Explore Ellsworth – HIKE Video Series
We recently launched an Explore Ellsworth video series showcasing the seven hikes from our Heart of Ellsworth HIKE page. New residents and local vloggers, Wayne and Jemily Ayers-Creech (also of our 2021 Taste of Ellsworth video series), laced up their boots and set out to explore the trails to give you a look at the outdoor adventures available in our backyard.
Special thank you to our video series sponsor Desert Harvest, they offer health, wellness and skincare products using uniquely proprietary, concentrated aloe vera. Additional thanks to project partners Maine Trail Finder, Look Out for ME and Wayne and Jemily’s company, Back to the Basix!
Check out some of the scenery from the hikes in and around Ellsworth in the video series on our YouTube channel.
You can also read a guest post below from our Heart of Ellsworth board president, Phyllis Young, about her trusty hiking boots — the very same ones that grace our #ExploreEllsworth image below — and how they helped support her love of hiking.
Phyllis Young’s sturdy and well-loved hiking boots.
If shoes could talk, this pair would carry the name, Chatterbox.
In 2013, I came in from work and Reg met me with a glass of wine. He asked me to sit down and hear him out. He shared his dream to hike to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Who knew? Well, I agreed to give it a whirl and that decision triggered a dramatic change in how I have experienced life and the great outdoors ever since.
I knew a sturdy boot was needed for this strenuous hike and after numerous visits to a variety of shops, I selected these Merrell trekkers and started the year-long training needed for success.
Since that Grand Canyon adventure in 2014, these trusty shoes have been a part of what has developed into a most amazing journey through life.
Hundreds of miles, thousands of steps. It’s safe to say nearly every trail in Hancock County and many of Maine’s scenic trails, state parks, and peaks have felt the crunch of their tread. Acadia National Park is their playground.
From the Maritime provinces of Canada to the San Juan Islands of Washington state, these shoes have explored and discovered. They have traipsed through 28 US states and 12 breathtaking national parks on two exciting road trips. There have even been a few international jaunts in their history. These boots gave me the confidence to hike in Chamonix, France with Mt. Blanc as the backdrop.
As the tips of the toes are showing their age, it is incredible to note these shoes still have their original laces. These boots are made for walking! And, it ain’t over yet. The time to trade in your boots is when you lose confidence in their grip. Just this past week they sprinted up Beech Mountain in rapid pursuit of my nimble-footed grandchildren without a missed step. Thank goodness my 9-year-old hiking companions were with me on that day, phew!
