‘Chalk the Trail’ spurs creativity at Windham event

By Elle Curtis

A day that was predicted to have clouds and gloomy weather turned into a day of sun and the community coming together at the Mountain Division Rail Trail at Gambo Fields in Windham for the “3rd annual Chalk the Trail event, bringing the trail back to life through art.

Friends of the Mountain Division Trail President Doug Smith,
right, and Secretary Andrew Walton get ready to greet 
participants at the 'Chalk the Trail' event at Gambo Fields
in Windham on Sunday, May 18, The creative event is
designed to show community support for the trail 
segments and recreational opportunities in Windham. 
PHOTO BY ELLE CURTIS

“Families, children, and members of the community came together on Sunday, May 18 for “Chalk the Trail,” an event sponsored by the Cumberland County Conservation District, Windham Parks and Recreation, and Friends of The Mountain Division Trail, as a part of bringing awareness to the trail with the goal to see it expand.

“The trail isn’t just for walking. It can be a place to come together and have a different type of event. I feel like it brings life to the trail,” said event organizer and Friends of The Mountain Division Trail secretary Andrew Walton.

Through activities such as face painting accompanied by music and provided chalk, participants were encouraged to use their creativity to beautify the trail by covering the pavement. Around 300 people use the trail on a normal day. This year’s designated “Chalk the Trail” drawing area had to be doubled in length to accommodate the growing number of participants.

“When you’re walking or biking the trail, the personalities are different,” said Friends of The Mountain Division Trail treasurer, Dave McNutt, who hopes Chalk the Trail will create the opportunity for more of the community to experience the trail. “The more people we get out, the more information we spread, and the more knowledge there is.”

Locally the Mountain Division Trail offers a paved rail trail for biking and walking that connects Windham, Gorham, and Standish. Parking is available off Gambo Road on Soccer Drive, as well as near the South Windham Fire Station off Route 202 in South Windham.

Windham Parks and Recreation maintains a section of the Mountain Division Trail as part of the Mountain Division Alliance. Ultimately, the Mountain Division Alliance's vision is to create a 50 mile rail trail connecting the East Coast Greenway Alliance in Portland through nine communities to the New Hampshire border.

The Town of Windham and the City of Westbrook have received grant funding from the Maine Department of Transportation to complete engineering and design work on a proposed 5-mile trail extension of the existing trail from Main Street (Route 202) in Windham to Bridge Street in Westbrook.

With the growth of “Chalk the Trail” from an idea a couple of years ago to the event that it is today, Friends of The Mountain Division Trail continue to advocate for the completion of the rail trail from Fryeburg to Portland. Members talked with participants at the event about the pending expansion of the trail, as well as trail users.

Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Windham Parks and Recreation, and Revision Energy all had booths at the event. Each one focused on the importance of keeping our trails in good condition to ensure an enjoyable trail use experience.

“It’s important, spreading awareness on conservation, landscaping practices, invasive plants, and recreating responsibly,” said Abby Theobald, project administrator of Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, who handed out dog treats and dog owner goodie bags, while talking with trail users and participants about the importance of picking up after their dogs and disposing of the waste properly to keep the trails and surrounding areas clear of litter.

The “Chalk the Trail” event brought in community members and tourists, as well some people attending neighboring soccer games at Gambo Park in Windham. The family themed event provided an opportunity for the community to come together and socialize in a creative way. It not only brings awareness to the Mountain Division Rail Trail, but also for volunteer organizations that perform tasks such as cleaning up after others on the trail for the benefit of the entire community, especially during the busy summer months.

To learn more, or to see the 10 miles of trail already built, visit https://fotmdt.org/ <

Windham veteran on walk to visit all four corners of America

By Ed Pierce

By the time Matt Dyer of Windham finishes his journey across America, he is hoping to accomplish something nobody else has ever done before – walk to all four corners of America in one trip.

Matt Dyer of Windham is one his way to walk to all four
corners of America and hopes to reach Miami by July.
From there he will walk to San Diego and then north to
Olympia, Washington by July 2024.
PHOTO BY TIM JENSEN/PATCH MEDIA     

Dyer is an Army veteran who started his epic trek Dec. 30 and hopes to complete the long trip by July 2024. He’s walking the entire way pulling a cart of supplies and a tent and the adventure is something that Dyer will treasure forever.

“To my knowledge, no one has ever done this. I'm challenging myself. My cause is to exercise, unplug and be in nature, test the limits of my body and to have resiliency and the mental toughness to never tap-out and do something never done before,” he said. “I am sharing my journey for one, to prove I did it; two, to inspire people to do something outside of your comfort zone; and three, for self-exploration. I am clearing my head and taking it all in. The people I am meeting are making a lifelong impact on me so now my purpose is to share people's stories.

He's been averaging about 11.6 miles per day and at this pace, he expects to reach Miami by the end of May, and then San Diego by the end of February. From there he will head north to Olympia, Washington.

"The trip should be finished by July 6, 2024, the fifth-year anniversary of my father's death,” Dyer said. He lived in Windham from 1988 to 2019.”

If the walk itself wasn’t enough of a challenge, Dyer is hauling a cart filled with a tent, a 10-degree mummy bag, a Coleman hunting cot, two sets of wet weather clothes, sleeping clothes and walking clothes, and a ton of socks. He’s also brought along five pairs of gloves, two sets of outer reflective vests, a headlamp, miscellaneous tools, a machete, and a ton of empty carb foods like cereal, pop tarts, and gummies.

“I have 10 pounds of Whey Protein, beef jerkey, protein bars, and trail mix,” he said. “I carry at least 4 gallons of water. One is open, three reserve and electrolyte powders like Pedialyte and Gatorade.

He served in the Army from June 2012 to December 2017 as a Human Intelligence Collector for the intelligence sector and graduated from Windham High School in 2011. After his military service ended, Dyer became a Department of Defense contractor in Afghanistan starting in January 2018 for a year. His second deployment was from January 2020 to January 2021 supporting special forces (SOJTF/NATO Special Operations Component Command) as a Counterintelligence Analyst.

He and his late wife Marinna both attended Windham High School and Dyer was a member of the 2009 WHS state championship football squad.

According to Dyer, walking across America is nothing short of amazing.

“I haven't had a day where I've woke up saying ‘’Ugh. I don't want to walk today.’ I'm having a blast meeting people of all walks of life and the tranquility of walking alone down an empty road at night,” he said.

The most memorable sight he’s seen so far has been a shooting star that he observed in the Orion constellation while he was walking in Suffield, Connecticut.

“I actually have Orion tattooed on my wrist as my wife loved it,” Dyer said. I bought her a star in that constellation for Valentine’s Day in 2014.”

The most memorable place he’s passed through so far is Barre, Massachusetts,” he said.

“The walk into Barre was the toughest walk yet, 15 miles in the pouring rain. The final mile was a hill that ranks in the top five of the whole trip and I was so determined to climb it, all alone in the rain at 3 a.m.,” Dyer said. “Cooks Canyon where I slept was beautiful. There's nothing like sleeping with a babbling brook right outside your tent. In the morning I met Randy Marsden and his dog Emmitt, and I sat with them and Randy's wife, Laurie, for six hours talking about life in their kitchen, while Laurie washed and dried my stuff. Amazing people.”

While on his journey he’s noticed he’s not alone out there. He heard coyotes throughout the night in

Massachusetts and Connecticut.

“There was a skunk on the shoulder in East Granby, Connecticut who was more afraid of me than I of him so we didn't have a close encounter,” Dyer said. “I found some very cool animal bones yesterday in Canton, Connecticut that there's a nice picture of on my Facebook page.”

He said people he’s met in Connecticut have warned him to watch out for bears while walking.

“But Google, ‘Matt Dyer bear attack’ and you'll find that a man with my same name, from Maine has already been attacked by a bear and survived,” Dyer said. “So, I'm safe right?”

Logistics for his journey were reviewed in advance of his departure, where he went over possible thoroughfares and some other technical issues.

“I've only had one instance where my phone died. My fellow Windham friends James Conant and Dylan Nelson killed my battery video chatting,” he said. “I charge during the day while I eat and plan my route for the day.”

He’s not collecting donations for the trip and supports himself from a VA disability check and a survivor benefit from the death of his wife.

“If you skim my Facebook page, you'll see the jokes about the ‘no-cause cause.’ You will not find a donation link, and I am not asking for donations,” he said. “People have supported me by helping fix a flat tire, doing laundry, etc.”

As far as the trip goes, Dyer said he wants everyone to know that he’s a competitor.

“I want people to know that I want to do something never done before. I want to put myself through

anguish mentally and physically and become stronger and tougher. People don't seem to take that as an answer to the question ‘Why are you doing this?’ I truly believe that I can't be stopped by life and I'm proving it to myself. When I'm done, no matter what it is I want to do with my life, I'll say to myself, ‘I just walked around America and slept outside for 18 months, I can do anything.’”

As he continues to meet people across America on his walk and being impacted continuously by the interactions, he said he wants to use his platform to do good.

“I am filling the internet with good stories. I am coming up with ways to give back,” he said.

You can follow Dyer’s journey across America by visiting his Facebook page at 2023walkusa. <