's most experienced sea kayak guides.

Tick research at UMaine in Orono is revealing how this notorious pest is adapting to a changing climate.

Come with us on a bird walk in Bangor with the legendary Bob Duchesne, and learn how you can become a birding expert, and join me on the trail as I explore Boot Head Preserve in Lubec.

Thank you for watching "Borealis."

Until next time, get out and enjoy the outdoors.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues) (gentle music continues)