Happy Trails

So the entire 85-mile length of the Down East Sunrise Trail is now open for use. The grand opening last week in Hancock drew cyclists, runners, and ATV users (see above) so they could speed away to check out the scenery. Other sections of the trail farther east in Washington County opened for public use last year.
Dale Henderson is still pursuing his lawsuits against the state (according to this BDN story), claiming they do not have legal access to the rail corridor, but he seems to be playing along, having removed the barricades he had set up where the corridor divides his land in Hancock and Steuben.
Many rail enthusiasts continue to object to the conversion of the old rail line into a trail, but state officials have defended the move saying that the old ties and rail would have to come up anyway (and then replaced) for rail service to resume on the track. Certainly, the corridor will get more use as a trail than it will anytime soon and a railway. The demand for passenger or freight rail service through Hancock and Washington counties just isn't there. Maybe it will be again one day, but state officials will have to cross that trestle when they come to it (sorry, couldn't resist).
Certainly, there is an economic opportunity here. As the BDN points out, some businesses along the corridor are clearing paths to the trail to attract customers off the trail, and some people are planning new businesses entirely, such as snowmobile lodges.
I, for one, have been eyeballing the corridor route in the Gazetteer, trying to figure out which sections will be the most scenic. I'm guessing that the Schoodic Bog, east of Franklin between routes 182 and 183, Cherryfield to Columbia Falls, and the Whitneyville-through-East Machias portions are the nicest, but if I have time to scout out the whole route I will try. It will be interesting to see how well those using self-propelled means (joggers, skiers, bikers) can co-exist with motorized trail users (snowsleds and ATVs). I plan to use my bike and skis in the coming months to find out.