Looking for some fun in the snow? Try cross country skiing!
Winter has not ever been my favorite season, but since I live in Maine and have my entire life, I might as well just get used to it and embrace it. Right? So a couple of weeks ago we (Nate &I), as well as a couple of our friends went cross country skiing at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. I had never been there before and had only seen the commercials on TV and heard that it is a great place for cross country skiing. So, we got all our snow gear together and headed North on Route 95 for about a half hour. Pineland Farms is a “5,000 acre working farm, diverse business campus, educational & recreational venue…” Their mission statement is to “…provide a productive & educational venue that enriches the community be demonstrating responsible farming techniques, offering educational opportunities & encouraging a healthy lifestyle through recreation.
We all rented the skiis because none of us had any cross country skiing equipment. You can find the cost here.
Also, I would recommend grabbing a map to keep in your pocket for when you get out on the trails. The trails are all marked clearly, but it just helps to have one with you in case you get lost 
They do a great job of grooming the trails. However, if you haven’t been cross country skiing in a while, prepare for a GREAT workout! You will be sore the next day. They have all difficulty levels of trails; Beginner, Intermediate, & Advanced. And now that I am looking at the map more carefully, I am realizing that we were mostly on the Intermediate trails, so no wonder why it was quite challenging! There were a bunch of little hills and turns that made it exciting. We came across a Warming Hut that you could go in to warm up. It was so cold the day we went, so I would recommend going after we get a big snowstorm and for the temperatures to be in the mid 30′s! So round up your friends, get outside and do something!
Oh & the best part is that they have a really nice, big market, The Market at Pineland Farms. After your adventurous day of skiing, head in to grab some yummy snacks & treats to bring home. They have all of the farm-fresh goodness from the farm, as well as an expanded assortment of Maine made foods, beverages & gifts. My favorite part, besides the yummy Gatorade that saved my life after skiing for 3 hours, were the assortment of cheeses that they make right their on the farm. They also have samples all over the market, so that was fun as well I plan on going back again this winter, but not until it WARMS up a little bit. Oh & we need some snow to ski! The rain took it all away!