PORTLAND, Maine — A few months ago when the editors of “Down East” magazine began compiling the list for the fourth annual Great Maine Scavenger Hunt, they were, in their words, “more eager than ever to explore all 35,385 square miles of the Pine Tree state, chasing the very best of a Maine summer.” Now, with the uncertainty brought on by a pandemic, it’s not clear how much chasing any of us will be able to do.
Whenever our lives do start to return to normal, though, it seems certain that we’re going to want to get out and move—to climb a mountain, walk along a river, visit a favorite lobster shack, catch an outdoor movie on a fine summer night. The scavenger hunt offers ideas for every one of those activities and 33 more from South Berwick to Presque Isle, Rangeley to Lubec. “It’s a mix of classic and surprising around the state,” Editor-in-chief Brian Kevin told us as we talked about the scavenger hunt and some other stories in the May issue of the magazine.
Will some of the activities on the scavenger hunt list be curbed or even cancelled? Maybe. The honest answer is, who knows? But as Brian wrote in his editor’s note, “We will get through this moment, and the Maine summer will be that much sweeter.”